Last Sunday, November 13th, Maslow 6 kicked off its Sunday Sommelier series with Kristie Petrullo, Chef Sommelier of Jean-Georges.  Kristie’s passion is Burgundy (and Champagne!), and she brought her passion with her to Maslow 6 to share it with us – along with a few choice bottles to illustrate why she loves this region so much.  It’s interesting how a Staten Island native with Sicilian heritage found the ancient French wine region of Burgundy to be her favorite, but it has happened.  The progression from Staten Island to Burgundy probably began with years spend working at Daniel Boulud’s restaurants, Restaurant Daniel and Cafe Boulud.  From there, Kristie worked with Tom Colicchio at Craft, and is currently running the wine program at Jean-Georges restaurant.  With these wine lists to work with, it’s no small wonder why Kristie found Burgundy to be so intriguing.  The lists are rich with vintages of the best producers and vineyards and Kristie has had a chance to taste most of them. Not only that, but she spent four months living and working a harvest in Burgundy.

Living in Burgundy was a bit of a change for New York City born Kristie. One morning, she woke early and headed to the kitchen for coffee only to find sheep roaming around the living room.  ”I’m from Staten Island!  I had no idea if sheep were friendly, if they might bite, if they were supposed to be in there!  They had nudged the door open and come on in.”  Maybe not a typical morning in Burgundy, but memorable, and provides a great story for telling over and over again.

Kristie spent a bit of time telling us about the history of Burgundy and how the names of the villages came to be as they are now.  In 1847, the town of Gevrey appealed to have the name of their best vineyard added to the name of the town, and it has been known as Gevrey-Chambertin since.  Other villages with famous Grand Cru vineyards followed suit, and now they all have their best vineyard sites incorporated into the name of the village.

We started the tasting with a bit of Cremant de Bourgogne – a sparkling wine made just like Champagne, but sourced in Burgundy.  These wines can be incredible values, and they’re made just like Champagne – even the same grapes.  The Roger Luquet Cremant de Bourgogne Brut NV, which we served as everyone arrived at the shop, is made from 100% Chardonnay grapes, so is much like a Blanc de Blancs Champagne.

Next, we moved into a series of white wines, ranging from Chablis to Chassagne-Montrachet.  The Chablis was from Thierry Laffay.  This Chablis had some nice fruit *(usually, it’s all mineral), which Kristie mentioned due to the warm 2009 harvest.  This vintage was a great vintage in many wine regions, and Burgundy was no exception!  The fruitiness of the 2009 vintage is a testament to the great weather, allowing a long, slow ripening to occur.  This slow ripening is perfect for the development of complex flavors in the grapes.

From the Chablis, we moved into Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet.  Olivier Leflaive’s Puligny-Montrachet 2009 is a textbook example of the appellation, displaying the structure and nervosity of this village.  Domaine de la Maltroye’s Chassagne-Montrachet 2007 was a bit disappointing. While this wine is normally a stunning example of not only the winemaking at Maltroye but also the Chassagne-Montrachet village, this particular bottle (bottles – we opened two) had suffered from bad storage somewhere along the way.  Never fear, this wine is normally worth every penny, but this particular bottling was a bit problematic. We moved on from this wine to Meo Camuzet’s Hautes Cotes de Nuits ‘Clos St. Philibert’, another wine that always over delivers!

From this, we moved on to red wines, starting with Chateau de la Maltroye’s Chassagne Montrachet la Boudriotte 1er Cru Chasssagne Montrachet 09.  This really picked up where the white left off – it was GREAT!!  What a value from this producer.  The red wines of Chassagne, according to Kristie, offer instant joy, as you can pop them open and drink them now!  Freddie Mugnier’s Clos de la Marechale 1er Cru 08 was another great red.  This single parcel came back into Freddie’s grasp in time for the 2004 vintage – his first release from this vineyard after the land came back into his holdings (it had been leased for a really, really long time!).  Elegant and structured, this wine is the epitome of Burgundy.

