FEBRUARY 2020
IWFS Douro River Cruise Part 6 ALSO INSIDE • Event Report: A New England Holiday Wine Dinner • The International Wine and & Food Society IWFS Americas, Inc. 2019 Douro River Cruise Part 6 June 13, 2019 • Tablas Creek 101: Why We Are What We Are • Blast from the Past
A publication of the Omaha Branch of the International Wine and Food Society
PRESIDENT'S COMMENTS Happy Hollow Club always does a great job of hosting our Branch over the Christmas/ Hanukkah holidays. This season was no exception as we explored a New England themed wine dinner. New club chef Kevin Murphy came from the New England area and was excited to give us a taste from his home base. I don’t recall ever having roast goose at an Omaha Branch event, for example. If we did, I just don’t remember it. Unfortunately, Kevin has left HHC. I think he did a fine job for us. This was also the 10th year for the In The Moment Band headed by Ed Archibald to lead the dancing afterwards. During the event, I had the pleasure of donning the IWFS Americas Gold Medallion to two hard working Board members: Lowell Wilhite and Duke Matz. Both men generously donate their time to keep our Branch running smoothly. Lowell keeps our web site up to date, as well as our Facebook and Twitter sites. He also was responsible for our QR-code on the back of the Gazettes. Duke is in charge of Membership with all its complications. You can thank him for initiating electronic registration and payment for events, making it ever so easy to accept or decline an event invitation. Duke is also the one that submits the branch proceeding reports to Wine Food & Friends and selects an event to brag about to the rest of the Americas. Both men have never ending jobs and are well deserving of the gold medallion. Thanks for all your work! In preparation for the April President’s event, where we will compare Château Beaucastel with Tablas Creek, we begin a two part focus on Tablas Creek with an article by founder Robert Haas. Robert was an American importer bringing in European wines, including Château Beaucastel from the Châteauneuf-du-Pape area of France. While Robert was taking Jean-Pierre Perrin, owner of Beaucastel, to visit some of his California wineries in 1970, Perrin remarked that it was surprising that the area did not have any Rhône varietals. It took years, but eventually Hass and the Perrin family established Tablas Creek near Paso Robles, California, after a long exhausting search for the ideal site. This first article talks about why Paso Robles was selected for investment in a winery and what criteria was used. The Board is looking into different kinds of events. Joe Goldstein is holding a Noon Stag event with a definite March Madness/ basketball theme. Mark your calendars and bring your favorite jersey. Finally, Wayne Markus speaks of entering Spain on the IWFS Douro River Cruise. The ship can go no farther upstream, so a bus was taken to Salamanca, Spain, marking the farthest destination on the cruise. If you have been noticing, the trip was organized with just one day trip, with the rest of the time being spent enjoying the ship and moving to the next destination. Salut!
Tom Murnan On the Cover: Jamón Ibérico dry-cured ham from the black Iberian acorn eating pigs, Salamanca, Spain. Photo by Wayne Markus.
“When it comes to a choice between two evils, I always choose the one I haven’t tried before.” — Mae West From The Best of the Cockle Bur compiled and edited by Harry B Otis, 3rd President 1973-1974
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A publication of the Omaha Branch of the International Wine and Food Society
A New England Holiday Wine Dinner Photos by Tom Murnan & Ron Policky Story by Duke Matz The Omaha Branch Holiday Wine Dinner is always a special affair with formal attire, exceptional cuisine matched with superb wines, and musical entertainment. This year’s event was the tenth year in a row Happy Hollow Club hosted the Holiday event. Fifty-five members, spouses and guests were treated to an exquisite five-course menu prepared by Happy Hollow’s new executive chef, Kevin Murphy, who decided to theme the meal around his New England origins. A large corps of kitchen assistants and service staff aided Chef Kevin in preparing the evening. To begin the night, attendees were presented with a glass of 2009 Huet Vouvray Petillant Brut Reserve (WA93) and then served a selection of quaffing wines from the Omaha Branch cellar. All the while enjoying House Cured Ham with Molasses Glaze, Maine Coastal Oysters Horseradish Mignonette, and Turkey Meatballs with Cranberry Sauce. After quaffing, the group was served the first course of Smoked Lobster Chowder, served with an Apple Slaw. Paired with a 2017 Roc des Boutires Pouilly Fuissé (WA92), it was a warm beginning to an elegant meal. The second course consisted of Wild Boar “Tortierrette” with Cranberry Gastrique, Petite Greens, Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Spiced Maple Vinaigrette. The 2016 Domaine Faiveley Mercury Rouge (WS93) was an excellent Burgundy to accompany the course. >
