Wine Media Guild of New York

In a packed room, the WMG members and their guests enjoyed a lineup of 2000-2007 vintages from two adjacent Bordeaux estates: Domaine du Chevalier and Chateau Haut-Bailly. (Three white vintages from Chevalier were included with the 2001 drawing much praise in the first two posts below.) Winemakers from both estates were on hand to discuss the wines.

For member write ups of the event please surf over to their sites:

Tom Maresca, “good gravel!”
Robert Simonson, “Chateau Haut-Bailly and Domaine de Chevalier Meet in New York”
Charles Scicolone, “Tasting Domaine de Chevalier and Chateau Haut-Bailly”
Peter Hellman mentions the tasting in a recent piece for the Wall Street Journal.
As others appear, we will link to them here. UPDATE: and John Foy on NJ.com
UPDATE: and Louisa Hargrave on 27east.com

Thanks to member Mark Golodetz for organizing this lunch!

Over 75 people attended the Wine Media Guild annual dinner at Del Posto.

Above, Peter Sichel is inducted into the Wine Writers’ Hall of Fame by Wine Media Guild member John Foy.

Photo credit : Len Speier

In Memoriam
Perry Luntz ( March 9,1927-April 13,2009)
Former Chairman of the Wine Media Guild

Perry Luntz graduated from Boys High and  NYU with a degree in marketing. He served in the Army Air Force with the occupation forces in Berlin after WWII. He was involved in one way or another with the beverage alcohol business most of his adult life. For more than 20 years he was publisher and editor of Beverage Alcohol Market Report, an international e-letter for marketing executives in beer, wine, and spirits. He served as Director of Marketing Communications (a term he coined) for Seagram Distillers for a decade, worked on the creative side of several advertising agencies– including a spell as a creative director of a Young & Rubicam division– and for several years headed his own marketing communications agency.

As Chairman of the Wine Media Guild, he showed he knew his way around vineyards and breweries, as well as distilleries. Like many native New Yorkers, Perry was a political junky. He served several years as president of the Eleanor Roosevelt Political Club, He was a member of  Manhattan Community Board 6 and a founder of the Manhattan Neighborhood Council. For the past decade, Perry was Senior Editor of the Beverage Media Group, a network of trade magazines read by 140,000 licensed retailers. He also wrote a weekly column for the group’s B-to-B Internet site. At age 80, he wrote his first book, Whiskey and Spirits for Dummies, and was working on a new book at the time of his death.

He is survived by wife, Carol Ann Rinzler, sons Ira and Russell (a third son, Lloyd, is deceased), and two grandsons, Ari and Eli.

Ron Kapon: On a personal note Perry helped me when I started writing about wine and spirits, making concrete suggestions that have made me a better writer. He asked me to join the Manhattan Neighborhood Council and whetted my appetite for politics while showing me the way things got done in New York City. He mentored many people in the wine and spirits business, and I have quoted his Whiskey and Spirits for Dummies book in several magazine articles and use it as a texbook for one of my classes. His gruff exterior hid a warm, friendly, caring person. I will miss our weekly phone calls. I raise my glass to you, Perry. Help organize heaven.

Ron Kapon
The Peripatetic Oenophile
www.ronkapon.com

Brian Freeman has a brief overview (literally, with video) of our March tasting of Portuguese wines on his site, Uncork life!

And here’s another take from Marisa D’Vari (republished here).

And don’t forget our next lunch: Austrian Rieslings!

MEMBERS MEMOS

Pat Savoie has just been appointed Associate Editor of Celebrity Chef Tour magazine, a twice yearly publication of the James Beard House that supports the JBH Celebrity Chef Tour. The Tour goes to 16 cities in the US, where a dinner is held in the Spring and Fall. One of ten top chefs who have won Beard Awards cooks at each of the dinners.

TASTINGS (more…)

MEMBER MEMOS

Paul (Dr. Z) Zimmerman has done a radio commercial for Dr. Pepper playing himself.  Now that’s type casting.

NEWS

The Oenovideo International Film Festival was held in September in Paris. It featured Documentary Films about Grapes and Wine.  The American documentary “Crush” took the prize for best short (20 minutes) film.

OCTOBER TASTINGS (more…)

If you have not sent in your membership dues ($50) to Cynthia Cheng or your required credentials to Pat Savoie, please do so before Sept. 15.

See the exciting new calendar for lunches!

SEPTEMBER TASTINGS (more…)

Wed July 9: 12 noon. Tyler Colman at the Beard House. Tyler talks about his new book:
Wine Politics: How Governments, Environmentalists, Mobsters, and Critics Influence the Wines We Drink
Guests are welcome to bring a brown-bag lunch. Water coffee and chocolate are served. Suggested Donation: $20 for nonstudents. The Beard House, 167 W. 12th Street, NYC. Please RESERVE: 212.627.2308 or reserve online

Sat August 2: WMG Pool Party. (Rain date: Sun, August 3)

August 5-6: The Art of Balance: Cool Climate/Maritime Wines in a Global Context at SUNY Stony Brook (Organized by Louisa Thomas Hargrave, WMG member and director). Many notable local and international speakers; tastings of Long Island wines as well as wines from Friuli, Bordeaux, the Rheingau, the Finger Lakes, Rias Baixas, the Loire, and Coastal California. details and reservations

Tues August 12: 6:00-8:30pm THE GOLD STANDARD: Double Gold and Gold Medal Winning Wines
Location: Estonian House (243 East 34st bet 2nd/3rd). Sponsored by Tasters Guild International. The 2008 Competition involved over 1,820 entries from 17 countries and 31 states, but only a handful acheived a prestigious double gold medal. Most of the double gold medal winners and many of the gold medal winners will be offered at this stand-up, walk-around tasting. Over 65 wines are available for your tasting pleasure. $60 for everyone.
WMG members MUST RSVP to Ron Kapon if they wish to come as the Estonian is a private club. Ron@tastersguildny.com

Thurs August 14 6:30 – 8:30 pm. “Cool Italian Wines, Hot Summer Nights”- Italian wines taught by Charles Scicolone, who is now teaching at the Astor Center in Manhattan ( www.astorcenter.com ) $65. Registration

At the business meeting in June we voted on the nine themes for the year. While the Guild co-Chairs are working with the member sponsors to nail down all the dates, we at least have the three remaining for this year in place. Here they are:

October 1 – Chenin Blanc in all its Variety-Still, Sparkling and Sweet. Member Sponsor: Cynthia Sin-Yi Cheng

November 5 – Wines of Puglia. Member Sponsor: Charles Scicolone

December 3 – Champagne (theme not yet more specific). Member Sponsor & Speaker: Ed McCarthy

Put these on your calendar now–other fun themes to follow in the new year!

The inaugural induction ceremony for the Hall of Fame happened recently. Many members and guests attended the ceremony at I Trulli restaurant. Of this year’s inductees, Kevin Zraly and our own member, Ed McCarthy were present and made heartfelt remarks.

For accounts of the event check out member Robert Simonson’s blog as well as member Tyler Colman over at DrVino.com.