The Tasting Panel magazine

October 2014

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20  /  the tasting panel  /  october 2014 NEW YORK CITY SIPS This month was a grab bag of tastings and launches in which we said goodbye and a couple of hellos. W hen we say "Party on!" the erudite and elegant wines of Alsace don't exactly come to mind—which is exactly why the folks behind Wines of Alsace decided to throw a Lobster Roll & Riesling party in the waning days of summer. Nine righteous Rieslings were served with platters of "crustacean elation" from Red Hook Lobster Pound on a hidden pedestrian plaza in the East Village. Members of the trade included known Alsace addict Bernie Sun (Jean-Georges), who's mastered the art of lobster porn on Instagram. You could say they helped the last of the Summer of Riesling program go out on a roll. Among the buzzy parties in town was the August opening of Laura Maneic's second Corkbuzz location. Tucked into the Chelsea Market—itself a beehive of activity—the new spot is all wine bar and food (the original Corkbuzz on Union Square bills itself as a wine "studio" with events and classes). Here, Maneic built a list of more than 100 bottles, helped by some 35 of her sommelier friends from near and far. Wine, she says, is meant to be shared, and what better way to do that than to include some of her best buds' best bottles? Finally, we said bonjour to a new brand when Cognac Park hosted a dinner celebrating its NYC launch and a new partner- ship with importer Baron François. Master Blender Jerome Tessendier, fourth generation of the privately owned Cognac house arrived with his team, including new-ish Brand Ambassador Naomi Schimek, whose mid-century classic looks reminded us of Mad Men's Christina Hendricks. Logging nearly 60 account visits in two days, Tessendier proved that the master of the domaine could also hit the mean streets. He said he was pleased to have met so many people in this "crazy city with crazy energy." (We took that as a compliment.) "New Yorkers are very educated and want to be surprised. They are very open when you have something of quality," he said. Hello, Goodbye by Lana Bortolot Laura Maneic. Sommelier Bernie Sun is joined by Rebecca Canan from Terroirist.com (far left) and Stephanie Teuwen of Teuwen Communications (far right) as Alsace bids adieu to Summer of Riesling. PHOTO: LANA BORTOLOT PHOTO: LANA BORTOLOT PHOTO: DOUG YOUNG L-R: Matthew Weiss, Sales Manager, Baron François; Master Blender Jérôme Tessendier; Anaïs Brisson, U.S. Brand Manager, Tessendier & Fils; Brand Ambassador Naomi Schimek; and Frédéric Goossens, General Manager, Baron François.

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