As a 30-year-old sommelier and owner of HIP TASTES EventsTM, I field this question constantly. I've spoken on panels about it and written extensively on the topic. And while I can hardly speak definitively on the needs and desires of an entire generation simply because I'm one of their ilk, I can throw into the ring what I feel are some halfway decent ideas about what they want from wine, based on personal experiences, winemaker input and some top notch research. (For those of you who are still cloudy about who the "Millennials" are: they are Americans who've turned 21 after the turn of the new Millennium).Collaboration
DIY Spirit
Core Values
Gourmet Savvy
Including coverage of Twisted Oak Winery, Municipal Winemakers, Sutton Cellars and more. Get the full story here!
pictured: moi in NYC (just back) - enjoying a glass at City Winery
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Rather like the sexes, Napa and Sonoma sometimes seem worlds apart. Farmers are from Sonoma, people often say, while the technology barons and other members of the monied set call neighboring Napa home instead.
In some ways these stereotypes ring true: I'm yet to spot a Ferrari in Sonoma but am rarely in Napa for more than 15 minutes before one or even two of the slick machines whiz by me en route to brunch at Bouchon or gallery hopping in St. Helena.
But disparate Ferrari populations aside, become a little better acquainted with these areas and I think you'll find they've got more in common than first meets the eye. And, as is the case with men and women, they can even get along alright on the same trip - albeit with a little extra planning and flexibility.
pictured: the historic Rhine House at Beringer Vineyards on Highway 29 in Napa Valley
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Firing, roasting, and grilling are decidedly du rigueur during the summer months, but finding wines that work well with this tricky fare can be a challenge. Just as shining a spotlight on an actor onstage brings her features into focus for an audience, these cooking methods serve to concentrate the flavors of whatever's being cooked, necessitating a wine with both strength and personality to stand up to the food.illustration by Mitch Shernoff for "Get Your Grill On", a HIP TASTES Event I produced in San Francisco in April, 2006. See party pics here. ;)
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Shakespeare once wrote, "all the world's a stage." But a bard savvy in today's Web 2.0 world - in which online video viewing is up an impressive 53 percent in 2009 - would no doubt say, "all the world's online - and in video!" With online video assuming the place of the most-hyped medium in today's already saturated media space, it's no wonder everyone and their winemaker is scrambling to produce a halfway decent wine video.
Fortunately, there are a growing number of wise wine ambassadors doing online video right. Whether by way of clever storylines, stellar technical skills or outstanding subject matter (in some cases a combination of all three), my top picks for oenophiles doing online video succeed in bringing brands to life - not to mention furthering viewers' knowledge, appreciation and enthusiasm for the good stuff. And that benefits everyone in the wine biz - cheers to that.
Continue reading more about A Really Goode Idea, Days of Thunder, Paradise Found, I'll Drink to That
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Cheers everyone!
Chere Rose, you mean the world to me. You are so pure, your flavors so balanced (More approachable than red! More filling than white!) I find myself fantasizing about you day and night. Often I picture myself, feet up at the end of a long day, meditating on your pale pink robe, pausing to savor a sip so lush it takes my breath away.
O Rose! You are so refreshing, you are so lively, you are the perfect companion to a slice of pate or nutty frommage comte.
I love you just as you are - never change, Rose!
Signed,
Your Biggest (AKA most loyal, ahem) French Fan
Mon Dieu! Rose At Risk
You don't have to be a die-hard rose fan to know there's something enchanting about the appealing style of wine that's neither white nor red. And while much has been made over the years about pink wines' romantic appeal, pitch-perfect summer coloring and remarkable flexibility in food pairing, little fuss has generally been raised about the way in which it's made.
Until now, that is.
Continue reading at WineCountry.com
pictured: moi, sipping rose on Sunset with great pal Alexis in LA earlier this month
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My latest at WineCountry.com is a fantastic read for anyone looking for an excuse to jet away (okay, drive away) for a one-day trip to the city of Napa. Seriously: there's so much to do there now! And in this economy, we can all use a little fun that doesn't break the piggy bank. Enjoy. With the economy bumping along as uncertainly as the box office receipts for latter-day Lindsay Lohan pics, it's no surprise Americans are embracing staycations in record numbers. An amusing portmanteau of the words "stay" (as in stay-at-home, or near home) and "vacation," the staycation offers Wine Country travelers an escape that's long on pleasure but short on planning and out-of-pocket expenses. And with its convenient location just 50 minutes north of San Francisco, the city of Napa makes an ideal destination for Bay Area staycationers of all stripes. So read on for the low down on top spots for sipping inside the Napa City limits, and click here for more on the dos and don'ts of staycations - including tips on how to make yours a smashing success.
Featuring:
Olabisi Wines
Vintner's Collective
Oxbow Public Market
Gustavo Thrace
What's the word? Andiamo! Andiamo Italia, that is. Now through June 24 I'll be in Puglia (though I took the pic in a SF parking garage some months ago - how cool is this plate?!) - that's the heel of the boot for those of you unfamiliar with the place, which the New York Times recently dubbed "the next new Tuscany." Read all about it (and watch a very cool slide show from the Times' resto critic Frank Bruni called "The Heel Is Rising") here.
Ciao for now!
And click the "continue reading" link for pics of my boyfriend (yes, he's Pugliese) and I enjoying one of our first lunches in Puglia.