Alain Burguet’s Mes Favorites was next in the line-up, and it is a big one!  Burguet makes rich, intense wines from Gevrey Chambertin, and he’s one of Kristie’s favorites.  But, the Volnay really is where her heart is at – it’s her favorite appellation due to the sexiness of it.  Soft, dusty tannins, subtle fruit, refreshing acidity – and all from an area that is known for white wines – Meursault!  As Kristie explained, red wines from Meursault are called Volnay, and it’s a name to get to know.  We tried Darviot Perrin’s Les Santenots 2006 – a great example of the appellation and a great wine in its own right.

We closed the evening in awe of Kristie’s knowledge and experience, but also with a new friend!  Kristie is as friendly and endearing as she is passionate and experienced – go visit her at Jean-Georges and find out.  And, come back to Maslow 6 for our second Sunday Sommelier seminar with Chris Baggetta, of Eleven Madison Park. Chris is amazing and talented, and will teach you all the tricks of tasting wines like a pro.  Sunday, December 11th – come join us at 4 pm for an evening of blind tasting – don’t be afraid – it’s totally fun!!!

See you Sundays at Maslow 6.

Becoming a Master Sommelier is something that I have not yet accomplished.  It is a goal that requires a great amount of time and dedication, support from family, friends, and your employer,  and a clear and directed path of study.  There are probably as many ways to achieve this goal as there are people trying to achieve it – and there are quite a few people working to become Master Sommeliers.  One thing that most aspiring MS’s will agree on is a structured study plan for theory, a regular tasting group, and practical experience.

Most students will take some form of wine class, whether through the WSET (Wine & Spirits Education Trust) or the ASA (American Sommelier Association) or a local culinary school.  To become a Master Sommelier, a student must sit through a series of exams administered by the Court of Master Sommeliers, beginning with an introductory course and Sommlier Exam, then progressing on to the Certified Sommelier, Advanced Sommelier, and finishing with the Master  Sommelier exam.  I did not sit through the Introductory course, so cannot comment on it, but I’ve sat through the rest of the levels.

Studying for the exams is largely on the student, with the guidance of a mentor.  This relationship is as good as you make it.  Mentors can guide you to the most relevant books and sources for information for the theory section of the exam, as well as help you with study techniques for remembering this vast array of information.  My personal advice here would be to start with the classic wine growing regions of the old and new world, concentrate on Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Champagne.  Work your way out from there.  Tom Stevenson is publishing a new edition of his New Sotheby’s Wine Encyclopedia – get it.  Also use the Compendium on the GuildSomm website to guide your studies.

Studying for theory is an ongoing process – tackle the classics first and go from there.  Tasting is an ongoing process as well.  the most important thing you can do is to find or form a regular tasting group.  Begin with tastings that are open – taste a range of wines made from Cabernet Sauvignon for instance, including those from Bordeaux, Italy, Australia, Chile, Argentina, and the USA.  Discuss the differences in these wines and how these differences were achieved – and how you would identify that in a blind tasting.  Then taste blind.  Pair off and do flights of six wines – each person gets 25 minutes and six wines and gets “graded” by one of their peers.  This is humbling and so very necessary.  There is a “grid” for tasting that is on the Court of Master Sommeliers website that you can refer to, or you can customize your own.  Find a system for getting through the grid every time in the time allotted, hitting every point each time, and correctly identifying the wines each time – in 25 minutes.

Mastering tasting and theory is a matter of practice and repitition.   Preparing for the practical, or Service portion of the exam, is largely gaining some practical experience.  The best way to do this is to work as a sommelier or wine director of a restaurant with a large wine list, preferably featuring International wines.  This is not to say that all Master Sommeliers must have had practical restaurant experience – but it is helpful.  For those with little to no restaurant experience, practicing service at home and in front of a group of other aspiring MS’s is the only way to gain experience and confidence. Read books on food and wine pairing, cocktails, the varied wine regions of the world, figuring profits and costs of wines and cocktails, and service details.  Nothing can replace experience, though, so practice Champange service, decanting, banquet service, and food and wine pairing every day if you can.

