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November 23rd 2013
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It’s the 17th annual version of Cornucopia. Whistlers Food and Wine Festival.

The good news is it’s expanding to include extra days filled with Beer and Spirits tastings. We work the floor of the Trade Tasting, attend the Big Guns dinner at Araxi and then stalk the wine experts before, during and after their seminars.
Take a minute and check out the guest list on this show. It’s an All-Star event.
[divider]
THE SHOW
We start with the organizer Mary Zinck. From Whistler Tourism.
Then it’s off to the Trade Tasting at the Convention Centre.
Guests include:
- Tim Martiniuk – Stoneboat
- Jim Williams – Freakshow
- Michael Bartier – Bartier Bros
- Heleen Pannekoek – Fort Berens
- John Skinner – Painted Rock
- Bob Ferguson – Kettle Valley
- Chef James Walt and Wine Director Samantha Rahn (Sommelier of the Year) at Araxi. Big Guns Dinner.
- Daenna van Mulligen – The Wine Diva. On bubbles and other pours.
- DJ Kearney – Wine Educator on South Africa
- Rhys Pender- Master of Wine. Multiple Seminars
- Kurtis Kolt – Blends
- The Wine Monkeys – Keith Nicholson & Paul Watkin. Can real men drink Rose??
- Kurtis Kolt
- John Skinner Painted Rock
- Samantha Rahn Sommellier of the Year

And a final word from John Skinner on possible changes to BC’s wine laws and the big guys who insist on importing bladders of Chilean wine into Canada and
bottling it as Canadian.
If you can’t get to hear the whole show..or there’s too much info..it will stay posted here for weeks.
[divider]
STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON
- Alexander Payne – Director of Sideways..talks about that film and his love for wines.
- Chefs David Hawksworth and Suzanne Goin (AOC Cookbook) in a roundtable discussion.
- Carlo Mondavi at Continuum
- Bistro Seventeen 89
- A Return to La Morra Piedmont
- Beppi Crosariol and Lucy Waverman from The Globe and Mail. Great new Book!!
- Jorge Riccitelli. Winemaker at Norton. Mendoza Argentina
- Brian Skinner – Owner and Chef at The Acorn on Main in Vancouver and the first ever Vegetarian Chef to win Gold Medal Plates
- Will Forte (Nebraska/SNL)
Nebraska – Interviews by TDM
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“Payne has never before been this melancholy, or this sincere. Nebraska looks into America’s soul and finds a troubling emptiness.”
–Peter Howell ,Toronto Star
Director Alexander Payne (Sideways, The Descendants) takes the helm for this black and white road trip drama starring Bruce Dern as a tempestuous Missouri father who’s convinced he’s won a million dollar magazine sweepstakes, and Will Forte as the son who grudgingly agrees to drive him to Nebraska to claim his winnings. Bob Odenkirk and Stacy Keach costar. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
[divider]
Interview with Director Alexander Payne and Terry David Mulligan:
Director, producer and screenwriter Alexander Payne was born in Omaha, Nebraska. Of Greek descent (the family name was changed from Papadopoulos), his parents George and Peggy ran a Greek restaurant. He has two older brothers.
Alexander attended Stanford University, where he majored in Spanish and History. He then went on to study film at UCLA Film School. His university thesis film was screened at the Sundance film festival, which led to him being backed by Miramax to write and direct Citizen Ruth (1996). Payne prefers to have control over his movies, from scripts to cast. known for the films Election, About Schmidt, Sideways and The Descendants. His films are noted for their dark humor and satirical depictions of contemporary American society.
Often sets his films in and around Omaha, Nebraska
Frequently films scenes at natural history museums
Frequently casts Phil Reeves
Frequently uses actual people in roles of minor characters in his movies (real life policemen for policemen, real life restaurant servers for servers, real life teachers for teachers)
Frequently incoporates telephone monologues as a dramatic device
His films often revolve around adultery in marriage and relationships
His films often deal with a sense of loneliness depicted by the main character
Features characters that endeavor for self-fulfillment and individualism (Sideways (2004), About Schmidt (2002)).
