Alfio’s Bowtie Diaries: Bordeaux, Day Two

31 Wednesday Jul 2013

Posted by strone2013 in Bow Tie Diaries, Wine

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For day one of the “Bowtie Diaries” click here.

Château la Louvière

It would be remiss if we didn’t see André Lurton and Lucien Lurton’s properties while in Bordeaux. So, we dedicated our second day of travel to doing just that. The Lurton family name is synonymous with excellent Bordeaux wines. Siblings André, Lucien, Simone and Dominque have all been a part of the wine business since their parents, François and Denise Lurton, first started Château Bonnet in the early 1900s. On this trip we focused on the properties of the two brothers, André and Lucien. André still runs most of his properties along with his children, while Lucien stepped out of the wine business some years ago and his 10 children manage and operate all of his properties today.

Alfio in conversation with Veronique Bouffard

One of André Lurton’s most famous properties is Château La Louvière, which he purchased in 1965 and is located on the Left Bank. The Left Bank is made up of three main regions: Médoc, Haut- Médoc and Graves. Château La Louvière is located in the southern part of the Left Bank in the region of Graves, Pessac-Léognan. In the Left Bank, the grape that is most commonly grown is Cabernet Sauvignon. Château La Louvière produces highly rated Cabernets (90+ from Wine Spectator) on a beautiful estate that dates back to the 16th century. So beautiful, in fact, that the estate is listed on France’s Inventory of Historical Monuments.

La Louvière’s marble tub

We spent the morning taking a tour of the chateau with Veronique Bouffard, who is head of communications at La Louvière. Here, even the bathroom is a work of art. Check out the marble tub from 1791 that is still in use today!

Before making our way north from Graves into the larger region of the Left Bank, known as the Médoc, we were off to one of Lucien Lurton’s properties, Château de Camarsac, in Entre-deux-Mers. Entre-deux-Mers (literally “Between Two Seas”) is located between the Garonne and Dordogne Rivers that lead into the Gironde estuary. With one of the largest appellations in Bordeaux, Entre-deux-Mers has 7,400 acres of vineyards that produce white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon and Muscadelle) and red wine (mostly Merlot, which is sold under the name Bordeaux Supérieur AC).

Château de Camarsac

At Château de Camarsac, we met up with François Villars, who works for La Passion des Terriors, one of the top négociants in Bordeaux for selling and distributing Lucien Lurton wines, as well as Thierry Lurton, who owns and lives at the château with his wife and two children. Thierry is one of the six sons of Lucien Lurton who purchased the 12th century château in 1973. When not focusing on producing their signature wine, Château de Camarsac Bordeaux Supérieur, Thierry and his family spend their time slowly renovating the back half of the castle that was damaged after it caught fire in the 18th century (yes, it’s still under construction). One interesting observation about Château de Camarsac is that some of the windows in the front of the château are bricked in. While one may think that this has something to do with the fire, it actually dates back to the 18th century when there was a property tax based on the number of windows in a house. To avoid the tax, some châteaux in Bordeaux, like Château de Camarsac, bricked-up the window spaces.

The countryside of Entre-deux-Mers from Château de Camarsac

Back on the D2 – or Route des Châteaux, the main road that runs through the majority of the wine country along the Gironde estuary – we were on our way to our final stop of the day, Château Haut-Bages Libéral in Pauillac. Pauillac (pronounced POY-yac) is considered the wine capital of the Left Bank. It is the world’s benchmark for the Cabernet Sauvignon grape; the gravelly soils here provide the optimal drainage needed for the grapevines. Some of the most exclusive châteaux are in Pauillac and neighboring Château Haut-Bages Libéral, including Château Latour and Château Pichon-Longueville-Baron. Thus, the location of Château Haut-Bages Libéral makes the wines that they produce one of the best kept secrets in the Left Bank, as they are often a fraction of the price (though still north of $70) of their famous neighbors. The proprietor of Château Haut-Bages Liberal is Claire Villars-Lurton, Gonzague Lurton’s (son of Lucien Lurton) wife and sister to François Villars. The name of the property originates from its geographic location — virtually atop the Bages plateau between Pauillac and Saint-Julien, a commune north of Pauillac — and the first owners of the estate, the Libéral family. Claire was a very gracious host, as we spent the remaining evenings of our trip staying at her château.

