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.