Interview with Actor Will Forte and Terry David Mulligan:
x
Forte was age 32 before he came to the public’s attention on “Saturday Night Live”(1975), but had been working in comedy since 1997. Forte is the son of artist Patricia and financial broker Orville Willis Forte III (divorced) and has one older sister, Michelle. A creative and artist child, he was an athlete (football and swimming) in high school and voted Best Personality at Acalanes High School. After graduating from UCLA with a degree in History, Forte had a brief career at a brokerage house before deciding to try comedy. Although he rarely performed stand-up, he joined the world- famous “Groundlings” and was hired as a writer for the series, “The Jenny McCarthy Show” (1997), The Army Show, and The David Letterman Show. He eventually caught the attention of Carsey-Werner executive Tom Werner when he wrote a pilot about two childlike idiot brothers (eventually turned into the film, The Brothers Solomon (2007)) and was hired for the shows, “3rd Rock from the Sun” (1996) and “That ’70s Show” (1998).
In 2002, Forte moved from his home state of California to New York City to join “Saturday Night Live” (1975) as a writer and cast member. Although known as shy and reserved in his personal life, Forte was one of the individuals responsible for the shows move to absurd, surrealist comedy. Along with voice-over acting, guest appearances on television and small roles in films, Forte had his biggest opportunities to be a movie star with films he wrote. Forte wrote the screenplay for The Brothers Solomon (2007) (and had the leading role of childlike “Dean Solomon”) and played the title role and co-wrote the SNL film MacGruber (2010). Although both films were given small budgets ($10,000,000 each), the were both considered box-office and critical failures, although they do have a cult following.
After MacGruber’s theatrical release, Forte left SNL for personal and professional reasons, although he has returned as a guest performer. Forte has had a recurring role on the series 30 Rock and made numerous other guest appearances on other TV comedies. Since leaving SNL, he has also increased his work as a voice artist and appeared in 5 movies (A Good Old Fashioned Orgy, Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie, Rock of Ages, That’s My Boy, and The Watch).
Since 2012, he has moved into dramatic and straight roles on a television pilot titled Rebounding by the producers of Modern Family and Irish film Run and Jump. In August 2012, he was cast (and first choice) in the much anticipated Alexander Payne film Nebraska, despite rumors that higher profile actors such as Casey Affleck and Paul Rudd were interested in the role.
November 20th 2013
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Podcast: Play in new window | Download

It’s the 17th annual version of Cornucopia. Whistlers Food and Wine Festival.
The good news is it’s expanding to include extra days filled with Beer and Spirits tastings. We work the floor of the Trade Tasting, attend the Big Guns dinner at Araxi and then stalk the wine experts before, during and after their seminars.
Take a minute and check out the guest list on this show. It’s an All-Star event.
[divider]
THE SHOW
We start with the organizer Mary Zinck. From Whistler Tourism.
Then it’s off to the Trade Tasting at the Convention Centre.
Guests include:
- Tim Martiniuk – Stoneboat
- Jim Williams – Freakshow
- Michael Bartier – Bartier Bros
- Heleen Pannekoek – Fort Berens
- John Skinner – Painted Rock
- Bob Ferguson – Kettle Valley
- Chef James Walt and Wine Director Samantha Rahn (Sommelier of the Year) at Araxi. Big Guns Dinner.
- Daenna van Mulligen – The Wine Diva. On bubbles and other pours.
- DJ Kearney – Wine Educator on South Africa
- Rhys Pender- Master of Wine. Multiple Seminars
- Kurtis Kolt – Blends
- The Wine Monkeys – Keith Nicholson & Paul Watkin. Can real men drink Rose??
- Kurtis Kolt
- John Skinner Painted Rock
- Samantha Rahn Sommellier of the Year

And a final word from John Skinner on possible changes to BC’s wine laws and the big guys who insist on importing bladders of Chilean wine into Canada and
bottling it as Canadian.
If you can’t get to hear the whole show..or there’s too much info..it will stay posted here for weeks.
[divider]
STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON
- Alexander Payne – Director of Sideways..talks about that film and his love for wines.
- Chefs David Hawksworth and Suzanne Goin (AOC Cookbook) in a roundtable discussion.
- Carlo Mondavi at Continuum
- Bistro Seventeen 89
- A Return to La Morra Piedmont
- Beppi Crosariol and Lucy Waverman from The Globe and Mail. Great new Book!!