We ended our day having duck confit for dinner with the Villars at Café Lavinal in the Village of Bages, next to Château Haut-Bages Libéral, and drinking their ’05 vintage, which received 93 points from Wine Spectator. What a great way to end our second day in Bordeaux!.

Check back tomorrow for Alfio’s final day of adventures in Bordeaux …

For more photos from the trip, visit our Flickr page!

We have lots of Alfio Moriconi selections on our website, here are a few favorites.

Café Lavinal

Alfio’s Bowtie Diaries: Bordeaux, Day One

29 Monday Jul 2013

Posted by totalwineandmore in Bow Tie Diaries, Wine

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Alfio Moriconi, Bordeaux, France, Wine

Alfio’s Bowtie Diaries: Vive la France!

Bonjour! In honor of Total Wine & More’s 2013 Tour de Vin, we met up with Alfio Moriconi, Vice President of European Imports and Sales, on his recent trip to Bordeaux. Alfio was in town to visit with some of Total Wine & More’s French producers prior to attending VinExpo 2013. As you may remember from last year’s Bowtie Diaries in Tuscany, Alfio has been in the wine business for over four decades — first as a retailer, then as an importer—and has traveled frequently and extensively to Europe in search of small, family-owned wine producers. You can find Alfio’s gems at your local Total Wine under the “Alfio Moriconi Selection” section and on the labels of some of his specialty selection wines. Alfio’s signature look is his bowtie, hence the Alfio Bowtie Diaries. Over the next few days, we will follow Alfio as he travels through Bordeaux, bringing you some of the highlights from his trip so that you can learn more about this famous wine region and its producers.

We found Alfio getting ready to board Air France Flight 39. Next stop, Paris! Seven and a half hours, one croissant, and a quick connection in Charles de Gaulle Airport later, we were on our way to Bordeaux.

Boarding the plane

Bordeaux is naturally divided into two sections, the Right Bank and the Left Bank, by the Gironde estuary. We headed to the Right Bank first, where the most common grape found is Merlot. The two prestigious regions of Saint-Émilion and Pomerol are both found in the Right Bank. Wines in the Right Bank are generally less tannic and more fruit-driven in flavor than those of the Left Bank. Our first stop was Château de Ferrand in Saint-Émilion, which is owned by the family of Baron Bich, of Bic pen family fame.

Château de Ferrand

In 1955, the wines of Saint-Émilion were classified by the French government into two groups, Premier Grand Cru Classé and Grand Cru Classé, to identify the quality of the wines. Each Saint-Émilion wine’s classification must be updated every 10 years, thus these vineyards have to continuously prove the quality of their wines in an attempt to achieve Grand Cru Classé status. At Château de Ferrand, we met up with the Managing Director, Thomas Guibert, who (like most producers in Bordeaux) was concerned by the delay of the grapevine flowering. Because of the number of cold and rainy days this past spring, pollination did not occur until much later, and subsequently fewer grapes grew on each vine. Ideally, the warmer and drier the temperature, the more berries that grow, determining the ultimate yield of the crop.

Flowering on the grapevines

We helped assemble a few wooden crates for Total Wine & More’s order of the next vintage of Château de Ferrand and we were on our way to see good friends of Alfio’s, Florence and Henri-Louis Fagard, at Château de Cornemps. However, before we left, we tried the ’05 and ’08 vintages that received 90 and 91 points from Wine Spectator, respectively – delicious!!!

