Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/661678
16 / the tasting panel / april 2016 THE MESSAGE The Global Wine Cellars Sourcing Team (left to right): Mary Burnham, Wine Writer; Mark Bowery, Tasting Consultant; Jennifer Ingellis, Associate Buyer; Tim Marson, MW, Senior Buyer; Martin Reyes, Senior Buyer. The Tastemakers Behind the Best U.S. Wine Clubs M artin Reyes and his team are on a crusade to change the perception of wine clubs. Reyes, Senior Wine Buyer for Global Wine Company (GWC), which curates wines for such prestigious clubs as The New York Times, The Washington Post and Williams-Sonoma and their propri- etary Global Wine Cellars club, works with a tasting panel that includes Tim Marson, MW; Jennifer Ingellis, a Food & Wine Sommelier of the Year; Mark Bowery, an eight-time winner of the California Wine Tasting Championship; and Mary G. Burnham, a three-time author of Food & Wine's annual Wine Guide. Aside from Reyes' busy task of seeking direct imports, he emphasizes the point that they are also buying wine from the same distributors that restaurants and retailers are buying from, stressing that the 9,000 wines they taste annually are "quality labels, not fantasy labels," created by marketing experts. Reyes worries that consumers are quick to assume that wines from a wine club, such as GWC, mostly offer these fantasy brands—but that's simply not the case. And though not all fantasy labels are bad, admits Reyes, the danger, he emphasizes, is when marketers price these wines at inflated price-points so they can be perceived as offered at a discount. At GWC, the tasting team works hard to ensure that no wines are brought in at a discounted rate and that what consumers are purchasing is a special curated box of wine, like the Entertainers Collection or A Year of Wine—stocked with authentic brands with a story and place behind them. Reyes and team have worked with Della Terra, Henry Wine Group, Winebow, Kermit Lynch and several others. More info at globalwinecellars.com. —Jonathan Cristaldi Star Power G etting married at the 1,200-acre Château Miraval in Correns, France was just the start for the star couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. They purchased the estate in 2012 for $60 million, and as if they didn't have enough to keep them busy, with their movie roles and brood of kids, they became wine producers in partnership with Marc Perrin of the venerable Rhône Valley winemakers. Their lovely Provençal rosé is produced on 150 acres of the property and was first released on no other than Valentine's Day (2013). I recently tasted the 2015 vintage at a Wines of Provence tasting in Chicago. The wine is bursting with fresh lively strawberries, confectioner's sugar and bright raspberries with a hint of rose petals. The Champagne-style bottle is elegant, but be sure to validate the authenticity via the engraved hallmark on the foot of the glass bottle. Counterfeits are circulating already and the wine sells out within hours of release. —L. L. S. million, and as if they didn't busy, with their movie roles is produced on 150 acres of of Provence tasting in Chicago. The wine is bursting