The rarest wine is the Oenotheque 1993. In spectacular vintages, the house puts away wine to age in a special wine cellar known as the Oenotheque, which means wine library.
April 12, 2009This week’s cocktail is The Japanese 75, an Asian riff on the classic champagne cocktail The French 75, which stars gin and sour. Frankie Thaheld, who makes super inventive and delicious drinks at George’s at the Cove, created the Japanese 75 for the new South Park neighborhood restaurant called Alchemy.
April 10, 2009
I thought it was just me, since I have a heightened awareness to anything that has to do with champagne. But the latest luxury candle and home fragrance trend is filling the air with the alluring scent of champagne. The first I noticed was Crisp Champagne by Voluspa, a subtly fresh candle mixed with the scent of ginger and vanilla. It’s pleasant and reasonably priced at around $22 for the full-size, 80-hour candle while votives are just $7. More recently, I discovered the super luxurious Belle Fleur Celebration Candle, shown at top, created by a floral and event designer in NYC. It goes straight for the toasty, bready aromas that greet your nose when you drink champagne, tempered with a hint of lily of the valley. Bready and toasty make me think of being in a bakery, but the owner of the high end candle shop where I discovered the…
March 30, 2009Winemakers come and go, but few are as worth meeting as Eileen Crane, the winemaker and CEO of Domaine Carneros in the Napa Valley. She’s in San Diego on Tuesday March 31, for a Bubbly Night Out cocktail party and dinner showcasing her sparkling and still wines at The Winesellar & Brasserie. She’s a font of fascinating historical and cultural information on champagne; she also crafts some of the most distinctive and satisfying sparkling wines made in America. Whether the Brut Cuvée, the dreamy Le Rêve Blanc de Blancs (my favorite), or the Brut Rosé Cuvée de la Pompadour (my other favorite), all the Domaine Carneros sparkling wines share a French toastiness and structure balanced with the ripe juiciness of California fruit. It’s quite something to visit the gorgeous chateau style winery, which recalls the Louis XV style Chateau La Marquetterie near Epernay, France where Domaine Carneros parent company Taittinger…
March 29, 2009
Duplicity is fast-paced and fun, with a rising tide of plot and romantic tension that at turns reminded me of David Mamet and the films Prizzi’s Honor, The Thomas Crown Affair and The Sting. But spies and fine champagne have gone together, ever since Ian Fleming created the archetypal international spy James Bond.
March 23, 2009