For 28 years, the FOOD & WINE Classic in Aspen has been the premier culinary and wine event of its kind. Each June, FOOD & WINE magazine hosts 5,000 highly targeted consumers, members of the restaurant industry and press in Aspen. The three-day weekend brings FOOD & WINE to life with cooking demonstrations and wine tastings. Seminars led by wine and food superstars such as Mario Batali, José Andrés, Jacques Pépin, Gail Simmons, and Joshua Wesson provide a world-class experience. 

I’ll be chatting with  Viña Carmen head winemaker Sebastian Labbe.
Carmen, the oldest of the Chilean wine brands, was founded in 1850 by Christian Lanz, who named it in honor of his wife. The Claro family acquired the brand in 1985 and began the process of transforming it into a world-class winery. A new winery was completed in 1992, located in the foothills of the Andes Mountains, just one hour from Chile’s capital city of Santiago. Today, the winery seamlessly blends state-of-the-art technology with traditional winemaking processes.

The Carmen team firmly believes in terroir and is continually reevaluating regions and plantings in a quest to produce super premium wines that can stand shoulder to shoulder with the world’s finest. Carmen’s vineyards are located throughout Chile’s prestigious Central Valley in the premium growing regions of Maipo, Casablanca, Apalta, Rapel and Maule.

Carmen takes pride in its pioneering history. Carmen was the first winery in Chile to cultivate grapes organically (released under the Nativa label) and the first winery to identify and cultivate Carmenère, a variety that originated in Bordeaux but is no longer largely cultivated in France.

In the second half I’ll be talking to Steve Russell about some of the new and innovative plastic items to make indoor or outdoor entertaining great fun.   From wine stemware, food storage containers, even plastic wine bottles, there are some great products that are eco-friendly, durable and of course; recycleable!
Learn more at www.plasticsmakeitpossible.com

Don’t forget…Jeff Bramwell’s new book VinoBurger is available at Jacob Liquor Exchange and you can try one of his burgers (thanks to Chef Jamie Stratton) when you buy a book from the Cigar Chateau at Jacob’s on N. Rock Road this Saturday June 18.  VinoBurger is also available at Watermark books. 

Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:
2005 Carmen Reserve Syrah
Dark red cherry color. Stony, minerality, full of jammy black cherries. Ripe fruit notes blended with eucalyptus. Very rich, concentrated, soft and velvety. You can feel the smoky and tobacco notes along with black cherry fruits, prunes and dark chocolate aromas that opens to violets. All of this framed by mocha and spicy aromas. Live acidity and nice tannins.

VinoBurger is more than a cookbook. It is a vinous and culinary travelogue intended to provide the home chef and wine enthusiast with a fun and unique approach to learning about the world’s greatest wine regions. Recipes feature ingredients authentic to each wine region, presented in the familiar, unpretentious form of America’s favorite food: the hamburger. Wine education is served up in easy-to-grasp portions, providing the reader with a snapshot of what each region does best. VinoBurger takes a global approach to exciting, new wine and food pairings, best enjoyed over the course of a leisurely evening, shared with friends and family.

Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week, as seen in VinoBurger:
2007 Montepeloso Eneo
The 2007 Eneo shows remarkable detail, clarity and freshness in its red cherries, flowers, sweet tobacco and licorice. In 2007 Eneo is surprisingly open, perfumed and accessible, with a seamless quality that softens some of the linearity that the wine typically shows at this stage. The finish is best described as long, pure and exceptionally silky, with subtle nuances of sweet tobacco, earthiness and crushed flowers that linger on the palate. Eneo is 40% Montepulciano, 25% Sangiovese, 25% Marselan and 10% Alicante Bouschet that was aged in used French oak barrels.

Robert Parker WA91-93

Georg & Good Life Guy

I had the pleasure of speaking to Mr. Georg Riedel, 10th generation head of the Austrian glassware giant that has essentially revolutionized how we enjoy all beverages, especially wine.  Mr. Riedel was in Wichita to conduct both a trade tasting and a very special Sommelier series wine tasting at the Hereford House.

Georg Josef Riedel born 1949 joined the family business in 1973. Under his direction, the Riedel firm evolved into a world wide operating company. Georg founded a network of Riedel-owned subsidiaries, starting in 1979 by opening Riedel USA and continuing the expansions to Canada in 1992, Germany 1996, Japan 2000, UK 2001, and in 2006 he founded Riedel Development, specializing on private label offers.  In 2004, Georg bought the German-based companies Nachtmann and Spiegelau, operating the three brands (Riedel, Nachtmann, Spiegelau) under “Riedel Glass Works” one of the largest producers of quality glass in Europe.   