Wooden crates being prepared for Total Wine & More order at Château de Ferrand

Château de Cornemps’ wine cellar and facilities are located underneath an 11th century Roman church in the small village of Petit-Palais-et-Cornemps, a small commune within Saint-Émilion. Alfio coincidentally met the Fagards and their wines back when he first started in the wine business. As Madame Fagard recalls, Alfio came into a restaurant one night where they were eating dinner. Alfio had been traveling from Bordeaux on his way to the Champagne region of France, and he asked the waiter for the best local wine. The Fagards overheard Alfio’s conversation and brought over their wine, Château de Cornemps. Thirty years later, the quality and affordability still remain and Château de Cornemps is one of Total Wine & More’s best valued Bordeaux wines! The quality of Cornemps begins with the Fagard’s efforts in the vineyards, and it continues as the wine is aged in cement vats underneath the church, which is a perfect climate for aging as the temperature of the wine remains cool and consistent. The use of cement vats in Bordeaux is one of the things that is noticeably different from Tuscany – nowadays almost all winemakers in Bordeaux use cement vats for part of the aging process verses oak or stainless steel.

Château de Cornemps

Cement vats built into the wall of the church at Château de Cornemps.

After a great visit with the Fagards we were on our way to Pomerol. The elegant and refined wines of Pomerol fetch some of the highest prices in Bordeaux. For example, Château Pétrus 2005 retails for $5,499.99! Just a few feet up the road from Château Pétrus, we met up with François Estager and his mother, Michele Estager, at Château La Cabanne. François took over the family vineyard after his late father, Jean Pierre Estager, passed away in 2002. At Château La Cabanne, François showed us remnants of a fire that destroyed their property a couple of years ago, and how he has rebuilt a new state-of-the art facility that produces wines from their family vineyards – Château La Cabanne, Château Haut-Maillet, and Château Plincette. If you are looking for an excellent wine from Pomerol, but don’t want to pay the Pétrus price, you should look no further than Château La Cabanne!

Besides the three family vineyards in Pomerol, the Estager family also owns and operates Château La Papeterie in Montage-Saint-Émilion (the crossroads of Saint-Émilion and Pomerol).

Alfio wishing everyone good night from his room at Château La Papeterie

It is at Château La Papeterie where we finally ended our day of touring the Right Bank, and we enjoyed a delicious five course meal with Madame Estager including some French favorites: pâté, escargot, and the table de formage for dessert!

We’ll have part two of Alfio’s adventures tomorrow, stay tuned!

For more great photos of Alfio’s travels, check out our Flickr page here.

Celebrate National Tequila Day

24 Wednesday Jul 2013

Posted by totalwineandmore in Spirits, Tequila

≈ 7 Comments

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agave, national tequila day, Tequila

Tequila-like spirits have been produced in Mexico from the age of the Aztecs, long before the arrival of the Spanish conquerors in the 16th century.

It was in 1795 that Jose Cuervo, under a license from the government, began distilling tequila in the region of Jalisco (which includes the town of Tequila), where there was an ample supply of the agave (pronounced ‘ah-gah-vay’) “cactus.” In actuality, the agave is not a cactus at all but a type of succulent, related to the aloe and lily family.

Tequila is made from at least 51% blue agave, sourced from defined regions (similar to DOC regulations for wine). Originally, all tequilas were 100% agave, but with an increased demand for agave in the 1930’s where there was a limited harvest, steep increases in price were avoided by the addition of non-agave sugars for many entry-level tequila brands. These basic tequilas are known as “mixto,” but you won’t see the term used on the label.

The blue agave, Agave Tequila Weber Azul, is just one of approximately 136 different species of agave plants, most of which grow in Mexico, that have an industrial use. These uses include planting as ornamentals, food, a source of material fiber, and beverage production.

Agaves, like grapes, are sensitive to region of cultivation (sometimes known as terroir). The place of cultivation produces different characteristics among the same species. The final aroma and flavor profile of tequila comes mainly from: agave, distillation process and aging. Tequila producers will sometimes blend agaves from different growing regions to affect a certain flavor profile.

The Spanish introduced distillation, probably in the 1520s. All of the different forms of distilled spirits made from agave plants were originally called “agave wine”’ or “mezcal wine.” Tequila did not emerge as a separate drink until the late 1800s.