- Jorge Riccitelli. Winemaker at Norton. Mendoza Argentina
- Brian Skinner – Owner and Chef at The Acorn on Main in Vancouver and the first ever Vegetarian Chef to win Gold Medal Plates
Mulligan Stew November 16th
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Mellow down Easy | Rooster Rag | Little Feat |
The letting Go | Fire it up | Joe Cocker |
Stick with me Baby | Raising Sand | Allison Krause. Robert Plant |
Host | That guy | www.mulliganstew.ca |
My Sweet Lord | Come and get It | Billy Preston |
Big Blue Diamonds | I hear the wine in the wires | Jim Byrnes |
Unloved | Greatest Hurts | Jann Arden/Jackson Browne |
Talk to me Baby | Can’t get enough | The Rides |
Host | www.mulliganstew.ca | |
Host | TDM The Stew | |
Jim Cuddy | Interview | |
You should know | In our Nature | Blue Rodeo |
Jim Cuddy | Interview | |
Tell me Again | In our nature | Blue Rodeo |
Jim Cuddy | Interview | |
Out of the Blue | In our Nature | Blue Rodeo |
Host | www.mulliganstew.ca | |
Rag Mama Rag | Live at the Academy of Music 71 | The Band |
Downtown Money Wasters (acoustic) | Croweology | Black Crowes |
Hallelujah | Gentlemans Blues | Cracker |
Host | Mulliganstew.ca | |
Vigilante Man | Live at the Great American Music Hall | Ry Cooder. Corridos Famosos |
Turn on your Lovelight | Turn on your lovelight | Bobby Bland |
Host | www.mulliganstew.ca | |
Don’t do it (live) | Live at Academy of Music 71 | The Band |
Night They Drove Dixie Down | Live at Academy of Music 71 | The Band |
Across the Great Divine | Live at Academy of Music 71 | The Band |
Up on Cripple Creek | Live at Academy of Music 71 | The Band |
The Weight | Live at Academy of Music 71 | The Band |
Like a Rolling Stone | Live at Academy of Music 71 | The Band with Bob Dylan |
Thanks | www.mulliganstew.ca |
November 16th 2013
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Podcast: Play in new window | Download
We’re talking Rutherford Dust and the new Lake Sonoma label with wine partners Dan Zepponi (Napa) and Tony Stewart (Okanagan).
THE SHOW
Blue Rodeo have just released another album. In Our Nature is their 13th studio release in 26 years. Recorded at Greg Keelor’s farm, its decidedly acoustic, in part because of Greg’s hearing loss. I made plans to meet Jim Cuddy – his writing and singing partner – in the lobby of the Fairmont Pacific Rim in Vancouver as Jim was touring and playing as part of the annual Gold Medal Plates Culinary Competition.
We talked about the new music and the addition of guitarist Colin Cripps who plays in The Jim Cuddy Band. The bulk of the talk will be heard on Mulligan Stew @ CKUA radio Saturday Nov 16. Jim and I always talk wine when we get together. Because he has given so much to GMPlates, he’s asked to be part of various trips that are auctioned off..so there are stories there. He’s discovered a new paella dish at Carmen in Toronto and thus he’s washing it down with Ribera del Duero wines. Blue Rodeo’s 2014 tour starts Jan 2-3 in Vancouver. Alberta dates include
- Jan 9 Red Deer
- Jan 10/11 The Jube in Calgary
- Jan 12 Lethbridge
- Jan 16 Fort MacMurray
- Jan 17/18 Jube Edmonton
The Devon Cuddy band opens the shows. www.bluerodeo.com
There’s also a Mulligan Stew connection to the next guest Martha Wainwright..of the legendary Wainwright/McGarrigle Families. Her brother is Rufus Wainwright. Her Dad is Loudon Wainwright 111. Her Mother Kate McGarrigle lost her battle with Cancer in 2010 just months after Martha had given birth to her first child. All of those emotions played out in her current album Come Home To Mama.
At the end of our conversation..I asked Martha about her relationship with wine and off we went. Because she’s pregnant again, she’s stopped drinking but you can tell she’s a wine fan through and through. Way to go Martha. www.marthawainwright.com We’ve aired the story of Plume before on TRR. A really good Napa Cab that come out of nowhere at $25.00 but tasted like $35. It was the result of a partnership between two wine families.
