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Occasionally something that is said or seen on television or the big screen can start a craze of sorts.
We in "the wine business" see this phenomenon occur fairly often. We had tried to persuade our red wine drinking guests for years to give Pinot Noir a try, but to no avail. Then a movie promoting the wonderful attributes of Pinot Noir called Sideways hit the silver screen and we couldn’t keep any Pinot on the shelves.

Wineries in California began pulling up their Merlot vines and replanting with Pinot Noir, even resorting to purchase Pinot Noir from places outside the United States, just to try and keep up with demand until their new Pinot vineyards could bear fruit. This has also happened when a music video
mentions a particular wine, champagne or spirit. The next thing you know a bunch of people barely old enough to drink are in the stores asking where the Cristal, at $275.00 and up, is kept.

Since the advent of the remote control, DVRs and Netflix, companies see that their advertising
dollars are not getting to the consumer, so they are now using television and movies for product placement to make up for the lost advertising viewers. Whether it’s James Bond ordering a bottle of Chateau Angelus in Casino Royale or the Astin Martin he is driving, these companies know they are reaching just the right demographic for their products. I know a guy who recently bought an Astin Martin because ever since he saw Bond driving one, he had to have one…must be nice!

Well, a couple of weeks ago I went into one of our wine stores and the Wine Consultant asked me if we carry any wines from Sardinia. I told him that one of our wine importers, Nadia Galati, has a couple of white wines from that region, but he was asked by one of his guests for a red Sardinian wine called Cannonau. He went on to tell me about a television show hosted by a Dr. Oz…no really, that’s his name. Dr. Oz had talked about how the people from Sardinia, an island of the west coast of Italy, were prone to live a longer than average life. One of the things the people of Sardinia do is drink wine made from the grape Cannonau. This wine has a particularly high level of the antioxidants called polyphenols, that are said to slow the aging process. Well, that’s all the viewers needed to hear and they were out in force looking for this type of wine from Sardinia. So, I got on the phone with Nadia and she explained to me that we were expecting a small shipment of this wine (Santa Maria La Palma Cannonau, $12.99) to arrive in our warehouse at any moment and that it was supposed to be a larger delivery except that some guy on TV called Dr. Oz mentioned the wine on his show and now everyone was looking for it. Needless to say, we are now sold out also and await a new shipment.

Just goes to show the influence of the great and powerful Oz…

Ken Amendola

Follow me on Twitter @abcwinekena

Wine and place. Of course you can enjoy wine almost anywhere. You can enjoy it in the company of good friends, or you can enjoy it alone, perhaps while meditating on a thoughtful book or listening to music. You can enjoy it with a grand meal, or with a simple repast, or even all by itself. There are a thousand ways to enjoy a glass of wine and they are all good. But somehow the wine you taste while traveling, especially if it is a wine from the area you’re visiting, seems to come alive in a very special kind of way. It seems that while you are traveling your senses become more open to new experience, your taste buds are keener, and your enjoyment is so much greater. The following are a few travel pics from places that have brought out the best in wine for me.

The town of San Gimignano in Tuscany. Yes, it’s almost always crowded with tourists and the shops are certainly there to cater to them, but there is something about the place that entices me even more than the larger ancient towns and cities of Tuscany. I could sit for hours at an outside table, nursing a glass (or two) of Vernaccia di San Gimignano while watching the world go by. Perhaps because it’s more of a town than a city, or perhaps because the countryside all around it is so beautiful and inviting, the place pleases me greatly and the wine brings a warm smile to my face.

It might seem strange to associate the former summer retreat of Adolf Hitler (which he hardly ever visited – he was afraid of heights) with enjoyment. But the view from the Eagle’s Nest, high atop a mountain near Berchtesgaden in Germany close to the Austrian border, is simply stunning. What a place to enjoy a crisp glass of dry Riesling, forget for a moment the horrors of history and look to the mountains for inspiration and solace.

