Michel Rolland Speaks of "Coca-Cola Style" Wines

Cheers all,

Here is a bit of a diversion from my intended track today, but I thought I'd better present it. The following is a response I gave to two gentlemen in the French Wine Society LinkedIn group who were defending Mr. Rolland and his less-than-lofty hopes for wine and wine-drinkers, and is my thought in general on the subject of the "Coca-Cola-ization" of wines. Naturally this could have been written in response to anyone, and I have left out the gentlemen's names to protect the (Innocent?)

We shall not capitulate!

Dear Mr......

It is my opinion that, in the same way that laws in the government are (ostensibly) made for the protection and good of the citizenry, and that doctors take the Hippocratic oath to heal their patients and do what they can to improve their lives, people who know about wine, whether as amateurs or professionals, share and dispense that knowledge in order to increase the demand for good wine, and lower the demand for bad. It has nothing to do with expense, as you suggest, by the way. There are good 10-dollar wines and bad 10-dollar wines for example; many more of the latter. Given the choice, which one would you rather have?

Once you find a good wine, don't you believe that it is imperative to share that knowledge of an up-and-coming wine-making area or producer with your fellow wine drinkers? Isn't it important to educate people about the ambiguities of wine and share with them the means to embrace those ambiguities? Isn't it important to always remind people, even oneself, not to get attached to one wine, good or bad, because there are thousands of them out there, and the one you like will most likely be different next year anyway?

As you point out, though you don't recognize it, consumers DON'T KNOW what they want (even though you suggest that they do). You speak of marketing. What does marketing do? It TELLS consumers what they want. Instead of giving them marketing; give them education!

Zu unserem verehrter Herr ...... aus Merdingen: Wir mussen immer die Gelegenheit nehmen um Weinliebhabern Wein Erkenntnis beizubringen. Oder?

Prost,

The Vinucator

Bemelman's Bar at the Carlyle

Q: What do Woody Allen, Leonardo diCaprio, Tom Selleck, Nicolas Sarkozy, Mick Jagger, and The Vinucator have in common?

A: We were all staying at the Carlyle and drinking at Bemelman's a week ago (not that we were hanging out together in my room, mind you. I am not sure that could have afforded all of the furniture that Sarkozy and Jagger would have broken, what with Sarkozy getting second billing in Carla Bruni's closet and all).

Bemelman's (the fabulous old-school NYC bar in the even-more fabulous old-school NYC art-deco Carlyle Hotel - http://thecarlyle.com/) is known for celebrity sightings and murals depicting the illustrations found in Ludwig Bemelmans' "Madeleine" series of children's books. Drinking at the bar itself, however, is not child's play, as drinks can run upwards of $20 a piece, but not all there is centered on negronis, martinis, and gimlets. The bar and hotel also offer a very serviceable wine list to go with their classic as well as their more modern dishes.

Here were the pairings that were suggested by our mutual friend, The Vinucator, for a group of about fifteen:

Appetizer:

Bibb Lettuce with Blue Cheese, Poached Pear, Toasted Walnuts, and Truffle Dressing

Wine: 2006 Domaine de Ladoucette Pouilly Fume

Main#1:

Grilled Hawaiian Swordfish with Broccoil Rabe, Roasted Peppers, Garlic Herb Potatoes, and Lemon Butter Sauce

White Wine: 2006 Bruno Giacosa Roero Arneis

Red Wine: 2007 Domaine Joblot "Clos de la Servoisine" Givry 1er Cru

Main#2:

Individual Beef Wellington with Bordelaise Sauce on a Bed of Wilted Spinach

Wine: 2004 Chateau Leoville-Poyferre St. Julien

I don't suppose there is any need to say that the pairings were wonderful, and based on the level of quality of everything at the Carlyle, the prices of the wines were not insufferable, as they would be in many other places.

Check it out sometime! If, however, you can't go to Bemelmans or the Carlyle, pair these wines with this this menu at home. Even if you don't get to see Jagger and Sarkozy fighting over Carla Bruni, or listen to Woody Allen play the "Magnum, P.I." and "Titanic" themes on his clarinet, you'll save yourself a few bucks and have a great dinner with your (somewhat-less-glamorous) friends anyway!

Salud, dinero, y amor!

The Vinucator

A New Beginning; The Vinucation Blog Starts in Earnest

Hi all,

Here we go again. When I initially created this blog two years ago, I did it as an experiment to see how much time, in order to do it well, I would have to spend on it every day. I discovered that it would be over an hour, and concluded that that would be too much. I now intend to carve out that time (or perhaps a little less), so look for my first new post tomorrow, and keep on coming back.

Upcoming posts:

Bemelman's Bar at the Carlyle Hotel in NYC;

What to Drink on the Deck of a Mobile Bay Waterfront Vacation Home; http://www.vrbo.com/170332

The Coney Island Experience;

Good Wines for Camping;

Sushi and Sake on the Upper East Side of Manhattan;

The Best Mai Tais in Hawaii;

The Distillation of Armagnac in Gascony.