Agaves are harvested by jimadores using a special razor sharp shovel called a coa. The coas allow the jimadores to both uproot the agave and take the tips of the agave plant to create piñas. The resulting piñas could weigh well over 100 pounds. The agave plant grows in the form of a rosette of long sword like leaves with thorns on the tips and along the edges. An agave can be large: the blue variety may reach a height of five to eight feet and a diameter of eight to twelve feet. The length of time needed for the various types of this plant to reach maturity varies somewhat, but for the blue agave; it will normally take from six to eight years. The plants are not permitted to reach sexual maturity. Before they can flower, the flower stalk is cut. This injury changes the growth of the plant causing the central stem to become swollen. This swollen, juicy stem is the part used for making tequila. It is sometimes called a piña, because it resembles a pineapple, and sometimes a cabeza, meaning “head.”

The starch-rich hearts of the agaves are cooked in adobe clay ovens at temperatures reaching nine hundred degrees Fahrenheit. This slowly converts the agave’s starches into sugars. They are then ground, mixed with water and fermented.

The resulting low alcohol musto is then distilled, with the best tequilas crafted using the traditional pot still – basically a giant pot with a long-necked cover welded on and a coil of steam-carrying pipe around the bottom of the pot. The must is pumped into the still and heated so the alcohol vaporizes off and is condensed back into a liquid.

The fresh tequila is then placed into barrels for aging and maturation. This is the stage at which all spirits gain their coloration, either by the addition of artificial coloring or by aging in oak barrels. All distilled spirits are clear when they come from the still and the transformation into brown spirits is caused by the interaction between the spirit and the wood or the addition of other forms of coloring.

There are several basic styles of tequila: White (or blanco) is a clear spirit which looks much like water. It is typically either bottled immediately after distillation, or allowed to rest in stainless steel tanks.

Reposado, meaning “rested,” is placed in wooden storage containers or barrels for not less than two months. The barrels are usually ones used previously by the whiskey producers of Kentucky or Tennessee.

Añejo, meaning “aged,” is placed in small wooden barrels for not less than a year. The finest añejo tequilas take on a deep color and rich flavor from the wood which enhances their complexity, creating fine spirits rivaling the top cognacs of the world.

“Yo, ho, ho and a bottle of 10 year old rum”

15 Monday Jul 2013

Posted by totalwineandmore in Rum, Spirits

≈ 7 Comments

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Barbados, Foursquare, R.L. Seale, Rum

“Yo, ho ho and a bottle of rum.

Drink and the devil had done for the rest.”

We’ve all heard this famous saying, but do you know where it originated?

In 1883 British writer Robert Louis Stevenson had just published his most famous book Treasure Island.

Although there were pirates and buried treasure in Barbados, there is no R.L. Stevenson Treasure Island connection to Barbados, as the book was most likely inspired by Norman Island in the British Virgin Islands.

Pirate Skull at the Beach A contemporary of R.L. Stevenson, Young E. Allison, was so impressed with the book he wrote an epic poem based on the book. The poem is called Derelict and it started with these lines:

“Yo, ho ho and a bottle of rum.

Drink and the devil had done for the rest.”

In 1901 the poem became a song in a Broadway musical, “Fifteen Men on a Dead Man’s Chest.”

How rum got its name is a matter of conjecture. Its origin has entered the realm of “legend and lore”. Some possible sources were (1) derivation from the Latin word saccharum (sugar), (2) a corruption of the term ‘rombustion’ meaning ‘a strong liquid’, (3) from the word ‘rumbullion’ which means “a great tempest” and (4) from the Spanish ‘ron’, because it is likely that the Spanish were distilling in the West Indies before the British arrived.

Close up of sugar cane stalks

So, what is rum exactly? Well, it’s a spirit chiefly produced in the warm climates of the Caribbean, Latin and South America where sugarcane is grown.

