L.A.'S Unique Urban Winery

T O O RDER M ORE F EA T URED W INES C ALL 1-800-823-5527 T ODAY ! Volume 22 Number 5 The ©Vinesse Wine Club 2014 SKU 22922 GrThe Officiala NewslepTTer fOrevine ViiNesse wiiNe club MeMbers L.A.’S UNIQUE URBAN WINERY How to Host a Wine Tasting Pairing Wine With... Bacon? G E T Y OUR D AILY D OSE O F W INE N E W S A T http://blog.vinesse.com 2 • The Grapevine • Visit vinesse.com OUR MISSION: To uncover and bring you wine gems from around the world, which you’re ediTOr’s JOurNal not likely to discover on your own, and which enhance your wine enjoyment. YOUR GRAPEVINE TEAM: Intrepid Wine Enthusiast, Chief Which Comes First: Taster and Winehound: Martin Stewart The Food or the Wine? Chief Operating Officer (aka “The Buck Stops Here”): By Robert Johnson Lawrence D. Dutra iscussing the way a dish is prepared, arguing Editor: “ Robert Johnson Dover courses and sampling pairings only leads Wine Steward: to a chef’s nose in the glass and a sommelier’s hand Katie Montgomery on the knife.” The Grapevine is published by Vinesse, 822 Hampshire Road, Suite E, Westlake So said Lindsey Whipple, sommelier kitchen, he wasn’t cooking a meal; Village, CA 91361; 1-800-823-5527. Copyright by Vinesse, LLC. Printed in USA. at Cut restaurant inside the Palazzo he was creating a feast for the No responsibility is assumed for loss or resort in Las Vegas. His comment senses. Whether it was a spice or damage to unsolicited materials. underscores the importance of the a sauce, he was looking for flavors relationship between a chef and a that complemented and elevated one Be good to the planet sommelier, and also brings up a another. He was seeking to create a question: When it comes to food and perfect balance of aroma, flavor and RECYCLE wine pairing, which comes first — the texture — a task challenging enough food or the wine? without adding wine affinity to the After talking to a number of chefs equation. CHARTER MEMBER and sommeliers, I found that there But there’s a solid case to be made BENEFITS: are two distinct schools of thought on the other side of this debate: Once The Grapevine Newsletter on this topic. Not surprisingly, most a wine has been fermented, aged and of the chefs believe that wine should bottled, there is nothing more that can Premium wine selections at members-only prices be matched to dishes, while many be done for it. There are things we can sommeliers feel that a chef should do to it — such as exposing it to too Wine tasting as a participant try to tailor specific dishes to specific much light and/or heat — but there is on VINESSE’s Gold Medal Award Panel wines. no way we can improve the product, Not to appear wishy-washy a la or alter its flavors. Complimentary subscription Charlie Brown — although I’ve read On the other hand, a chef has the to VINESSE’s Cyber Circle every “Peanuts” strip ever composed ability to alter ingredients in order to Community by the late Charles M. Schulz — but I change the flavor of any given dish. Random giveaways of wine can see both sides. With that flexibility, he or she also has and accessories Marcel Boulestin, a restaurateur the ability to tailor a specific dish to a Wine Finders Reward — and French cookbook author during specific wine. identify a future wine selection the first half of the 20th century, Of course, it takes a special chef — and earn a reward once observed: “Cookery is not one with little or no ego — to follow Perfectly matched recipes for chemistry. It is an art. It requires that path. And that’s why it’s likely featured wine selections instinct and taste rather than exact that chefs and sommeliers will be Complimentary wine tasting measurements.” engaging in passionate debates for When Boulestin was in the untold vintages to come. Visit vinesse.com • The Grapevine • 3 How to Host a Wine Tasting t can take a while for many of us to get back in the celebratory spirit following the holidays. IBut May has arrived, and we’ve been hibernating long enough. It’s time to party! Spring is the perfect season for hosting a wine tasting If you don’t own that many, “plasticware” will work just in your backyard or other outdoor space. Before the heat fine; remember, this is a wine tasting, not a wine judging. of the summer kicks in, which can present challenges in To enhance the enjoyment of guests, have a few wine managing the temperature of wine, plan to invite your aroma wheels scattered among the wine bottles, and also friends over for an evening of wine fun and discovery. provide notepads and pencils for those who wish to jot There are many ways to host a successful wine tasting, down the names