Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/188061
THE MEssAgE Whether THE TASTING PANEL goes to the brand execs or the brands call us, there is an abundance of news to report, from the latest releases to behind-the-scenes experiences with some of the world's most influential importers, winemakers, distillers . . . well, you name it. Brief Encounters We may not have enough pages in each issue to devote as much attention as we would like to each person whose path we cross, but please note that if it's in the publication, we deem it noteworthy —Meridith May, Publisher & Executive Editor HOTO: JONATHAN CRISTALDI Cooking for a Cause S Marilisa Allegrini with competitors (left to right) Chef Joe Miller, Chef Sal Marino and Chef Chef Shigefumi Tachibe. ixth-generation owner and Valpolicella proponent Marilisa Allegrini is on a roll with "Cook-off for a Cause," a charity event that Allegrini has hosted in six cities across the U.S. in the last two years. This past September, a cook-off was held at Surfas, a culinary goods and events space in L.A.'s Culver City district. Three innovative L.A. chefs went head to head for the chance to win $3,000 for their charity of choice. They were: Executive Chef Joe Miller of Joe's Restaurant and Bar Pintxo, Chef Salvatore Marino of Il Grano and Executive Chef Shigefumi Tachibe of Chaya Restaurant Group. Each chef presented a dish to pair with Allegrini's 2010 Palazzo della Torre Veronese—a blend of Corvina, Rondinella and Sangiovese grapes, offering up a lovely bouquet of sweet cherries, red licorice, tobacco, mocha and cedar notes complimented by a supple body and racy acidity. Chef Miller prepared rabbit with Allegrini wine–braised leeks and Chef Marino cooked Allegrini-marinated pheasant, but Chef Tachibe (already famous for inventing tuna tartare!) won the competition with his roast beef sukiyakistyle—cooked to rare perfection and topped with a mushroom mélange that offered the best pairing, highlighting both fruit and earthiness in the Allegrini. Chef Tachibe's $3K prize went to Share Our Strength, an organization dedicated to fighting hunger for impoverished children. —Jonathan Cristaldi intner John Tudal has recently taken up residence at his family-owned Tudal Estate in St. Helena and has released the winery's 30th vintage of the Legacy Lot Cabernet Sauvignon (2009 vintage, $85). Tudal's nephew, Matt Tudal-Fidge, trained with Kirk Venge and is now working with long-time winemaker Ron Vuylsteke and consulting winemaker Rudi Zuidema on wines from the estate. Tudal, who produces 14 different labels under his Cerruti Cellars banner, opened one of the first tasting rooms in Oakland's Jack London Square in 2011, helping to establish the thriving urban wine scene there. Cerruti Cellars is well known for its lifestyle brands like Tractor Shed Red ($12), a red blend that was ahead of the curve in winning fans for this increasingly popular wine style, and Honker Blanc ($15), a Sauvignon Blanc sourced in Napa Valley. The original tractor and its shed are surrounded by the thriving gardens at Tudal in what amounts to a living legacy to Baci Cerruti. —Deborah Parker Wong PHOTO COURTESY OF TUDAL ESTATE down on the Farm V John Tudal. 16 / the tasting panel / october 2013 october 2013 TP1013_001-33.indd 16 9/23/13 10:33 PM