The Zepponi’s of Napa and Stewarts of The Okanagan. Dan Zeponni first wine memory is planting vines along the Silverado Trail at the family vineyard. Tony Stewart and his family did the same above BC’s Okanagan Lake at Quails Gate.
Now they’re making Plume and introducing a new label into their portfolio – Lake Sonoma. Here’s the complete story and how they may just be the Tip of a very large Iceberg. www.lakesonomawinery.com www.plumewinery.com quailsgate.com
Dominique Demarville is the very lucky Cellar Master at Veuve Clicquot. The makers of fine champagne for 240 years. Dom says he can still feel the presence of Madame Clicquot in the darkest corners of the cellars. This quiet conversation made its way through the history of the label, how he felt when he first walked into those cellars and what makes Veuve so unique. We agreed on the value of the bubbles. Best bubbles in the World.
The label has a special place in this world. Whenever someone wants to celebrate a marriage..a graduation, a conquest or to remember someone departed..a bottle of Veuve Clicquot usually finds its way into the occasion. Special place that. Salute!! www.veuve–clicquot.com Richard Parsons/il Palazzone
Former Citigroup Inc. Chairman Richard Parsons, whose career in banking and media saw him at the helm of the industries’ biggest companies, is betting he can make money in retirement in the wine-rich Tuscan hills. Twelve years after buying Il Palazzone, a Montalcino vineyard perched on the ancient trail to Rome, Parsons is getting serious about winemaking, turning a hobby into a business. He’s built a new cellar he inaugurated with this year’s harvest and plans to double production of his finest wine, Brunello, turning Il Palazzone into a profitable activity within five years. Despite its name, il Palazzone, or “the big palace” is actually quite a small winery making less than 1,000 cases of Brunello di Montalcino annually.
While the estate is roughly 20 acres, the vineyard area authorized for the production of Brunello di Montalcino is a mere 10 acres. Il Palazzone recently completed construction of a new cellar, designed to blend beautifully into the landscape and minimize its carbon footprint. While the cellar utilizes the best of modern technology, the vineyard still creates its Brunello in the traditional method by aging the wine in large, Slavonian oak barrels for nearly four years. Great story this. www.ilpalazzone.com [divider]
Wine Diva at Intervin
The InterVin International Wine Awards is designed to recognize and celebrate the very best wines available to Canadian consumers. An entirely objective, blind tasting format has been developed that utilizes a team of qualified and respected judges. The panel features wine industry professionals with backgrounds in hospitality, media, education and winemaking. Competing wines are grouped by varietal or style ensuring that each is fairly evaluated.
Judges awarded gold, silver and bronze medals in each category as well as determine the prestigious top awards for the overall best wines. One of the highly qualified judges was Daenna van Mulligen – The Wine Diva. The results are now out but Daenna has her tasting notes and gives us the inside edge on who won what and why. Wines included in our discussion were
Best in Show
- Cavas la Capilla – Malbec
- Tyler Harleton – Pinot Gris
- Taylor Fladgate LBV Port
- Stellars Jay Brut 2008
- Mission Hill Compendium
- Nk Mip Qwam Qwmt Riesling ice wine
- Painted Rock Cabernet and Syrah
- Poplar Grove – Pinot Gris
- Quails Gate – Chenin 2012
- Quails Gate – Dry Riesling
- Red Rooster – Reserve Viognier
- Silk Scarf Malbec-Cab 2009
- Stellars Jay
- Tinhorn Creek Pinot Noir 2009
- Tyler Harleton Viognier. Pinot Gris
- Wild Goose
- Stoney ridge
- Tawse
www.winediva.ca www.intervin.ca [divider]
STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON
- Carlo Mondavi at Continuum
- The 17th annual Cornucopia. Whistler Wine Festival
- Bistro Seventeen 89
- A Return to La Morra Piedmont
- Beppi Crosariol
November 13th 2013
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Podcast: Play in new window | Download
We’re talking Rutherford Dust and the new Lake Sonoma label with wine partners Dan Zepponi (Napa) and Tony Stewart (Okanagan).
Richard Parsons has run Time Warner, General Counsel for the White House and many more. His wine mentor was Nelson Rockefeller.
Likely one of the reasons why he became the owner of Italy’s Il Palazzone
His motto? We drink all the wine we can and sell the rest!!