of their favorites. And be sure to have but we’ve found there are certain guidelines that, if one or two “dump buckets” available so guests don’t feel followed, help ensure a successful event. compelled to finish every ounce of every wine sampled. The first consideration, of course, is the wine. Plan on Use of the dump buckets should be encouraged to promote opening one bottle for each person safe driving after the party. in attendance, and try to have a The idea is for each guest to nice mix of reds, whites, rosés and try a little bit of each wine, and sparklers. Why so many bottles? hopefully discover one or two We’ll explain in a moment. new “favorites.” Then at the end Next, you’re going to need wine of the evening, have guests draw glasses. Lots of them. Specifically, numbers from a hat to determine one glass for each wine to be the order in which open bottles opened... per person. So, if you are selected to take home — nice have six guests and six bottles, “parting gifts” for the first party of you’re going to need 36 glasses. Spring. THE ONE THAT STARTED IT ALL! • Hand-crafted gems produced by little known or small estates • Limited-production bottlings • Under-the-radar wines you won’t find in supermarkets EACH SHIPMENT INCLUDES: WINE COLOR MIX: Reds, Whites, or Both — Your Choice! • 6 bottles from all over the wine world FREQUENCY: Monthly • Detailed Tasting Notes for each featured wine PRICE: Only $12-$15 average per bottle plus shipping To learn more about this Club, call 800-823-5527 or visit www.Vinesse.com 4 • The Grapevine • Visit vinesse.com The Last Vestige of Winemaking in L.A. & THE Fastest-groWING CLUB IN VINESSE HISTORY! A club for people who enjoy a touch of sweetness in their wines. Wines that are lighter in style, sometimes sparkle, alifornia’s wine tradition began with the Franciscan occasionally blush, and are C fathers of the early Spanish missions. In 1833, French simply fun to drink. winemaker Jean-Louis Vignes brought the first European vines from his native Bordeaux, and planted them in Wines selected from top downtown Los Angeles. regions around the world. There, he also built a winery. By was the appropriate time to return EACH SHIPMENT the end of the 1880s, Los Angeles had their son to the U.S., where he was become the premier appellation for born 15 years earlier. Stefano began INCLUDES: grape growing and winemaking in all apprenticing under his Uncle Santo, • 2 bottles of delicious of California, as the area’s temperate learning the skills necessary to operate climate made it ideal for growing a winery. light-and-sweet wines fruity, lush, richly-colored grapes. When Stefano married Maddalena • Detailed Tasting Notes for each Vignes, considered by many to be the Satragni in 1946, San Antonio Winery featured wine founder of California’s wine industry, already was an established institution eventually had a street in downtown in California’s wine community. L.A. named after him. During this time, Northern California WINE COLOR MIX: In 1910, Santo Cambianica left was making fast strides in vineyard his home of Berzo San Fermo, in plantings, but Santo, Stefano and Mostly White; Occasionally the northern Italian province of Maddalena decided to remain with their Blush/Pink or Sparkling Lombardia. After registering at Ellis FREQUENCY: Island, he arrived in New York and then traveled across the country to Los Approximately Angeles. It took only a few years of Every Other Month saving money, building relationships, and planting his feet in the downtown PRICE: Italian-American community to start Only $15–$17 average per bottle his own company and begin living plus shipping the American dream. Santo founded San Antonio Winery in 1917 on Lamar Street, dedicating it to his Patron Saint, Anthony. To learn more about In 1936, a young Stefano Riboli this Club, call 800-823-5527 returned to the United States from or visit www.Vinesse.com Italy. With World War II on the horizon, Stefano’s parents knew it Visit vinesse.com • The Grapevine • 5 VINESSE® Winery 4-1-1 San Antonio Winery 737 Lamar St. Los Angeles, CA 90031 323-223-1401 Open Sunday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-8 p.m. JOIN US FOR AN INCREDIBLE WINE family in Los Angeles, where they’d state, many of which remain in place been blessed by good fortune. to this day. JOURNEY! Santo Cambianica passed away Most recently, the family has Each Shipment Takes You in 1956, and wished that Stefano focused on the Paso Robles region in to a Different Corner continue the business for the next California’s Central Coast.

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