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< The third course was a Mustard Crusted Venison Chop with Celery Root Puree, Celery Root & Brussel Sprout Hash, and Venison Gastrique. The venison chop was paired with the 2015 Domaine Courbis Cornas Champelrose (WS94 / WA94). The succulent venison, along with the mustard and root flavors called for this delightful Rhone Valley wine. The last entrée course consisted of a Sous Vide Goose Breast with Chestnut Dressing, Goose Fat Roasted Root Vegetables and Apples, Cider Gravy. The course was paired with a couple of Bordeaux wines from two of the more prominent sub-regions in Bordeaux; the 2009 Clos de l’Oratoire from SaintEmilion (WS94 / WA93) and the 2010 Château Haut-Bergey from Pessac-Leognan (WS92 / WA92). Both were exceptional choices for the rich goose and accompanying flavors. The dessert course was a Holiday Pudding with a Gingersnap Cookie and Orange Anglaise. The dessert was served with a rich 2009 Doisy Daene Barsac Sauternes (WS93 / WA97) to conclude a wondrous meal. The evening was capped by dancing to the music of, “In The Moment,” featuring Ed “Smoove Grooves” Archibald whose jazz sounds have been a reliable complement at the Holiday Wine Dinner for the past ten years. Our personal thanks and compliments to Chef Kevin Murphy and Happy Hollow Club and its staff. Again, this event continues to complete the Omaha Branch year of events with a culinary delight of exquisite food, wonderfully paired wines and festive entertainment.
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TABLAS CREEK 101: WHY WE ARE WHAT WE ARE
Story by Robert Haas [On April 4, 2020, we will be comparing Château Beaucastel from Châteauneuf-duPape (CduP) to Tablas Creek, located in Paso Robles, CA. Most of our members know very little about Paso Robles. In 2011, importer Robert Haas wrote some blogs about how the Tablas Creek site was selected and the kinds of grapes they used. Haas partnered up with the Perrin family of CduP to create Tablas Creek, using the know-how of the famous family that runs Beaucastel. I added the bolding in the Haas article. Editor] In the early 1970’s Jean-Pierre Perrin accompanied me when I was visiting my then Napa Valley suppliers of Vineyard Brands: Freemark Abbey, Chappellet, Clos du Val and Phelps. We took a little tour of the valley and he remarked that it was extraordinary that, in a climate that seemed extremely apt, there were none of the grape varieties traditional to the Rhône. It was this experience that was the beginning of the idea of doing it ourselves. However, we were pretty busy developing our own businesses at the time and the idea, never forgotten, got shelved for a while. In 1985, we decided to give it a try and began seeking a proper location. We were looking for three things: a Mediterranean climate similar to that of the southern Rhône, enough annual rainfall to grow grapes without having to irrigate regularly, and maybe most importantly – certainly most restrictively – calcareous (chalky) clay soils similar to those of Beaucastel. As we had noted in the 1970’s, much of coastal California has a classic Mediterranean climate. But more specifically, we wanted an area with both a long growing season to ripen late-ripening grapes like Mourvèdre and Roussanne and moderating influence (like elevation, nighttime cooling or fog) that could keep the earlier ripening
Rhone varieties like Syrah and Viognier from becoming heavy and flabby. Paso Robles has the largest day-night swing in temperature of any wine growing region in North America, typically 45 degrees and often more. The proximity of the cold Pacific Ocean, which never gets much above 60 degrees even in mid-summer, and the dry summer climate that allows the day’s heat to radiate off at night provide cooling, while the relatively unbroken 3000-foot high Santa Lucia mountains protect the region during the daytime and allow it to warm up. Even better, the further south you go in California, the later the onset of the winter rainy season. We typically get our first serious winter rainstorm in the middle of November, two weeks later than our colleagues in Napa and a month later than those in Sonoma. The extra weeks matter in cool years, and we have harvested into November five of the last seven vintages. The lower limit for dry-farming grapevines is about 25 inches of rain annually. We get that much here thanks to our 1500-foot elevation and our location in the Santa Lucia foothills just 11 miles from the Pacific. Pacific storms are pushed up into cooler air as they cross over the mountains. This cooler air can carry less moisture, so the clouds drop it as rainfall. Our average rainfall of about 28 inches is double what the town of Paso Robles receives just ten miles further east and 800 feet lower. We figure we’re just about the most southerly location in California (and one of the warmest) to receive this much rainfall. Finally, and we thought most importantly, we felt that chalky soils would give us, as they do in the southern Rhône Valley, Page 18 · 2020 ·