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The following is based on an article I recently penned for Appellation America.com. It includes a longer intro section than the edited version at AA...enjoy, and be sure to click over to read the rest and comments!) ;)The other day, while multitasking on three different projects with looming deadlines, I felt the uncontrollable urge to Tweet. And so instead of squashing the urge to deviate from my pressing (not to mention paying) workload, I mumbled something to myself about connectivity being good for business and logged on to Twitter.com. Within seconds I was typing a quick message (140 characters max, natch) to inform the 250 or so people who "follow" me on the site about what, precisely, I was doing or thinking at that very moment.
Procrastinate = Procrasturbate?
As it turns out, I was thinking that I should really be working on my three other projects with pressing deadlines, and so my tweet went something like this: "Should be working but on Twitter instead. Sign hanging in office says 'procrastinate = procrasturbate'; not working?"
Ah, the irony.
Fortunately, irony isn't the only thing this tweet's got going for it.
]]> Besides reminding my 250 Twitter followers that I am, in fact, alive and producing product (articles to which they'll no doubt be receiving links very shortly via tweet), my message was doing some multitasking of its own: Thanks to an optional feed I'd activated on my Facebook page, my tweet was also simultaneously published on that other bastion of social connectivity, where some 700 more "friends" of mine were made aware of my problem with procrasturbation (and, it follows, the fact that I am alive and kicking and producing product, soon forthcoming).Hopefully these folks also realize, thanks to the post, that I am far more than just an elusive journalist: I am also a real person, subject to error and neuroses and the occasional episode of procrasturbation. This (I hope), makes me more interesting, and the product I will eventually produce more compelling to them all.
At least, that was the inner monologue I was telling myself when I hit "post," and I'm sticking to it.
Wine Connection
Winemakers, it turns out, aren't so different from journalists. They, too, benefit from the demystifying benefits of the web's latest social tools, including Twitter. Here are few facts to back this up:
As the locavore movement gains speed and strength, it seems only natural its philosophy would make its way to the wine world. Enter Kevin Kelley, founder of Natural Process Alliance, an organization dedicated to producing wines with minimal waste and additives - and then distributing them solely within a 100-mile radius of his Santa Rosa winery. Sound kooky? I think it's anything but.
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WHAT: Bardessono: The New Mecca for Wine Country LuxuryJust in from my column at WineCountry.com:
"Every once in a while, a destination comes on line that not only exceeds the current standard, but redefines it as well. Such is the case for Bardessono, the new Napa Valley resort that combines cutting edge design with the highest standards in hospitality and unparalleled sustainability.
Aesthetic Achiever, Sustainable Star
Open since February 2009, the 62-room hotel, spa and restaurant ascribes to the most rigorous guidelines for LEED..."
Economy got you down? News flash: Americans are spending more these days on "affordable luxuries" that make staying in at night even more fabulous than going out. Among the newly hot items fueling the stay-at-home fire, you'll find lingerie (seriously, check out this link) and, you guessed it!, wine. I, for one, am a huge proponent of drinking at home (okay, drinking anywhere, but hang on I have a point) - because of the way it allows you to really take your time with a bottle of something special, savoring each sip and glass as it evolves. Plus, when you're at home you can even - as it seems some of us already are - wear your most racy new lingerie while sipping a properly decanted, sure-to-be-savored wine (note: to achieve maximum satisfaction don't try this alone).
If that's not a cure for the recession blues, I don't know what is.
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In this, my first column for terroir-evangelizing site AppellationAmerica.com, I explore how a diminutive rapper's take on life can inspire the best in winemaking (seriously!!). Here's an excerpt - be sure to click through (below) the read the whole thing. I had a lot of fun putting it together. Cheers! - CC
Making great wine, like any creative pursuit, calls for great inspiration. After all, winemakers - like other artists - don't operate in a vacuum. Hardly. Over the years, winemakers the world over have gleaned inspiration from the likes of art, jazz, classical music, cuisine, and even films in crafting their blends.
And so, given this penchant for looking to the arts for ideas, I wonder why winemakers can't also look to rap for inspiration? It is, after all, an art form just like the others; its creators also artists searching for a means of expression.
Take Lil Wayne, for example. When the 26-year-old rapper sat down with Katie Couric last month to dish on everything from his name to his music to his unabashed love of weed, the New Orleans native and eight-time Grammy nominee offered up this choice summation...
Photo: MusicRemedy.com
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From my column at WineCountry.com - user-friendly tips for the economic clime. :) Hope you enjoy!
I can recall, with embarrassing clarity, buying Chuck Shaw by the caseload in the drearily cash-strapped era that followed my graduation from college. And though I quickly "graduated" beyond the realm of such inexpensive sippers around the time of my first raise, today's tough economic times have many of us - yours truly included - contemplating a reunion with bargain sips like Mr. Shaw's and others of his ilk.
To be sure, the crisis thinking fueling these considerations isn't limited to wine consumption alone. Wine country visitors, as well, are wondering where they can cut corners on visits in order to spend less while still enjoying their fair share of the pleasures wine country has to offer. They're looking for easy, smart ways to extend their spending power at a time when all of us are getting by on less.
And so, in a valiant effort to keep the good times - and the good drink - flowing, we're here to help you do just that. Read on for our top suggestions on where to save and - as important - where to splurge in wine country this season. Because if one thing is a constant no matter the economic clime, it's that we can all use a little affordable luxury every now and then to keep our spirits afloat.
Splurge - Michelin Meal (one star, not three ;))
Save - Lodging for Less
Splurge - Sweet Sensation
Save - Spa Saver
Splurge - Picnic Chic
Save - Blue Plate Bonus
Splurge - Caffeine Connection
Save - Gratis Grub
Splurge - Outdoor Adventure
Save - Corkage Connection
Get the full story at WineCountry.com
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