In December, I attended my first Wine Media Guild lunheon as a full-fledged member, having ben voted in by the membership a few days prior. I graciously thank Marisa D’Vari, Robert Simonsen and Louisa Hargrave for their sponsorship, which is greatly appreciated. The luncheon’s theme was Vintage Champagne and we had the good fortune to hear from Ed McCarthy, one of the noted experts on the subject. Formerly an English teacher, Ed is now the author and co-author of numerous wine books, including, “Champagne for Dummies.” He explained that his defining wine moment was with Krug Champagne, when he discovered that, “Champagne is more than just bubbles.”

We began by warming up our palates with two non-vintage Champagnes, before moving on to the main event. Vintages represented were 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002 and 2003 as were a wide range of producers, both large and small. Vintage Champagnes are those Champagnes made in especially good years (aka vintages), when the grapes stand on their own and communicate something special. Conversely, non-vintage (NV) Champagnes are the product of a blend of wines from different years, which provides consistency from year to year. Accordingly, once you determine your preference for a particular producer’s house style, you know you can rely on the wines to deliver the same qualities every time you taste it.

The sole 1995 wine was from Henriot, its Cuvee des Enchanteleurs Brut. Ed described it as big, sturdy and full-bodied and added that this was a Champagne house to watch as they are making wonderful wines. He also noted that while 1995 was a good year with ageability, it wasn’t as good as 1996. Although he described the 2000 vintage  as good, but not great, it was the 2002 vintage that Ed really advocated. He explained that it was a much maligned vintage, but to him, it is the best vintage since 1996 and thus the one to buy now to hold. The 2003 vintage was the year of the heat wave that swept through Europe, resulting in extremely ripe grapes with much lower acidity than usual. However, this does not mean that some producers didn’t make good wines in 2003. As an example, Ed pointed out the Louis Roederer Brut 2003.

All in all, there were 19 vintage Champagnes, most of which I enjoyed greatly. However, at an average price of $100.00, these wines will seldom if ever find their way into my cellar. Fortunately, price did not necessarily dictate preferences.

The least expensive wine on the table was the Nicolas Feuillatte Blanc de Blancs 1999 at $40.00, but its lower price was not reflected in the glass. The wine was dry with ripe, lemon fruit and full-bodied with a creamy mousse. Blanc de Blancs refers to the fact that the wine is produced exclusively from white grapes (Chardonnay), while Blanc de Noirs are produced from one or a blend of the other two permitted grape varieties, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, both of which are red grapes. Nicolas Feuillatte is a cooperative (in fact, the region’s largest), rather than a privately owned Champagne house, with the grapes purchased from its grower-members.

The big ticket item of the day was the Perrier-Jouet “Fleur de Champagne” Blanc de Clancs 2000 at $300.00, but this turned out to be the most controversial wine at the event. When I first tasted it, I found the nose to be unpleasant and several people wondered aloud whether it might be corked. However, once seated for lunch, Ed was quick to point out that there was nothing wrong with the wine, but admitted that it is idiosyncratic, which would account for the mixed reception. He described it as very citric and very lemony.

Regardless of cost or preference, I felt very fortunate to have the opportunity to taste these wonderful wines and to learn from Ed.

Mary Ewing-Mulligan, Tracy Ellen Kamens and Ian Harris

Having completed my Diploma of Wine & Spirits in July of this year, I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the International Wine Center’s annual holiday party/Diploma Graduate Dinner in early December. The event was held at I Trulli restaurant and was kicked off with a lovely Champagne reception with passed hors d’oeuvres. I enjoyed the opportunity to catch up with a number of colleagues with whom I been out of touch more recently. I also had the chance to meet several new people as well.

Upon being seated, a formal introduction of the new Diploma graduates was made by Mary Ewing-Mulligan, MW (President of the International Wine Center), with each person invited to come up and have their photo taken with Mary and Ian Harris of the Wine & Spirits Education Trust, visiting from London. Each graduate was presented with an engraved paperweight.