healthier vines with better water retention, better nutrient availability, healthier root system development and more disease resistance. We found our spot after four years of searching: 120 acres of rugged hilly terrain in the foothills of the Santa Lucia mountains. We bought it and that was the birth of Tablas Creek Vineyard. But why are there chalky soils here? The story begins sixty-five million years ago, toward the end of the Cretaceous period, when the fearsome Tyrannosaurus Rex ranged the land. At that time, the continental United States was largely covered by shallow seas, with only the Appalachian and Rocky Mountain ranges on dry land. What are now the central plains and the southeast, and both the east and west coasts (including what is now Paso Robles) were under the ocean. A map from the USGS shows it well:
The Cretaceous period, starting about one hundred forty million years ago and ending sixty-five million years ago, was the earth’s most active period of chalk formation. Chalk is principally calcium carbonate. The circulation of seawater through mid-ocean sea ridges during the Cretaceous – a time when mid-ocean ridges were unusually active – made Cretaceous oceans particularly rich in calcium. This richness stimulated the growth of calcareous nanoplankton, the tiny sea creatures whose calcium-rich skeletons settle to the sea floor and eventually accumulate to form chalk and its metamorphic relations limestone and marble. It was during the Cretaceous that the chalk cliffs of Dover and the chalky hillsides of Champagne and the Loire were formed; as were the chalky clay soils around Tablas Creek in west Paso Robles. The seas began to recede toward the end of the Cretaceous and continued through the Tertiary, driven initially by the slower growth of mid-sea ridges and a cooler climate that would eventually trap large quantities of water in glaciers. The
Limestone in the soil
In California, seismic activity pushed up calcareous soils in only a few places, principally along the Santa Lucia Mountain range, where these soils were folded and intermixed with older continental and volcanic soils. sedimentary chalk-rich rocks that had been laid down in the Cretaceous were exposed throughout the middle portions of the United States. In California, seismic activity pushed up calcareous soils in only a few places, principally along the Santa Lucia Mountain range, where these soils were folded and intermixed with older continental and volcanic soils. Much of these soils are west of the coastal range, in climates too cool to ripen Rhone varieties. It was our good fortune that one large exposed chalky layer was east of the coastal range, in west Paso Robles and Templeton. So, all three components come together here in Paso Robles. Chalky soils sit at the surface. We typically get enough rain to farm without having to irrigate. And it warms up enough to grow the grapes we love, while staying moderated enough to keep them in balance. Next month: Tablas Creek 101: Why (and How) We Use So Many Grapes. Source: https://tablascreek.typepad.com/ tablas/tablas-creek-101/
Robert Haas (right) with Jean-Pierre Perrin (left) and Francois Perrin (middle) at Beaucastel c. 1985
Robert Haas (orange sweater), Jason Haas and Francois Perrin ; standing with hat Jean-Pierre Perrin
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A publication of the Omaha Branch of the International Wine and Food Society
THE INTERNATIONAL WINE AND & FOOD SOCIETY IWFS AMERICAS, INC. 2019 DOURO RIVER CRUISE PART 6 JUNE 13, 2019: S A L A M A N C A , S PA I N Story & Photos by Wayne Markus
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M
otor coaches took us to Salamanca, Spain, about an hour and forty-five-minute ride. The Douro river in Spain has dams, but no locks so riverboats cannot go further into Spain. Along the way were pastures, olive and almond trees, black bulls bred for bull fighting, horses, storks, and rare donkeys. The city is known as the golden city because the buildings are built of a honey-colored sandstone that glitters like gold. We shopped in the Plaza Mayor formerly the site of bull fights. Silver, leather, cosmetics, and toiletries are less expensive in Spain than Portugal. Charro is the souvenir jewelry of Salamanca. We toured the University of Salamanca where the famous (small) Frog of Salamanca was pointed out. The University is the third oldest in Europe after Bologna and Oxford. We also toured the old Romanesque/gothic cathedral and the adjoined new late gothic/baroque cathedral. The waiting list for weddings is two years so brides reserve a date then find a groom! Many storks entertained us from the bell towers and high buildings. Jamón Ibérico dry-cured ham from the black Iberian acorn eating pigs was on display and available to purchase and in sandwiches. Back at the ship, Richard Mayson again discussed the evening dinner wines. The first was Dow’s Fine White Port with Schweppes tonic that is Portugal’s national aperitif. 