Rum is made by distilling fermented sugar and water. This sugar comes from the sugar cane and is fermented from cane juice, concentrated cane juice, or molasses. Molasses is the sweet, sticky residue that remains after sugar cane juice is boiled and the crystallized sugar is extracted. Rum does not require a malting process (turning starch into sugar) for fermentation as it already uses by-products of sugar.

Unlike some other spirits, notably whiskey, rum has no defined production methods other than the required use of sugar cane as the fermentable resource and a maximum distillation proof level. Instead, rum production is based on traditional practices that vary between locations and distillers.

One of the most important aspects of rum production for most serious rum lovers is the length of time each rum is aged for. This is probably one of the most interesting aspects of rum production and the one that least is known about.

As there are no consistent laws on how rum is aged throughout the world, rum is aged in various locations and for varying lengths of time. Rum can be found aging at sea level, thousands of feet up in the mountains and even underwater, thus creating wide varieties in styles and flavors. Rum can be bottled straight from the still with little or no aging, or can be aged up to thirty years or more in oak barrels. Rum is aged in the humid tropical islands of the Caribbean, in the cold climates of Northern Europe and even in the mountains of Nepal.

When rum is aged for long periods of time in an oak barrel it will slowly evaporate. This evaporation is often called the angel’s share. The evaporation rate can be as high as 10% a year in the tropical Caribbean, while it can be as little as 2% for Cognac or whiskey producers in colder climates. While the oak barrel allows the rum to breathe through the wood during the aging process, which in turn adds great flavor to the rum, this evaporation is costing the distiller large amounts of money in lost profit. Obviously the longer you age the rum, the more is lost to evaporation and so less rum is left to bottle.

If you’ve never tried an aged rum, we highly recommend checking out the fine rums from Foursquare distillery in Barbados.

Foursquare distillery is of the oldest remaining sugar plantations and rum distilleries on Barbados today. Taking its name from Square Pond in the area, the Foursquare distillery was completely renovated in 1996. It is also the only remaining Barbadian owned rum manufacturer in Barbados. Fermentation at Foursquare takes place in closed tanks where they recover carbon dioxide and sell it to carbonated beverage bottlers!

The flagship rum from R.L. Seale distillery in Barbados is a classic – their “Finest 10 year” which is aged in used bourbon barrels with additional maturation in Madeira casks of American oak and Brandy casks of French oak. These influences provide the spirit with a range of complex flavors and aromas, similar to a fine Cognac, and at a fantastic price.

Total Wine Abroad: VinItaly 2013

12 Friday Jul 2013

Posted by rhenschel in Vinitaly, Wine

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Italy, Vinitaly 2013, Wine

Each spring the city of Verona, Italy – most famous for providing the backdrop to Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ – plays host to Vinitaly, one of the largest wine fairs in Europe, with over 4,000 exhibitors and well over 100,000 visitors attending from around the world. Vinitaly features four days of events, meetings, tastings and targeted workshops designed to foster relationships within the wine industry and present the diversity of Italian wine to the rest of the world.

The floor at Vinitaly 2013

For members of Total Wine’s buying team, Vinitaly provides a great opportunity to not only check in with current suppliers but also seek out new and exciting products in the world of Italian wine. This year’s visit was no different, as our Italian wine buyers, Matt Bardill and Julie Feltovich, kept themselves very busy by meeting with over seventy suppliers, including at least ten new producers – in total over twenty-four hours of meetings in just four days!

Matt Bardill and the winemaker, Andrea, at Cantine Bonacchi

While Vinitaly provides a great setting for one-on-one meetings, for our buying team the experience is enhanced by leaving the four walls of the convention center and getting a firsthand look at the winemaking process. Combining the meetings at the show with visits to individual wineries allows our buyers to not only understand the process behind the wine but also get a better idea of the culture and flavor of Italy – so time before and after the show is set aside to travel to our partners’ wineries across Italy.