Diners had the option of Barolo-braised Beef Cheeks or Merluzzo Pan-seared Hake Fillet for dinner and, while the Beef Cheeks was the hands-down winner at my table, I just couldn’t bring myself to order it. I usually try to be adventurous in my eating, but, unlike Sweet Breads, the name Beef Cheeks just isn’t very appetizing to me. It actually looked delicious when it was served, so I was a little sorry, but the fish was quite good, so either way I had an enjoyable meal.

The white wine on offer was the 2007 Orsolani Erbaluce di Caluso ‘La Rustia’ and the red wine was a 2003 Carettlo di Montegrosso Barbera d’Asti ‘Ruleja.’ In addition to these two wines, each table was filled with a collection of wines brought by the table’s attendees, with each collection naturally varying. Lisa Donneson of Bouke wines sat next to me and had brought her wine portfolio to try. I especially liked her white blend, which marries Chardonnay (40%), Pinot Gris (32%), Sauvignon Blanc (18%) and Gewurztraminer (10%). The rose was nice, but I think I would have preferred that it be served at a cooler temperature. I never got around to trying her red wine because I was anxious to taste the Pio Cesare Barolo on our table, with no offence meant to Lisa, of course. Later on in the evening, a debate about whether or not one of the red wines (I think it was a Pinot Noir) was corked or otherwise faulted (possibly reductive) took place at our table. Regardless, it was a great evening and a fabulous event. I look forward to celebrating with my fellow DWS holders next year.

While I consider myself to be an ethical person, the ethics of my role in public relations at the wine importer for which I work, never occurred to me. At least not until it hit me head on.

One of my first tasks required that I send out a save-the-date to a pre-selected list of press members — some of whom are also members of the Wine Media Guild. Upon its receipt, I received an e-mail from one of the WMG’s officers who expressed some concern about my newly bestowed membership and my status as a public relations agent. I think I quelled the inquirer’s fears with my explanation, but it did underscore the ethical issues involved, many of which I had not considered prior to taking on this new job.

On a public level, I am keeping the name of my employers mum, although I have admittedly told a few people one on one. And, of course, some people know by virtue of having received the invitation mentioned above.

But, more importantly, I think that my actions as a wine writer need to be considered carefully in the months ahead, especially regarding the wines I discuss. I generally don’t do wine ratings on this blog, but I do write about and recommend wines through my monthly newsletter. Accordingly, I plan to avoid including wine recommendations from my present employer’s portfolio for the period during my employment. I don’t feel that writing about an event I attend under the auspices of my employment is unethical, as long as I am clear and upfront about that fact and the stated purpose of the event. Perhaps others disagree?

As a wine writer and journalist, I endeavor to be fair and open-minded in my writing and reporting and thus, the notion that I might engage in unethical behavior is anathema to me. To that end, I will be more alert to the possibilities of unethical behavior in an effort to avoid any such inappropriateness. However, I am confident that I can be objective in my writing despite my temporary PR position and hope that my colleagues will share that confidence.

So, I’ve settled into a certain rhythm with the new job. Well, at least as much of a rhythm as one can get given the vageries of public transit. I leave my apartment at 8:00 AM, rush across the street to catch the M60, disembark at 125th and Madison to meet up with the Metro North train, whereby upon arrival I board a shuttle bus, which takes to me to my final destination is a corporate park. Fingers crossed, the trip runs 1.5 hours, but the return has taken as long as 2.5 hours door to door — not fun. Consequently, I’ve been rather exhausted at the end of the day and have thus been lax at writing. I’m thinking about getting a Net ook to improve my productivity en route, but have at least mastered the art of Facebooking from my phone in the meantime.

Once at the office, things aren’t too bad. My colleagues are very nice and helpful as I start to get the hang of various projects. Among my responsibilities, I need to track ratings, reviews and other press received by the importer’s wines and brands and share them with the marketing team and others in the field. I also help with sending out press releases, invitations to events and samples. Overall, not surprisingly, the goal is get these wines into the hands of influential members of the media who, we hope, will enjoy the wine and communicate favorably about it.

