I'm spending a few days in San Francisco!
I'm here for a New Zealand wine masterclass; and because nothing goes better with New Zealand wine than an amazing New Zealand boat team, the class is followed by a boat ride on the bay to watch the ETNZ (Emirates Team New Zealand) compete for a place in the America's Cup race!
I'm here for a New Zealand wine masterclass; and because nothing goes better with New Zealand wine than an amazing New Zealand boat team, the class is followed by a boat ride on the bay to watch the ETNZ (Emirates Team New Zealand) compete for a place in the America's Cup race!
There is really no better way to get a handle on geography than to have a giant table map. This one is state of the art, and includes the most recent NZ wine region, Waitaki Valley!
I've met some extremely cool people on this trip, including.... two of Canada's greatest sommeliers! That's Veronique Rivest on the left-- she just won second place in the Concours Meilleur Sommelier du Monde competition! And there's Will Predhomme in the middle-- he runs a fierce wine program at Canoe in Toronto.
The Emirates Team New Zealand (ETNZ) was prepping their boat for the race today; it was very special to see them work on it! These are the giant wings!
To stay fit the team has a gym just off the waterfront!
We are getting schooled on New Zealand wine history, and it is very fun to drink back vintages of these greats, like this Palliser Estate pinot noir- this was one of the most delicious pinot noirs I have ever tried from Martinborough!
And this Sileni 1998 Bordeaux Blend.
We are reacquainting ourselves with a different kind of NZ sauvignon blanc; here's a neat one from a flight of non-Marlborough sauvignon blanc that was very eye opening:
Mills Reef 'Reserve' sauvignon blanc, 2012 (Hawke's Bay, New Zealand)
Mills Reef 'Reserve' sauvignon blanc, 2012 (Hawke's Bay, New Zealand)
Aged pinot gris from Hawke's bay?
This Bilancia 2009 was incredibly interesting!
This Bilancia 2009 was incredibly interesting!
The beautiful "Leah" pinot noir by Seresin was so delicate.
We also got to try this very special Fromm 'La Strada' syrah from Marlborough.
Things got a bit sticky towards the end of the tasting (in a good way!) with:
Seifried "Sweet Agnes" 2012 riesling (Nelson)
Forrest "Botrytised" 2011 riesling (Marlborough)
Jules Taylor 2011 late harvest sauvignon blanc (Marlborough)
Seifried "Sweet Agnes" 2012 riesling (Nelson)
Forrest "Botrytised" 2011 riesling (Marlborough)
Jules Taylor 2011 late harvest sauvignon blanc (Marlborough)
We took a walk to Waterbar, with a lovely NZ wine focus (they also pour Moa beer!). Here, there are giant aquariums that stretch from floor to ceiling, and a three-person team of oyster shuckers keeps up with the demand.
Then it was off to Prospect restaurant for dinner, where the bartenders measure spirits with gold jiggers!
We ended with a nightcap at Sky Bar, which has super-friendly staff and a great view of the city.
RSS Feed