Matt and Julie traveled to almost twenty wineries in all during their visit to Italy, traveling through numerous wine regions like Piedmont, Tuscany and Venezia. At each estate they were given grand tours of the production facilities and the grounds, allowing them to see how Italian winemakers have blended the ancient traditions and historical buildings with modern systems and processes – and at the end of each tour, the best part of the winemaking process: tasting the wine!

Matt, Julie, Albino and Egle Armani, and Alfio

Among the highlights was a tour of Cantina del Redi in the ancient town of Montepulciano, home of a cellar believed to be over 2600 years old and the setting for a number of Hollywood films… most recently ‘Twilight: New Moon’. A visit to Botter Carlo gave the buyers a glimpse of the massive production process for one of our top-selling Pinot Grigios, as they were guided by one of the wineries founding brothers, Arnaldo. And a stop at Castello della Paneretta, located between Firenze and Siena, provided a breathtaking 180-degree panorama of the region and a view all the way to the Alps.

The view from Castello della Paneretta

Although very busy, the ten-day trip was a great experience for our buying team. Old partnerships were strengthened, new and exciting ones were forged, and everyone gained a better understanding of how to bring Italy to our customers.

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Interview With Master Mixologist Tony Abou-Ganim: Part 2

03 Wednesday Jul 2013

Posted by robertstewardtotalwine in Interviews, Spirits

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Cocktails, mixology

This is a continuation of our interview with Tony Abou-Ganim. Please read Part 1 here.

Total Wine: We’ve been reviewing your new book Vodka Distilled over the past few weeks and enjoyed it very much. Why vodka? Why did you feel the need to come to its rescue and give this particular spirit a boost?

Tony: Despite being the #1 consumed spirit by far in the US, I decided to write a book about vodka to give it the headlines it deserves. Bartenders, especially craft bartenders, have stuck their noses up to vodka. Though one of the oldest spirits in the world, vodka is misunderstood and not as well-known in the US as other spirits. Appreciation is on the way up, overcoming this true lack of understanding about just how versatile vodka can be.

Total Wine: There are lots of vodkas and lots of cocktails in your Vodka Distilled book. Where does the intimidated reader start when wanting to do some mixing at home?

Tony: There are not many classics with a vodka base. But the Frozen Mudslide took me back to the 1980s and specifically a time I spent with my cousin Helen in Cancun. Don’t over-think cocktails. Don’t put in esoteric ingredients. Just make delicious cocktails.

How about you try the cocktail created for Dean Martin, the Flame of Love, which celebrates vodka. Dale DeGroff always used a grain-based vodka, specifically Finlandia, to make this great drink. Legend says that Sinatra liked Dean’s drink so much, he ordered 200 for the guests at Chasen’s in West Hollywood. That was not likely a happy moment for the bar staff, lighting that many orange peels.

Or how about the Vesper, seen in Casino Royale. It’s this kind of drink that using vodka can be used to soften or stretch more intense spirits.

Total Wine: When judging vodka, you taste it neat at room temperature, correct? Does it really matter when you’re mixing a cocktail, though? Does that flavor really show through in the mixed drinks?

Tony: It’s about the “character” of the vodka! If you give me six Bloody Marys made with different vodkas, I probably can’t tell you which vodka is in that drink. I can probably tell you the character of the vodka used. Give me the six vodkas used first, and I will choose the best ones to compliment the drink!

Total Wine: Vodka is having a resurgence now. Are there cocktails you hope tag along? How about cocktails you hope take a few years off?

Tony: I’m hoping the Harvey Wallbanger makes a comeback. It’s such a great cocktail. The Sour Apple Martini, though–Thank God it seems to be dying off.

Harvey Wallbanger from Vodka Distilled

Total Wine: How about Beer Cocktails and their recent surge in popularity. Have you experimented in making any yourself?

Tony: I’ve tried it a little, but I think the movement will be short-lived. The amazing craft-beer movement has really impressed me. I’ve traveled the world loving new beers from Belgium to Germany. And don’t forget that part of being an excellent bartender is knowing about great beer. I just think adding beer in with classic cocktails is trying too hard to improve something that doesn’t need improving.