Jim Cuddy from Blue Rodeo plays through the West for Gold Medal Plates. We talk about raising funds for Olympians and why he’s all over Spanish Wines.
Martha Wainwright was a guest on Mulligan Stew last week. After we got through the music talk we discovered a mutual love for wine. Go figure!
And the Wine Diva returns with her take on this year’s Vines Magazine/ Intervin Wine Awards.
Daenna was one of 19 judges. This is the inside dope!!
[divider]
THE SHOW
Blue Rodeo have just released another album. In Our Nature is their 13th studio release in 26 years.
Recorded at Greg Keelor’s farm, its decidedly acoustic, in part because of Greg’s hearing loss.
I made plans to meet Jim Cuddy – his writing and singing partner – in the lobby of the Fairmont Pacific Rim in Vancouver as Jim was touring and playing as part of the annual Gold Medal Plates Culinary Competition.
We talked about the new music and the addition of guitarist Colin Cripps who plays in The Jim Cuddy Band.
The bulk of the talk will be heard on Mulligan Stew @ CKUA radio Saturday Nov 16.
Jim and I always talk wine when we get together.
Because he has given so much to GMPlates, he’s asked to be part of various trips that are auctioned off..so there are stories there.
He’s discovered a new paella dish at Carmen in Toronto and thus he’s washing it down with Ribera del Duero wines.
Blue Rodeo’s 2014 tour starts
Jan 2-3 in Vancouver.
Alberta dates include
- Jan 9 Red Deer
- Jan 10/11 The Jube in Calgary
- Jan 12 Lethbridge
- Jan 16 Fort MacMurray
- Jan 17/18 Jube Edmonton
The Devon Cuddy band opens the shows.
www.bluerodeo.com
There’s also a Mulligan Stew connection to the next guest Martha Wainwright..of the legendary Wainwright/McGarrigle Families.
Her brother is Rufus Wainwright. Her Dad is Loudon Wainwright 111. Her Mother Kate McGarrigle lost her battle with Cancer in 2010 just months after Martha had given birth to her first child.
All of those emotions played out in her current album Come Home To Mama.
At the end of our conversation..I asked Martha about her relationship with wine and off we went.
Because she’s pregnant again, she’s stopped drinking but you can tell she’s a wine fan through and through.
Way to go Martha.
www.marthawainwright.com
We’ve aired the story of Plume before on TRR.
A really good Napa Cab that come out of nowhere at $25.00 but tasted like $35.
It was the result of a partnership between two wine families.
The Zepponi’s of Napa and Stewarts of The Okanagan.
Dan Zeponni first wine memory is planting vines along the Silverado Trail at the family vineyard.
Tony Stewart and his family did the same above BC’s Okanagan Lake at Quails Gate.
Now they’re making Plume and introducing a new label into their portfolio – Lake Sonoma.
Here’s the complete story and how they may just be the Tip of a very large Iceberg.
www.lakesonomawinery.com
www.plumewinery.com
quailsgate.com
Dominique Demarville is the very lucky Cellar Master at Veuve Clicquot. The makers of fine champagne for 240 years.
Dom says he can still feel the presence of Madame Clicquot in the darkest corners of the cellars.
This quiet conversation made its way through the history of the label, how he felt when he first walked into those cellars and what makes Veuve so unique. We agreed on the value of the bubbles. Best bubbles in the World.
The label has a special place in this world. Whenever someone wants to celebrate a marriage..a graduation, a conquest or to remember someone departed..a bottle of Veuve Clicquot usually finds its way into the occasion. Special place that.
Salute!!
www.veuve–clicquot.com
Richard Parsons/il Palazzone
Former Citigroup Inc. Chairman Richard Parsons, whose career in banking and media saw him at the helm of the industries’ biggest companies, is betting he can make money in retirement in the wine-rich Tuscan hills.
Twelve years after buying Il Palazzone, a Montalcino vineyard perched on the ancient trail to Rome, Parsons is getting serious about winemaking, turning a hobby into a business. He’s built a new cellar he inaugurated with this year’s harvest and plans to double production of his finest wine, Brunello, turning Il Palazzone into a profitable activity within five years.