And then there’s Champagne. To sit in the private gardens (sorry, they’re not open to the general public) of the beautiful Belle Époque mansion of Perrier-Jouët in Epernay sipping on those brilliant eponymous bubbles can make you feel as if you have stepped into the color and beauty of an impressionist painting.

Nothing says Spain, to me, like flamenco and fino sherry. I’d listened to flamenco before on disc, but it wasn’t until I saw it live, saw the movement and the swirl of colors and the emotion, that I was hooked. Fueled by a copita or two of delicious fino sherry, I saw a roomful of restless tourists suddenly stop talking as they became entranced by the fire and passion of the dance.

These are just a few photos from my scrapbook and it only covers a few white wines. Maybe sometime ahead I’ll pair red wine and place. I suppose the real secret is to look at every place as a perfect setting for enjoying wine, even if it’s just your front porch or your kitchen or your back yard. If you make place
special, the wine will become special too.

Bill Stobbs, ABC Wine Supervisor

Follow me on Twitter @abcwinebills

Earlier this month, I attended the 2012 Flamenco Festival and witnessed a trio of amazing performances from three supremely talented Spanish Bailaoras: Carmen Cortés, Rafaela Carrasco and Olga Pericet. This has become an annual rite for me; an event I eagerly circle on my calendar. Ever since the time I first experienced the Flamenco art form in its native Andalucía back in 2005, I’ll jump at any chance to revisit the real article. You see, like a Spanish schoolboy smitten by the fluttering eyes of a lovely Senorita, I was captivated at first glance.

I happened to be in Jerez, in the heart of sherry country, visiting many of the best bodegas and sampling their wonderful wines: Royal Corregidor Old Oloroso at Sandeman’s, Apóstoles Palo Cortado at González Byass, East India Solera at Lustau. It was April and the scent of lemon trees along the Avenida tantalized my senses. I recall an azure-blue afternoon, barrel sampling La Ina Fino at Castillo de Macharnudo, eating real Paella with Beltran Domecq and then walking through the vineyard, the crunch-crunch of the white Albariza soil crackling under my shoes.

It was my first taste of real tapas too: Jamón Ibérico, Croquettas, Marcona Almonds, Manchego, Gambas a la Plancha. After an elegant dinner hosted by Javier Medina at Williams & Humbert, I took in my first Flamenco performance. It inspired a hundred feelings that evening. What passion! Spanish artists refer to this as duende. Loosely translated, it means “having soul”.

It is said that Flamenco is gypsy in its origins but also reflects Moorish, Jewish and Castilian influences. Its three cornerstones are the Cante (song), the Toque (guitar) and the Baile (dance). The Cante presents its hauntingly anguished wail, the Toque its poignant, picado riffs and the Baile is flourishing and expressive. Add to these the syncopated clapping (palmas), finger snaps (pintos) and foot tapping and you have a fiesta of duende, its patina of emotions laid bare. I was hooked. Olé!!!

I fast forward to a couple of weeks ago and a memorable evening at the Arsht Center in Miami. The event was billed as Estrellas del Flamenco: Dancing to Lorca, a tribute to the renowned Spanish poet. Some of the music selections were adapted from Federico García Lorca’s Canciones Populares. The performances were simply brilliant. They left me wanting more.

Post-performance, I retreated back to the house. Although it was late, I couldn’t resist a chilled glass of La Gitana Manzanilla, a few slices of Jamón Serrano and a little Paco de Lucía on my iPod.

Jim Greeley, Wine Supervisor, SW Florida

BTW, here’s a link to some pictures from the performance from worldredeye.com:

http://worldredeye.com/2012/03/flamenco-festival/

And just in case you wanted to get an idea of how phenomenal Olga Pericet is, here’s a YouTube video featuring her at Casa Patas (a great cabaret venue) last year in Madrid:

UPDATE: Oops. It appears the original link didn't load to the correct video. Try this one:

http://t.co/34qbInkY

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