Theory, blind tasting, and service are the three portions of the Master Sommelier exam that candidates must prepare for.  Each student will choose an individual path, and not all will achieve their goal.  Hopefully at some time in the near future, this author will have achieved her goal!

The last I heard of Shochu was back in 1999, when I managed a sushi/sake bar in San Francisco. Okay, I’ll admit, it was also an Oxygen bar. Sort of a fad amongst fad businesses during the dot com boom, a time when people were showing up to work so casually, sometimes in a wetsuit, to a “dot-com” based on speculation and overeager venture capitalists. Tradition was out, thinking “outside the box” was becoming prerequisite to living inside of this bubble.

Enter, the Oxygen bar. We had eight oxygen stations where people could sit on one of many futuristic looking chaise lounges and get hooked up (tube up the nose) with their choice of aromatherapy for 10 – 25 minutes, while they inhaled away their hangover, stress, and fatigue via 5 liter of almost pure oxygen. We were booked, almost nightly, with dot-com companies just throwing away their money for lavish parties to keep up with the fierce competition amongst the other dot coms to be the best and most fun company to work for.

Enter 2000, POP! We had no business, why the hell would you pay for oxygen?  After receiving our wine and beer license we decided to add the Sushi and Sake to our eclectic list of offerings on our trippy, oxygen filled list. We discovered Shochu as a great alternative to vodka and expanded our list with Shochu cocktails. It was a hit, as it almost tastes like vodka (nothing) and was almost half the alcohol at 23%.

Shochu is making a debut in NYC very slowly, but when it does hit your local bar or restaurant list, I thought it would be a good idea to find out exactly, what is Shochu?

The word “sake” in Japan can actually refer to all alcoholic beverages in general, although it most often refers to the wine-like rice brew associated with that word overseas. But in some parts of Japan, most notably the far western and southern regions, the word sake is understood to refer to a totally different alcoholic beverage, also indigenous to Japan, but distilled and not brewed: shochu.

Shochu developed as an expression of the warmer climates and cuisines of  Japan. Perhaps the factor most affecting the development of shochu is the weather. 
Brewing sake calls for relatively lower temperatures, but shochu can be distilled in these warmer regions. Also, the higher alcohol content and drier feel is more appealing to many in milder climates. Shochu is made from one of several raw materials which can include, sweet potato, rice, soba, barley, and not so common is from brown sugar and chestnuts.  Each of these raw materials gives a distinct flavor and aroma profile to the final sake. These profiles run the gamut from smooth and light (rice) to peaty, earthy and strong (potato).

Shochu has taken a turn from being an old-fashioned drink to becoming very popular with the younger crowds and nightlife in Japan. People think it a more healthy alternative with less sugars and calories, compared to higher alcohol spirits such as vodka or whisky. Shigechiyo Izumi, a legendary Japanese man who lived to be 105 years old, claimed he drank the spirit every day and that  it alone is the reason for his longevity.  So drink up, live long, and if you ever have the chance to try some oxygen from a tank…. You only live once.

New York State’s Finger Lakes are a special place.  It’s not just the lakes themselves that make the region special and beautiful – the food and wine and spirits and the people behind them add their unique flavor to the equation.  As a case in point, I was traveling to the Finger lakes this past spring and got a chance to eat at the Simply Red Bistro at Sheldrake Point.  Got a chance is not exactly what I mean…I mean that I saw what was for dinner that night and made sure to be back there at opening time to eat and sample a few more wines!  Earlier in the day I tasted through the entire lineup at Sheldrake Point and found some beautiful wines, but later on, Bob Madill, Sheldrake Point’s winemaker, tasted me on the newest vintage of their Riesling, Cabernet Franc Rose, and Gewurztraminer with my meal.  The Riesling was beautiful with my springtime salad of fresh peas, crimini mushrooms and arugula.  I also tased their 2009 Cabernet Franc Rose with the dish – and with this particular dish, the Riesling won.  Just a touch of sugar to soften the high acid that the 2009 vintage displays and to bring out the sweetness of the fresh peas.  Bob and I chatted about how this little bit of sweetness makes the wines more friendly, not as austere and “serious” as the bone dry Rieslings of that particular vintage.
For dinner, I ate roasted banana peppers stuffed with a pork filling.  It was simple and delicious.  With this dish, I got to try the 2010 Gewurztraminer and compare it with the Cabernet Franc rose.  The Gewurztraminer was made richer and more fruity by the stuffed peppers, while the Cabernet Franc highlighted the flavor of the pepper while the pepper pushed the fruit of the wine to the foreground.  Both were lovely with the dish, but I find I am partial to the Finger Lakes Gewurztraminers that are being made now, so that won in my book.  On a hot summer day, the rose might be more refreshing, so next time you’re thinking of grilling fresh peppers and stuffing them with anything, think of this rose!  If you’re lucky, the chef and owner of Simply Red Bistro, Samantha Buyskes (who was raised in South Africa), will keep those peppers on the menu and might even divulge the recipe.