Starting in 1987 with the support of winemaker friends like Angelo Gaja, Christian Moueix, Robert Mondavi and the endorsment of wine publications such as Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate, the Wine Spectator, Decanter Magazine and many others Georg was fortunate to lift “his Riedel glasses” onto the tables of the wine world. Under his leadership, Riedel became the world’s leading wine glass company.  Learn more at www.riedel.com

The Good Life Guy Wine of the Week:
2007 Open Range Proprietory Red Blend
From Casey Flat Ranch and the Capay Valley nestled deep within the rugged coastal mountains of Northern California comes this adventurous blend of 50% syrah, 40% cabernet sauvignon and 10% mouvedre.  Deep purple color with dark fruit aromas. Plum, black currant and fresh earth with a hint of cedar. Big entry, with a broad palate and silky core.  This is a rich red with lots of bells and whistles…now figure out which Riedel glass you will put it in? 

It’s on sale at Jacob Liquor Exchange on North Rock Road
Get some and join me this week!

My first guest, the man the put the famous tasting together; Mr. Steven Spurrier. 
In the early 70′s, hooked on fine wine after a grand tour of Frances most important cellars, he moved to Paris and purchased a tiny wine shop off the Rue Royale.  Being run by an Englishman, Caves de la Madeleine became increasingly famous and specialised in hand-picked bottles from only the finest growers.  Spurrier soon took over the premises next door to give wine classes in English at L’Académie du Vin.  To promote his wine shoppe he set up a comparative tasting of France’s greatest wines with some new unheard of Napa wines, inviting some of France’s most celebrated palates to judge them blind.  They promptly, much to everyone’s surprise, preferred California to France.  While not the intended outcome, these unknown Napa wines astounded the judges.  George Taber, Time magazine reporter and the only journalist who attended the tasting, spread the word with his article ”The Judgement of Paris.”  The Global wine market would never be the same.

Then I’ll be talking to the Producer/Director/Writer husband & wife team, Randy Miller and Jody Savin.  This is the couple who made the move “Bottle Shock.”   Not intended to be a documentary of the famous Paris tasting, but a slice of the fledgling Napa wine busines as seen through the  eyes of a few of the key players from Chateau Montelena.  Randy and Jody will be in Wichita for the May 28 “Bottle Shock – Judgment of Wichita” AIWF event at the historic Orpheum theatre. 

 Learn more about this event and make reservations.

We finish the program with the winemaker who made the 1974 Chateau Montelina Chardonnay that was the hit of the Paris Tasting; Miljenko “Mike” Grgich.  A legend in the Napa Valley, over the past 50 years, Mike’s wines, crafted in the classic Old World tradition, have won a stream of California and international prizes, establishing Grgich Hills Estate as one of the premier wineries in the U.S. and the world.

Check out this great video about Mike and his journey in wine!

Good Life Guy’s wine of the Week:
2008 Grgich Hills Napa Chardonnay
Crafted from grapes that were certified organic and Biodynamic, our Chardonnay did not undergo malolactic fermentation, preserving its wonderful acidity.  This wine displays aromas of orange blossom honey and toasted almonds with a hint of tropical fruit and crushed stone on the finish. Match this Chardonnay’s elegant style with poached salmon, roasted chicken, grilled pork, or creamy cheeses.

Pick up a bottle at Jacob Liquor Exchange…
…taste one of the finest chardonnays from Napa.

There’s not a single thorny artichoke, scrawny quail, or roasted chestnut to be peeled in this book. What you will find in BITE ME are 175 dependably delicious recipes created for the urban and suburban, the aspiring and well-seasoned home cook. You won’t need an army of sous chefs, a pantry of guava paste, or a blowtorch in order to turn a bag of groceries into a satisfying meal. We’re all about making you confident in the kitchen and relaxed at the table.  www.bitemecookbook.com

A Stomach-Satisfying, Visually Gratifying, Fresh-Mounthed Cookbook

In the second half I’ll be talking to Scott Fore from Rocland Estate about some great Aussie imports that are on the shelf at jacob Liquor Exchange and need to be on your dinner table.

Good Life Guy’s Wines of the Week: 
I’ll be trying two wines from Rocland…

2007 Ass Kisser Red  ( 59% Shiraz/41% Grenache) 100% South Australian.
French oak maturation.  A beautifully balanced blend of two classic old varieties. Intense varietal fruit – plenty of body and well matched by the sweet oak and fine tannins.

2007 Chocolate Box Dark Shiraz
100 % shiraz from Barossa vineyards, generous aromas of blackberries, aniseed and coffee. The pallate shows vanillin oak, spicy and cigar box type flavours, smooth soft silky tannins perfectly round off this wine.

www.roclandestate.com 

Pre-empted by WSU baseball!  Sorry we’ll do it again soon.

We’ll be telling you all about the great products to make summer or anytime of year FUN…as they say; “When it Calls for FUN, call Ultra Modern!”