Despite its name, il Palazzone, or “the big palace” is actually quite a small winery making less than 1,000 cases of Brunello di Montalcino annually. While the estate is roughly 20 acres, the vineyard area authorized for the production of Brunello di Montalcino is a mere 10 acres.
Il Palazzone recently completed construction of a new cellar, designed to blend beautifully into the landscape and minimize its carbon footprint. While the cellar utilizes the best of modern technology, the vineyard still creates its Brunello in the traditional method by aging the wine in large, Slavonian oak barrels for nearly four years.
Great story this.
www.ilpalazzone.com
[divider]
Wine Diva at Intervin
The InterVin International Wine Awards is designed to recognize and celebrate the very best wines available to Canadian consumers.
An entirely objective, blind tasting format has been developed that utilizes a team of qualified and respected judges. The panel features wine industry professionals with backgrounds in hospitality, media, education and winemaking.
Competing wines are grouped by varietal or style ensuring that each is fairly evaluated. Judges awarded gold, silver and bronze medals in each category as well as determine the prestigious top awards for the overall best wines.
One of the highly qualified judges was Daenna van Mulligen – The Wine Diva.
The results are now out but Daenna has her tasting notes and gives us the inside edge on who won what and why.
Wines included in our discussion were
Best in Show
- Cavas la Capilla – Malbec
- Tyler Harleton – Pinot Gris
- Taylor Fladgate LBV Port
- Stellars Jay Brut 2008
- Mission Hill Compendium
- Nk Mip Qwam Qwmt Riesling ice wine
- Painted Rock Cabernet and Syrah
- Poplar Grove – Pinot Gris
- Quails Gate – Chenin 2012
- Quails Gate – Dry Riesling
- Red Rooster – Reserve Viognier
- Silk Scarf Malbec-Cab 2009
- Stellars Jay
- Tinhorn Creek Pinot Noir 2009
- Tyler Harleton Viognier. Pinot Gris
- Wild Goose
- Stoney ridge
- Tawse
www.winediva.ca
www.intervin.ca
[divider]
STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON
- Carlo Mondavi at Continuum
- The 17th annual Cornucopia. Whistler Wine Festival
- Bistro Seventeen 89
- A Return to La Morra Piedmont
- Beppi Crosariol
Mulligan Stew Nov 9th
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This week on the Stew…
Rolling Stone Johnny Rivers. Greatest Hits.
Fire on the Bayou. The Meters. The greatest Mardi
Gras concert.Ever
Brand New Day. Sting. All this time.
Give it back to you. Bare Naked Ladies. Grinning Streak.
You can never hold
Back Spring. Ton Waits. Orphans
Deacon Blues Steely Dan. A decade of
Blinded by the light. Bruce Springsteen. Live in Dublin
Diggin on James Brown. Tower of Power. Best of james Brown
Calling out to you. Tedeschi Trucks band Made up Mind.
Angel Eyes. EmmyLou Harris. Light of the stable.
Never too late Blue Rodeo. In our Nature.
We exist. Arcade Fire. Reflector.
Wooly Bully. Ry Cooder &Corridos Live at great Am.
Famosos. Music Hall.
Hard Times Blues. Eric Clapton. Clapton.
Got to serve somebody Mavis Staples. Tangled up in blues.
Host. Takes a break. For quick nap.
Lemon Squeezer. Fleetwood Mac. Shrine 69.
Somebody got a hold. Etta James. Best of.
Hold on. Alabama Shakes Boys & Girls.
Death have Mercy. Harry Manx and
Kevin Breitt. In Good we Trust.
Comfortably Numb (live). Van Morrison and
Roger Waters. At the Movies.
All you need is Love. The Beatles Beatles 67-70.
Long Distance Call (live) Muddy Waters etc. Fathers and Sons.
November 9th 2013
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Podcast: Play in new window | Download
It seemed too good to be true. An offer to not only visit Barolo during harvest but also attend the Truffle Festival in Alba as the guest of Batasiolo. Begun in 1882, Batasiolo started with just 7 acres. They have become a winery that makes 10% of all Barolos. Our host: Fiorenzo Dogliani. A family so ingrained in the Piedmont wine region that they have a town named after them. Join us – Barolo and Truffles? It IS a dream come true!
