2013 New York Wine & Food Festival: An Afternoon with Barbara Lynch and Anthony Giglio

When we were invited as press to attend a lunchtime wine pairing seminar at the 2013 New York Wine & Food Festival, we were thrilled to see Anthony Giglio on the ticket. We remembered the 2011 NYWFF seminar led by Giglio which kept us talking for days. See, Giglio takes pride is making wine accessible to everyone. We were new in this business back then, but we remembered thinking, "hey, he's doing what we're trying to do" -- and we felt like kindred spirits for it. He's also pretty funny.

This year, Giglio teamed up with James Beard Award-Winner Barbara Lynch, who owns several Boston restaurants that are collectively known as Gruppo. She and Giglio worked together to come up with a menu of scrumptious tastes to pair with 4 Southern Italian wines.

For anyone who attends a Giglio wine-tasting seminar, you are guaranteed to walk away with ready-to-use tools for your next wine selection. His "3-sip rule" is not necessarily revolutionary but, for us, it's a new way of thinking about wine. In the same way we encourage people to "just try it" when it comes to food, Giglio is right to point out that it often takes a few sips before you can completely appreciate a wine. If, after the 3rd sip, you're still not convinced, so be it. But at least you tried.

Learning about how to assess the color of a wine.

The menu was delectable. A focaccia with tomatoes, eggplant, and potatoes that was paired with a white "Fiano" wine from the Avellino wine region. There was a brightness to the wine but a hint of bitter, as well. Then, a Burrata with white truffle paired with a red "Primitivo" from Layer Cake. This was followed by a special treat of Fois Gras that was a "bonus" taste before we moved onto a white orcchiette pasta with fava beans and black olives paired with a red "Negroamaro" wine and a gnocchi with escarole and anchovy filling paired with a white "Greco di Tufa" grape from Campania.

All the wines were "interesting" in that they had complexities that I didn't expect and were offerings we probably wouldn't normally sample. Giglio selected wines at very reasonable price points--the most expensive, the Negroamaro, retails at $32--and wines that would be easy to find. He explained that even if you couldn't find any of these specific wines in a wine shop, they are common enough grapes that any decent wine shop could help find a similar substitute if asked. The only criticism I have for his wine choices is his inclusion of the Layer Cake Primitivo. Yes, the grapes were sourced from Puglia, but for some reason, I consider it a stretch to call this a wine "from Southern Italy."

The NYWFF wine pairing seminars are a great way to sample fine wine and cuisine while adding to your wine appreciation toolbox. My takeaway? I had no idea Primitivo has similarities to Zinfandel. That gives me one more nugget of information to help me decipher the next wine menu I come across.

Did you know? . . . About New York City Wine & Food Festival

• www.nycwineandfoodfestival.com
• 2011 year marks the 4th year for the festival. 
• This year the Festival was held from September 29-October 2.
• The Festival is "presented" by Food & Wine magazine.
• 100% of net proceeds benefit charity. The Festival is hosted by and benefits the Food Bank for New York City and Share our Strength®, a national nonprofit working to end childhood hunger in America. In 2010, the Festival raised more than 1.2 million for these charities.
• Nowhere else in NYC can you get direct access to legendary culinary icons from around the world and popular TV celebrities from the Food Network.
• Not in New York City?  Food & Wine magazine presents Festivals around the globe: http://www.foodandwine.com/promo/events/  Find one near you, today!

Eat. Drink. End hunger:

All Proceeds Benefit Food Bank & Share Our Strength®

2011 NYC Wine & Food Festival

Sometimes the best way to learn is to study at the feet of the masters. So when Food & Wine threw their annual festival in NYC, we made sure to sign up. We chose just two events: “American Cheese” and “Perrier-Jouët 200th Anniversary Seminar”. We prefer local, so were intrigued by the concept of pairing American wine with different types of U.S. cheeses. And, having had less exposure to sparkling wine, we thought the opportunity to sample real Champagne under the knowledgeable direction of the “Chef de Cave” of one of the world’s most prestigious Champagne houses was an opportunity that could not be missed..

American Cheese was hosted by Laura Werlin, James Beard award winning author of The All American Cheese and Wine Book, and Anthony Giglio, author of Food & Wine magazine’s Wine Guide 2009 and 2010. These two have been giving wine and cheese presentations together for awhile, and it showed. They had a natural chemistry, and both focused on the accessible approach to pairing wine and cheese. Anthony raised the important point that each of us has a different palate and won’t always think the same thing of a wine, a cheese, or a pairing. Because we also follow this school of thought, we were on familiar turf. We learned quite a bit, but mostly enjoyed the range of wines and cheeses they presented. Key takeaways:

• Cheese will impact the flavor of wine more than vice versa, so taste the wine first, to get an idea of its true flavor, then taste the cheese, then sip more wine.
• The fat content of cheese plays an important role in the pairing.
• Cheese should be served at room temperature, to bring out the most of the flavors.
• Cheese rind is edible but usually does not pair well with wine simply because the flavors of the cheese have become so concentrated in the rind.

On a humorous side note, up until the day of the tasting, Tina was expecting American cheese--aka the American cheese slices from her childhood--and was impressed to find everything but the nasty orange cheese she had been expecting.

 

If “American Cheese” was a “low brow” event, the Perrier-Jouët 200th Anniversary Seminar was

the opposite. The event was hosted by Hervé DesChamps, the Chef de Cave of the Champagne house since 1993. This is an extremely prestigious position: DesChamps is the 7th Chef de Cave in the house’s 200 year history. He has an intense, deep knowledge about his Champagne, having been apprenticed and then promoted to this current role. It takes years of training in a Champagne house to be able to detect the nuances that differentiate a quality champagne from one that is slightly “off.” The role requires constant tasting and adjustment to insure the quality and consistency in the champagne year over year. He imparted a lot of knowledge to us in the short tasting, mostly about champagne production. It was also a great opportunity for us to try some very expensive wines that would normally be out of our reach. For example, of the 6 wines, at least 3 of the bottles retail at $350 each. Key takeaways:

• Brut Champagnes were actually invented by Perrier-Jouët, as a dry wine to serve with dinner. This is a style that had been favored by the British.
• Most Champagnes are Non-Vintage (NV), meaning a blend of different years to achieve the characteristic flavor of the Champagne house. Vintage champagnes are only made in the very best year, where the Chef de Cave can make the ideal wine. In the case of Perrier-Jouët, the years 2000 and 2004 are the most recent vintage years but DesChamps explained he expects 2008 to be a vintage year, as well. However, he won’t know as Champagne production is a 6-year process. So, 2008 will be released in 2014 if all goes well.
• Champagnes are made in a style specific to the house, with little to no variation from year to year. The secrets of production are passed down from Chef de Cave to Chef de Cave.
• Sparkling wine producers from regions outside Champagne are not required to follow the same rules and restrictions set in Champagne. This allows for greater flexibility for the winemaker but has resulted in the lack of an established style. There is more variance in other regions.

Tasting a range of wine and cheese in a fun and casual environment was fun. Antonio and Laura kept us all entertained, and managed to impart some wisdom, all while presenting us with some wonderful pairings. A chance to taste Champagne should never be missed, if its not going to break the bank, and there is no one better to learn a few tidbits from than a master winemaker who has been working with the same product for more than 20 years. The two events we attended could not have been more different, even though the subject matter was the same. The weekend reminded us of the fact that the world of wine is as variable and complex as it is similar. There is something for everyone; wine is there to be enjoyed, whether you prefer to take the high--or the low--road. Sometimes, you like to meander between the two.