Friday, January 12, 2007

Grand Vin de Bourgogne....and 160 years of O2!

















There is something magical about wandering among the vines in Burgundy, especially when you are Thierry Violot-Guillemard proudly harvesting his outstanding 2005 vintage. Well worth a visit if you happen to be in Pommard. Be sure to click on the above pictures.
Imagine the magic if you could have attended this special tasting. My invitation was lost in the mail but they went ahead anyway with a most memorable dinner in honor of Bouchard Père & Fils, celebrating its 275th anniversary. And what an incredible event this would have been. This is where you close your eyes every time you take a sip of these glorious wines. No Parker points needed. I don't think they even sent him an invite. Quoting from the article "Scientists know that the gradual interaction between a fine wine and small amounts of oxygen results in what we call aging." One hundred and sixty years of glorious Burgundian oxygen.
The great majority of us will never have an opportunity to attend such a grand affair but speaking of air (oxygen), I am a firm believer in allowing a little air to mingle freely with my red wine before I sit down to enjoy it. Decanting comes to mind but if you are in a hurry to get to your wine, which I always seem to be, then this nifty little gadget (click on the demo button) is what you have been looking for.

2 comments:

David said...

that does sound like quite an event! I'd love to visit Burgundy some time; been to Bordeaux but that was before I knew anything about wines.

Don't think Parker gets too many invites from the French winemakers, does he?

Wilf G.K said...

David: Parker is either loved or hated in France. Some vintners welcome him with open arms (Bordeaux) Others will practically throw him off their property (Burgundy.)I don't know if you have had a chance to read The Emperor of Wine by Elin McCoy but it certainly gives an in depth analysis of Parker and his power.It goes on and on and on and I was glad to finally get to the last chapter.