Posts by Nolan Cooper
Wines to Talk About
Getting into the world of wine, I decided to take some classes with the International Sommelier Guild and was lucky enough to study under a very talented and passionate mentor, D.J. Kearney. She helped shape our perspective and attitude toward wines and the food and beverage industry as a whole. One of her little sayings that stuck with me was that “there are wines to talk over, and wines to talk about.”
Read MoreTasting the Wines of Oregon
The Many Flavors of Veuve Clicquot
I recently attended a dinner at Flavor restaurant in Del Mar for Veuve Clicquot champagne. Very few names in the champagne world are more recognizable than that of Madame Veuve Clicquot, and there are two things about Veuve that you should know.
The first of these is the story of Veuve Clicquot. To oversimplify its history, you could simply say Veuve is the first champagne house brought into its own by a woman – Madame Veuve Clicquot. After her husband passed away, she herself became actively involved and eventually marketed her champagne to become a respected brand through the royal courts of Europe, including holding a royal warrant of Queen Elizabeth II. What I find most amazing is how the widow Clicquot revolutionized champagne production to make it what it is today.
Read MoreA Look at Chateau Ste. Michelle-Dr. Loosen Eroica Rieslings
From the 1880s well past the First World War, Rieslings were selling in London auction houses for 3-4x what first growth Bordeaux were fetching. Riesling is perhaps the only grape varietal capable of producing everything from delicate and aromatic dry wines to Ice Wines (wines made from crushing bunches of grapes harvested well below freezing) or TBA’s (Trocken – dry or raisined, Beeren – individually picked, Auslese – selected), as well as the full range in between. Rieslings are also capable of aging just as long or longer than any other varietal.