The power of the press is particularly evident as we look to share these reviews with the wine-buying public. Almost as quickly as the reviews are printed, the company is designing shelf-talkers in an effort to get these ratings side by side the wines in retail shops across the country. Other opportunities to capitalize on these scores come when a publication advises the producer or importer that one’s wine(s) have been favorably reviewed in an upcoming issue. Many of these publications offer the option of doing a label insertion, whereby the wine’s label will appear in print (and/or one the web) alongside the printed score and review. Of course, in most cases, there is fee involved, blurring the line between editorial and advertising. However, the scores are printed regardless of whether the option of doing a label insertion is taken. Sometimes, the publication will print a label or bottle shot on their own volition without the wine company having to pay any money, but this approach seems to be done less frequently by the big scoring magazines than others. All in all, it is really not that big of a deal; magazines and other publications are, after all, in the business of making money. But, as seeing this side of the business was new to me, I found it somewhat interesting to learn the truth.

On a side note, my new-found employment has provided me with a new answer to the age-old question, “What’s in a name?” Apparently everything. When I arrived at the office on day one, the IT person was setting up my e-mail and signature file. As he typed, I noticed a spelling error and brought it to his attention that there was no “e” in my first name, but it was too late. My e-mail id had already been established as tracey.kamens@companyname.com and the id was also my login for the computer, server and all thing technological with this company. It’s been very weird to have to remind myself to purposely misspell my name on a daily basis.

My second day at the new office coincided with the arrival of Beaujolais Nouveau, which takes place on the third Thursday in November. In most offices around the country, if not the world, the day was like any other day. But, at the wine importer’s office, which represents a large Beaujolais producer, it was a day to celebrate. At lunch, the entire office was treated to a catered lunch, along with, of course, a glass of Beaujolais Nouveau. After we had enjoyed our meal, a drawing was held with various wine-themed items raffled off. For those who were unsuccessful in the raffle, there was no need to despair as all employees were sent home with a parting gift – a bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau! It was certainly a fun kick-off to my tenure at the company.

Beaujolais Nouveau hails from, you guessed it, Beaujolais, which lies at the southern end of Burgundy. While other Burgundian communes focus on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, Beaujolais is a bastion of the Gamay grape. Beaujolais Nouveau, as opposed to Beaujolais, is unique because the wine is from the current vintage – in this case 2008 – and follows an extremely fast turn-around time from grape to glass.

It is primarily produced via carbonic maceration, which is an interesting twist on standard fermentation. In carbonic maceration, the grapes are loaded into fermentation vessels and sealed under a layer of CO2, hence carbonic. The grapes begin to macerate and undergo intracellular fermentation, fermenting within the skins before being crushed and pressed into wine. Concurrently, due to the weight, grapes at the bottom of the vessel become crushed and start regular fermentation, reacting with the natural yeasts found on the bloom of the grape. The resulting wines are fresh, fruity and meant to be drunk young.

Georges Duboeuf, the largest producer of Beaujolais Nouveau, is credited with marketing the Beaujolais Nouveau phenomenon in the U.S. It’s a good deal for the producers who can use the cash flow for their activities much sooner than the usual production period. For consumers, it is a great excuse to be festive in the graying days of late Fall.

Beaujolais Nouveau has its detractors, but it certainly doesn’t claim to be a serious or complex wine; there simply isn’t time for the wine to develop any complexity, given its nascence. Frankly, I think that sometimes we all need to just sip without a major thought process involved.

More credible criticism is the carbon footprint that transporting Beaujolais Nouveau to the U.S. via plan entails. Some producers are becoming cognizant of the impact this has on the environment and lobbied (and received) special dispensation from the Beaujolais wine authority to ship the wine via boat instead, necessitating a release three weeks prior to the authorized date. Others have replaced their glass bottles with plastic, which does significantly reduce their weight, but apparently not enough to make-up for the use of aircraft. At least they are trying and I’m sure that greater steps will be taken next year.