2016 Prazo de Roriz red wine by Prats & Symington was served with the starter courses. It is not big and costs €9-10 Euros. The two reds with the main courses were from PratsSymington, both are from essentially the same property and both blends of Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca. Both are available in the American market. The 2017 Post Scriptum is the second wine, with less oak, more purity of wild fruit, and more ready to drink costing about €20. It was Richards favorite wine of the night. It was served with Mrs. Tollman’s Shrimp Stroganoff, Mushrooms and Fettuccini noodles. The 2016 Chryseia at €60 is the top non-fortified wine of the Prats-Symington label. It is made with new French oak, is dry and has finesse. It is a youngster and needs more time. It was served with Sautéed Duck Breast, Sweet Potato, and Red Cabbage. 2000 Quinta de Roriz Vintage Port was served appropriately with cheese cream, ice cream, and seasonal fruits. It had lovely sweet ripe fruit. This Quinta was well-known by the end of the 17th century and is now owned by Prats-Symington. Source: https://tablascreek.typepad.com/tablas/tablas-creek-101/
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A publication of the Omaha Branch of the International Wine and Food Society
blast from
the past
Photos from Mike Dunn & Roger Peterson
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UPCOMING OMAHA BRANCH EVENTS
Mark Your Calendars! FEB
16 MAR
14 APR
04
COUPLES
Le Voltaire French Valentine Dinner Producer: Todd Lemke
NOON STAG
March Madness Venue: The Cry Room at Happy Hollow Club Producer: Joe Goldstein
COUPLES
President’s Event: Changing of the Guard, Champions Run, Tablas Creek & Château Beaucastel: Kissing Cousins? Producers: Tom Murnan, John & Shelli Klemke
HOSTING AN EVENT? Let us know when, where and a little bit about what’s going on! We would love to include YOUR event on the calendar! Email details to: murnantom@gmail.com
A publication of the Omaha Branch of the International Wine and Food Society
February 2020
Purpose: To meet communication and service needs, to broaden participation and understand and to be an information exchange for the membership of The International Wine & Food Society in the Americas. Publisher: Todd Lemke Editor: Tom Murnan Graphic Designer: Omaha Magazine, LTD.
THE INTERNATIONAL WINE & FOOD SOCIETY OF LONDON, ENGLAND OM A H A, NEBR A SK A BR A NCH - E X ECU T I V E COM MIT TEE This Quick Response Code (QR-Code) can be scanned with a scanner app on your smart phone to take the reader directly to the Omaha Branch web site.
PR ESI DEN T: Tom Murnan............................................... murnantom@gmail.com V ICE PR ESI DEN T / SECR ETA RY: Mark Stokes.............. mark_stokes@aig.com T R E ASU R ER: Les Zanotti................................................ zanol@cox.net W I N E CELLA R M AST ER: Les Zanotti............................ zanol@cox.net M EM BERSH I P CH A I R M A N: Duke Matz........................ dmatz@darland.com
B OA R D O F D I R E C T O R S : Derek Burdeny
Todd Lemke
Tad Singer
Mike Wilke
Joe Goldstein
John Matthews
Mark Stokes
Les Zanotti
Steve Hipple
Duke Matz
Dave Thrasher
Tom Murnan
Lowell Wilhite
KEEP IN TOUCH! Please notify Club President, Tom Murnan, 402.740.4802 or via email at murnantom@gmail.com to let him know if you are interested in hosting an IWFS event.
ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR THE MEMBERS WILL BE POSTED ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER. Like us on FACEBOOK (IWFSOmaha): facebook.com/IWFSOmaha and follow us on TWITTER (IWFSOmaha): twitter.com/IWFSOmaha All versions of Wine & Food Gazette are published monthly by Omaha Magazine, LTD, P.O. Box 461208, Omaha, NE 68046-1208. Telephone: (402) 884-2000. No whole or part of the contents herein may be reproduced without prior written permission of Omaha Magazine, excepting individually copyrighted articles and photographs. Unsolicited manuscripts are accepted however no responsibility will be assumed for such solicitations. The opinions expressed in this publication, except as specifically stated to the contrary, are solely the opinion of the author and do no necessarily represent the views of the Board of Governors of the Americas. The International Wine & Food Society, LTD., the publisher and any officer, director, member or agent thereof. The international Wine & Food Society does not endorse advertisersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; products and is not responsible for damages incurred from the use of such products nor does it guarantee such products.