Ultra Modern Pool & Patio has been the place to find high quality casual living products from the worlds top companies for over 55 year in Wichita and all over Kansas! Ultra Modern Pool & Patio features Doughboy above ground pools, BioGuard and Baquacil water care products. Choose from high qualitiy hot tubs from Jacuzzi, Hot Spring, Caldera, Tiger River, Solana, Limelight and Hot Spot spas. Great game room items: pool tables and game tables from Legacy Billiards and Olhausen Billiards, game room accessories, barstools, patio furniture and more. Finish off your ourdoor living room with a custom barbeque grill island and a Big Green Egg.

www.ultramodern.com

There will be some Big Green Egg cooking demos going on with samples fresh off the grill and I’ll be offering some wine pairings to make your back yard BBQ a hit!

Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:
Some great wines to go with your Big Green Egg BBQ

My first guest is Bonnie Aeschliman with her new cookbook “From Farm to France”  We’ll be talking about Bonnie’s book, her cooking school and her very active role in Wichita’s culinary scene.  www.cookingatbonniesplace.com

From learning to cook in a rustic, Missouri farm kitchen to teaching in a French culinary school, Bonnie Aeschliman’s journey as a culinarian is beautifully captured in her new cookbook, “Cooking with Bonnie: Farm to France.”

“Who would have thought a gal who grew up on a small farm in Missouri, picking and shelling bushels of peas from the garden, gathering blackberries in the woods while watching for snakes, milking a cow and churning butter would one day be flying off to France to teach the French how to cook American food?” said Aeschliman.

In the fall of 2009, Aeschliman was invited to teach a class at Atelier Cuisine de Laurence, a French culinary school in Orléans, France. At the request of her French host, Aeschliman taught American classics such as crab cakes with remoulade sauce, southern fried chicken, mashed potatoes with pan gravy and blackberry cobbler – all traditional farm food she grew up making in Missouri.  “The class was a huge hit,” said Aeschliman. “The students loved the food, even gnawing every last morsel of chicken off the bone. It just goes to show that good food knows no boundaries!”

After spending several years as director of The Kitchen, a prestigious cooking school in Oklahoma City, Aeschliman served as a regular guest of a cooking segment during the evening news on KAKE-TV, the ABC affiliate in Wichita. She has taken culinary courses at the Culinary Institute of America, studied in Italy and France and is a Certified Culinary Professional. In 2007, she opened “Cooking at Bonnie’s Place” in Wichita.  www.farmtofrance.com

In the second half I’ll be chatting with Jennifer Wall – Barefoot winemaker, the magic winemaker behind some of the best value wines on the shelf today.  Check out the scores below of just a few of the wines Jen sent to the Jerry Mead - New World International Wine Competition this year! 

Good Life Guy’s wine of the week:
From Barefoot Wines; some great value award winners for summer sippin!
Like…The NV Lodi Zinfandel

All Barefoot 1.5 liter wines are on SALE for only $8.99
April 20-28, at Jacob Liquor Exchange! 
Tell them you heard about it on The Good Life

Then it’s all about “Taste of Beirut” with Chef Joumana Accad.  You can visit www.tasteofbeirut.com to learn more about chef Joumana’s passion for Lebanese food and learn how to add new tastes from the Middle East for a fragrant Easter Meal.  All the recipes and cooking ideas are available on her web site.

In the second half I’ll be chatting with “The Cheese Impresario” Barrie Lynn

Cultivating cheese enthusiasts with a passionate hand-to-mouth approach, Barrie Lynn, The Cheese Impresario is a leading educator on all things cheese. Her uninhibited style and engaging personality afford fun and innovative ways to discover and enjoy the complexities of artisanal cheese. A former advertising executive with a love of food and wine, she took a client to a Slow Food fundraiser. It was there her passion for artisanal cheese was born. Meeting these cheesemakers, and tasting the diversity and nuance of their cheeses, Barrie Lynn decided her mission is to educate others about the pleasures of cheese. 

Barrie Lynn has produced and taught cheese tasting events around the country, including Disney’s California Food & Wine Festival, Wine Spectator’s New York Wine Experience, the Ministry of Rum San Francisco Rum Festival, the Los Angeles Times Celebration of Food & Wine, Denver International Wine Festival, and Great Tastes Culinary Festival in Baltimore.

Her passion for cheese was brought to the stars of Hollywood via her personally hosted Cheese Tasting Adventure Parties for the Oscars, Emmys and the Golden Globe Awards. She has led cheese tastings for celebrities like Oscar winners Three 6 Mafia, Curb Your Enthusiasm’s Jeff Garlin, Actor/Musician Terrence Howard, NFL star Shaun Phillips, musicians Slash, Dee Snyder, and Jason Bonham, as well as the cast & crew of Showtime’s hit TV show WEEDS.