My tours of the Finger Lakes didn’t stop at Sheldrake Point, or the Bistro, however. In my quest to find more delicious food and drink, I stopped in to the Red Dove Tavern in Geneva, just on the north end of Seneca Lake.  The Tavern was recommended by several of the winemakers that I met and talked to.  This is a place you definitely want to visit the next time you find yourself in the Finger Lakes.  Local wines on tap and plenty by the bottle, plus tons of craft beers from the region are on the menu.  To eat, try anything!  My top choices were a hangar steak with little crispy fries (paired with one of those craft beers) and a seared duck breast with green curry.  Now, I didn’t eat this all in one sitting!!  I visited the Red Dove twice during my travels, and will go there again. The service was prompt and friendly, the food was tasty and made me want more, and the drink menu was top notch – if you’re into really good beer and wine, that is.

Another stop that I will be making very soon is to Stone Cat Cafe.  This is one of my favorite spots in the Lakes, and it’s only open during the summer months.  The building was a fruit/vegetable stand, so has little in the way of winter insulation, therefore they are only open part of the year.  You can really tell how much influence Deborah Whiting had in the culinary landscape of the Lakes when you taste food like you have at Stone Cat.  The chefs there use super fresh, very local ingredients for all of their cooking – the salads taste so fresh, and the greens so wild and varied, that you feel you could have picked them yourself on the way into the restaurant.  My favorite dish is the catfish with smoked tomato sauce.  I’ve also eaten some amazing fresh cheeses and roasted local garlic cloves with crunchy bread, and I’ve drunk some tasty smoky tomato Bloody Mary’s there.  All of my meals there have been on the patio and have been paired with live music.  This place should be on your roster for your Finger Lakes trip – you have begun planning it haven’t you?

There are so many stories to tell about the people and the wines and the foods that this blog posting might become a recurring theme.  I like to tell my stories with a glass of Finger Lakes Distillery’s Rye whiskey – preferably made into a Manhattan.  Their Bourbon is also quite tasty – if you’re lucky enough to get some; it sells out very quickly!  If you like spirits, stop in and check out what they are doing.  Riesling grappa, wild berry vodka, flavorful gin, and even their “white dog” called Glen Thunder are all made from local, organic ingredients.  Yet another reason that the Finger Lakes are a special place.  The people are open and friendly and very creative; the foods are inspired and inspiring (I can’t write another word without giving a shout out to Deborah Whiting and her influence on the local cuisine); and the wines and spirits are a continual discovery.

Next trip, I plan to drink more Saperavi at McGregor Vineyards and Standing Stone, more Teroldego at Red Tail Ridge, more Pinot Gris from Sheldrake, Gruner from Dr. Frank, and Riesling and Gewurztraminer from just about everyone!!  A stop at a local cheesemaker might be a good idea as well, and while I’m at it, I’ll see if I can find some local charcuterie to pair with all of the wines I’ll be sipping.  Lastly, I think a very long, vigorous swim in the lake might be in order.  Stay tuned for more from the Finger Lakes.

A view of Cayuga Lake in the Spring