THE SHOW

- Il Boscareto Hotel and Spa
The Dogliani family’s winegrowing history spans four generations in Italy’s Piedmont region and traces its origin to just seven and a half acres of Nebbiolo vines in Barolo. With the launch of Beni di Batasiolo in 1978, the company’s vineyard holdings now total 345 acres from nine vineyard sites and four growing regions: Barolo, La Morra, Monforte D’Alba and Serralunga D’Alba.
As CEO, Fiorenzo directs the company from the Beni di Batasiolo winery located in La Morra Cuneo. In the late 1950s, Fiorenzo is credited with reaching beyond the borders of Piedmont to market the family’s wines to restaurateurs in nearby Milan. It was this bold first move that established a presence for the company’s wines on the domestic market and foreshadowed Fiorenzo’s future role as an evangelist for the Piedmont region on the world market. Fiorenzo was among the first Piedmontese winegrowers to travel extensively to promote his wines Fiorenzo’s early efforts helped raise visibility for the company’s long-lived Barolo and Barbaresco wines and establish a reputation for quality, one that is rigorously pursued at Batasiolo. By 1979 he was traveling to New York and Toronto introducing the trade and consumers alike to joys of Nebbiolo, an effort that helped speed the evolution of American palates at the time towards the appreciation of dry, sophisticated wines.
Canada is the number four market in the World for Batasiolo. In order to talk to Fiorenzo and also travel the Piedmont district we needed a translator, wine expert and driver and we found him in Richardo March. Director of US and Canada sales for Batasiolo.
www.batasiolo.com http://www.boissetfamilyestates.com http://www.barolodibarolo.com/inglese/ http://www.lonelyplanet.com/italy/liguria-piedmont-and-valle-daosta/piedmont
Also along for the trip and guesting on the special were: Our host and organizer of the trip … Kimberly Charles – Charles Communications & Associates in San Francisco. http://www.charlescomm.com/ Ziggy Eschliman, known to most simply as The Wine Gal. Her radio shows are broadcast throughout wine country and are available on the internet. As a leading American speaker, consultant, and wine writer. Ziggy is a driving force behind a national movement toward making wine hip, fun and accessible. http://www.ziggythewinegal.com
[divider]
The World Wine Guys MIKE DeSIMONE and JEFF JENSSEN, also known as the World Wine Guys, are wine, spirits, food, and travel writers, educators, and hosts. They are award winning journalists as well as best selling and award winning authors. Mike and Jeff are the Entertaining and Lifestyle Editors at Wine Enthusiast Magazine and are regular travel and wine contributors for The Huffington Post. DeSimone and Jenssen are the authors of the best-selling Wines Of The Southern Hemisphere. Mike and Jeff are members of the International Food, Wine, and Travel Writers Association, The Society of Wine Educators, and The James Beard Foundation. http://worldwineguys.com/

The Truffle Master
The famous ‘Tartufo d’Alba‘ is a marvelous gift of nature and a symbol of the rich cuisine of Piemonte. The truffle was known in antiquity, not just for its inherent culinary qualities but also as an aphrodisiac! Scientists discovered that truffles contain a volatile alcohol with a strong musk flavor, a chemical brother of testosterone. No doubt this is something the ancients knew all along. The secret to enjoying the truffle is to avoid using it with other strong flavors. It is perhaps best served as an antipasti, buttered on whole meal toast or over pasta as shards with butter and parmigiano reggiano cheese. In a country where food equates with love as one of life’s great pleasures, ‘tartufi’ are literally worth their weight in gold. The delicate white truffle variety, only served raw, grows in Northern Italy and Umbria. Piedmonte is the heart of white truffle country, where the famous Alba festival provides a magnificent backdrop of Romanesque ruins, Gothic spires and Baroque bell towers every October. Thank you Batasiolo. Thank you Kimberly and thank you Italy!!
[divider]
Stories we are working on:
- The Lake Sonoma Story
- Dominque Demarville – The Cellar Master at Veuve Clicquot
- Martha Wainwright – singer/songwriter/wine fan
- Richard Parsons – Ill Palazonne
- Thierry Threlfall – sommelier of the Year pours his new wine TNT
- Carlo Mondavi returns to Vancouver
- 2012 World Winemaker of the Year Jorge Riccitelli of Bodega Norton
- 2013 Cornucopia Wine festival – Whistler