Total Wine: Tales of the Cocktail is coming up next month. Will you be attending again this year?

Tony: Actually, I won’t. I only missed the first year. It’s such a great event. But this year I will miss again, to launch a charity close to me. My cousin Helen David, who taught me a lot of what I know about bartending, was a two-time breast cancer survivor. She died at the age of 91 in 2006. This charity will support bartenders who are victims of cancer, and it is so important to me to be there!

Total Wine: Are there new books we should look forward to? Are you on a three year schedule? The Modern Mixologist in 2010, Vodka Distilled this year in 2013.

Tony: We are hoping to speed up the pace for our next book. This year’s book, Vodka Distilled, was received so well that it was nominated among four books for “New Cocktail Book of the Year.” We are very proud of this first book as it’s the start of a series of companion books to go with the original The Modern Mixologist. We hope to cut the time for new books with one focused on American Whiskey next in 2015 followed by gin and rum.

Total Wine: Anything else you’d like to add to our conversation?

Tony: Look me up next time you are in Las Vegas. We’ll taste some vodkas vertically to show the range they have with flavor profiles.

I write to educate the consumer while not overwhelming them with information. Take time and experiment. We’re not curing cancer but we are making life more enjoyable!

Total Wine: Thank you, Tony, for an excellent interview.

Interview With Master Mixologist Tony Abou-Ganim: Part 1

02 Tuesday Jul 2013

Posted by robertstewardtotalwine in Interviews, Spirits

≈ 1 Comment

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Cocktails, mixology

Total Wine recently had the opportunity to speak with renowned bar professional Tony Abou-Ganim. Tony has appeared on (and won) three battles of Iron Chef America, made numerous appearances on daytime TV including the Today Show and Good Morning America, and is the author of two books, The Modern Mixologist and Vodka Distilled. (P.S. Tony will appear on NBC’s Today Show again this Thursday, July 4, 2013 at 7 am EST to do a cocktail demonstration; tune in!) He developed a specialty cocktail menu for the famous Harry Denton’s Starlight Room, worked as bartender for Mario Batali at Po in New York City, and developed the cocktail program for the Bellagio Hotel and its 22 bars. Tony is a winner of the Bacardi Martini World Grand Prix as well. Favorite Cocktail: Negroni.

Thank you so much, Tony, for taking the time to talk to the Total Wine & More readers about your career and more specifically, bartending and cocktails.

Total Wine: Have you ever been to a Total Wine?

Tony: There’s one off Charleston at Boca Park in Summerlin (Las Vegas). I sent my nephew there today for some Everclear so we can make some homemade limoncello. I like the stores and selection. I’d actually like to do a demonstration there to help consumers that might otherwise be intimidated feel like they can create great cocktails in their homes.

Total Wine: Can you tell us how the bartender that was schooled with traditional classics became known as “The Modern Mixologist”?

Tony: That nickname is a play on words. I do have a foundation in the classics, but original ingredients are the new tool to make cocktails more modern. I’m still a traditionalist at heart. I think it’s funny that the term “mixologist” is so common today. When I got my first promotion at the Bellagio, I helped create my title, Master Mixologist. The term, however, has roots in the 1800s, earned when a bartender learned to mix properly.

Total Wine: You seem to be a stickler with the types of ingredients you use in your cocktails. Do you have a certain philosophy when it comes to what you put in your drinks?

Tony: I do. I believe that you only get out of a cocktail what you put into it. And that the cocktail must be more than just the sum of its parts. I only use fresh, seasonal ingredients and believe in the integrity of the drink. I want people to make my cocktails. I use the classics as a starter since they have stood the test of time and try to make re-creating my cocktails simple for people to achieve.

Total Wine: You’ve created many of your own cocktails over the years. Can you tell us about some of the famous ones and where you get your inspiration when getting behind the bar? Or does inspiration come in a dream?