Barrie Lynn is also the cheese editor for The Beverly Hills Times and the “Cheese + Drink” editor of Mutineer Magazine. Barrie Lynn has been featured in ELLE Magazine, USA Today, Variety, and others. She can be found online at www.thecheeseimpresario.com as well as her new web video series “Cheese Rules” appearing on Small Screen Network at www.smallscreennetwork.com/cheeserules

Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:
Carlo Rossi Founders Oak Chardonnay 5 Liter Box
A light fruity chard with a touch of oak that is easy to drink and a great  value.  For parties, picnics, tailgating, or most any time…there is no better way to buy, store and enjoy wine than in a box.  This wine taste good, and offers value in excess.  A box in every fridge

The Merlot and Cabernet are also great value, soft, fruit forward and bright

Great Menus Seasonal Recipes for Entertaining”s main premise is that entertaining should be fun. The book has menus for brunches, luncheons, picnics and dinners. There are special sections with menus for “Fast Fridays”, dinner parties in an hour after coming home from work, “Frugal Fests”, for times the wallet is thin, and “Diva Dinners” for when you go all out.As the wife of an academic, Mote has had the opportunity to visit, live and cook around the world. She has lived in 5 countries. The results in the book are recipes using ingredients and recipes from everywhere. The book has lively stories about the food and menus. There are beverage pairings for all the menus and most menus have decor suggestions. You will find many vegetarian dishes as well and family friendly menus. Gorgeous food photos to make your mouth water, will make you want to start cooking.

Then the second half begins with Michelle Havercamp from Standard Beverage Inc. to talk about next week’s 16th Annual Midwest Winefest.  We’ll tell you all about the Grand Tasting on Saturday April 16th, highlight some of the wines available for tasting, the Reserve Room wines, and of course the silent and live auction packages that will be available.  Learn more at www.midwestwinefest.com   Grand Tasting tickets are available at www.wichitatix.com

Then Franciscan winemaker Jay Turnipseed joins us to talk about the winery, vineyards and great wines being produced by Franciscan and some of those wines that will be poured at the AIWF Midwest Winefest dinner at the Airport Hilton on Friday April 15.  Click here to see the menu and learn more about the AIWF winemaker dinners.

Good Life Guy’s wine of the week:
2007 Franciscan Estate Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
The fruit-laden 2007 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon offers a luscious bouquet of dark fruit including blackcurrant, black cherry, and blackberry layered over aromas of sweet vanilla and baking spices. Approachable cherry and cocoa notes lead to a wine of intense concentration, with flavors of dried plums and cola laced with hints of tobacco.

Critical Acclaim: “A terrific wine that proves you don’t have to spend a fortune for a top-flight Napa Valley Cabernet. It’s a deeply flavored, brooding young wine, filled with exciting blackberry, cassis and mineral flavors. Big in tannins, yet with a very refined, classy mouthfeel, it should begin to hit its stride after 2014.” 
94 Points Wine Enthusiast

The Man, the Myth, the Legend! If it is true that the road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom, Terry Theise has been there and back. A brief perusal of his writing makes it quickly apparent that the man has no reservations about conveying his thoughts and feelings on wine, life, sex, philosophy and general cosmology. In Terry’s world, it’s all inter-related.

Terry is responsible for bringing some of the finest wines available from; Germany, Austria and the Champage region of France – to wine drinkers in America.  And now with his new book “Reading Between the Wines” he is bringing his wit and wine views to wine consumers everywhere.  Long known for his top-notch portfolio and his illustrious writing, Terry now offers this opinionated, idiosyncratic, and beautifully written testament to wine. What constitutes beauty in wine, and how do we appreciate it? What role does wine play in a soulful, sensual life? Can wines of place survive in a world of globalized styles and 100-point scoring systems? In his highly approachable style, Theise describes how wine can be a portal to aesthetic, emotional, even mystical experience–and he frankly asserts that these experiences are most likely to be inspired by wines from artisan producers. Along the way, Theise tells us a little about how he got where he is today, explores the meaning of wine in the lives of vintners he has known, and praises particular grape varieties. Reading between the Wines is a passionate tribute to wine–and to what it can say to us once we learn to listen!

The Theise Manifesto:
Beauty is more important than impact.
Harmony is more important than intensity.
The whole of any wine must always be more than the sum of its parts.
Distinctiveness is more important than conventional prettiness.
Soul is more important than anything, and soul is expressed as a trinity of family, soil, and artisanality.

The entire show is devoted to Terry, the book and WINE…an hour wasn’t enough. 

Good Life Guy’s Wines of the Week:
Three great products imported by Michael Skurnik wines from the portfolio of Terry Thiese

• NV Pierre Peters Grower Champagne-Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru
• 2008 Hirsch #1 Gruner Veltliner
• 2007 Selbach-Oster Zeltlinger Sonnenuhr, Riesling Kabinett

Learn more about Terry, checkout his blog and many articles, and discover the above wines and more.