Tony: It’s been said that there will never again be a totally original cocktail. All new ones are based on the classics. So I start with great drinks and take license to imagine them in a different light. Take my Cable Car, for example. It’s a riff off of the Sidecar cocktail, where I switched spiced rum for cognac. But the Sidecar is itself a riff from the classic Brandy Crusta cocktail, an evolution of drinks.

Flame of Love from Vodka Distilled

Total Wine: We know that you do a lot of presentations. We were wondering if presentations with fancy bottle tricks are common, or just the things you see in movies like Cocktail?

Tony: Flair Bartending is a style that I have not practiced. If you’re good at it, I am not going to say it doesn’t have its place. But for me, performance is the flair, the techniques are the tricks. I want to create drinks that are a culinary masterpiece and be the best bartender I can be.

Total Wine: What predictions do you have for bartending as an industry in general? Would you encourage someone into a bartending career?

Tony: This is a fantastic time to be in the industry, if you are willing to do your work and taste the different drinks and teach yourself about the different spirits. Taste the different vodkas and know how each will work when mixed. I recently judged the World Class Bartender of the Year finals by Diageo, both in the US and Canada. The biggest compliment was that the Canadian winner was flown to my home in Las Vegas for training and to learn techniques. I take the mentoring aspect as an obligation, to inspire and educate a new generation of bar professionals.

Part 2 of our interview with Tony will be published shortly.

Total Wine Abroad: VinExpo 2013, Part 2

01 Monday Jul 2013

Posted by rhenschel in Tastings and events, VinExpo, Wine

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vinexpo 2013

Continuing her travels in Bordeaux, here’s more from Michelle Trone on the end of VinExpo 2013 …

I’ve just finished a fascinating week with Total Wine’s Buying Team in Bordeaux, France for VinExpo. One of my favorite parts of the wine and spirits industry is how international it is – VinExpo 2013 attracted nearly 50,000 visitors from 44 countries.

Of all the countries represented at VinExpo, I most enjoyed the Austria section. I joined our wine buying team in a meeting with Ludwig Holzer of Winzer Krems winery. I had visited Ludwig’s winery near the town of Krems, Austria several years ago and was happy to have the chance to see him again and to taste more of his wines. We tasted some classic Austrian Grüner Veltliner, which was fruity and crisp, and then tried an unusual late harvest Gewürztraminer, which was so sweet that we couldn’t decide whether it would go in the “Austria” or the “Dessert Wine” section.

On the last day of VinExpo, some members of our team headed to Cognac for the day, where they met with producers of Cognac and French vodkas. I decided to stay in Bordeaux, where I spent much of the day focused on Italy. I met with Gaia Gaja, maker of Gaja wine, and spent some time searching for new products to expand Total Wine’s Prosecco selection.

Total Wine & More owners Robert and David Trone with their families at Fête de la Fleur – VinExpo 2013

Our team celebrated the end of VinExpo at Fête de la Fleur, an extravagant dinner and gala with 1,500 attendees held on the last day of VinExpo. This year’s Fête de la Fleur was held at Château Lagrange, a third growth château in Saint-Julien. The château was spectacular; a beautiful white estate surrounded by parkland and a lake.

Château Lagrange is owned by the Japanese Group Suntory, a wine and spirits distributor, so elements of Japanese culture were incorporated seamlessly into the evening, such as the Japanese Whiskey served after the meal. The meal itself was delicious, and the wine was even better. I especially enjoyed the unique cheese course paired with a 1990 Château Lafite Rothschild. The menu was even written in haiku – another interesting Japanese touch.

The gala was enormous, and throughout the night I met people involved in every aspect of the wine business. At dinner I sat between the owner of retail wine shops in Dubai and a winemaker from Château Doisy Daëne in the Sauternes appellation. I also ran into Jean-Hubert Fabre, Total Wine’s French intern from last year, and a former contributor to this blog!

It was a great way to celebrate the end of a productive and interesting week at VinExpo.

Total Wine & More

~ Our blog for all things wine, beer, spirits, cigars … and more!

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