The World According to Alpana

It was the end of a third consecutive week of well below-normal winter temperatures, and master sommelier Alpana Singh was just back from balmy Argentina. So who would have blamed the author and television host were she less than thrilled when arriving in Chicago’s western suburbs for a meet-and-greet at The Cellar Door wine shop?

Instead, Alpana brought her charm and considerable knowledge along, and turned them both up a notch for a throng of wine lovers eager to walk away with a signed copy of Alpana’s new book. We were there to observe and converse, thanks to the shop’s owner Sean Chaudhry, who also is a HinsdaleCellars.com co-founder.

The Alpana Singh story is fairly remarkable, not unlike that of a winemaker who finds just the right plot of vineyard land and suddenly finds himself producing one epic cult vintage after another simply by doing what his instincts dictate.

Alpana was a young woman working as a wine shop clerk in Carmel, Calif., admittedly not a bad place to start a career, but she only learned later that this was in fact a starting point. She became enamored of wine, its culture and the world it opened to her. In rapid fire succession, she went to work in a restaurant, learned the nuts and bolts, earned her preliminary sommelier stripes and scored a huge job as sommelier at Chicago’s acclaimed Everest restaurant. This was four years ago.

At 27, she became the youngest person in history to earn Master Sommelier status, and one of the few women sommeliers worldwide.

Late last year, she released her book, “Alpana Pours: About Being a Woman, Loving Wine and Having Great Relationships”. Today she is director of wine and spirits for the formidable Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, a fine restaurant holding company in Chicago.

We attempted, futility, to get Alpana to slam some of her male sommelier counterparts, but she stayed squarely on the high road. (Hey, we tried). No headlines here. Alpana’s principal goal professionally is to encourage consumers to open their eyes, experiment with unconventional winemakers and mystery grapes and create their own brand of connoisseurship.

“The major trend that I see is the globalization of wine, which is not necessarily a bad thing,” she said as a mostly female clientele buzzed around her. “We’re getting more quality wines from appellations that were not on the scene a few years ago, like Argentina, or New Zealand, even South Africa, which has been making wines for hundreds of years. I think as consumers are becoming more globally aware they are not afraid to try wines from (emerging regions).”

Alpana’s personality and hearty, booming laugh attracts attention. She scored her Everest job in her mid-20s after a chance encounter with Chef Jean Joho. After coming to Chicago, she landed a role as host of a popular PBS program, Check, Please. Among the wine inspired and foodie set in Chicago, she has attained celebrity status. Yet, in 2007 she will only be turning 31.

In case you are wondering, Alpana says the demise of Merlot is greatly exaggerated. She tells the hilarious story about imagining Clark Swanson as he watched the landmark wine move Sideways for the first time. Who is Clark Swanson? He is heir to the Swanson frozen dinner fortune and, notably, leading owner of Merlot vineyards in Napa Valley.

“Sales are great, life’s good, you’re the largest owner of Merlot vineyards in the country, and all of a sudden that famous scene happens (in Sideways, where the main character played by Paul Giamatti completely trashes Merlot and eloquently raises the stature of Pinot Noir),” Alpana says.

“I am surprised he didn’t choke on a fishstick! So Clark is on a mission now, traveling the country, defending Merlot.”

And Alpana is on a mission, too, making the pursuit and appreciation of exceptional wine a natural extension of the 30-something lifestyle.

Hinsdale Cellars Introduces Inspired Travel to Emerging Destinations

The era of cookie-cutter wine travel is over.

Hinsdale Cellars, the essential online lifestyle destination for the wine inspired, is unveiling Inspired Travel, the premium concierge program dedicated to connoisseurs who cherish private immersion into the beauty and splendor of the world’s yet unspoiled wine destinations. One such destination: the Pacific Northwest’s Walla Walla Valley.

Inspired Travel leaves nary a detail unattended, delivering seamless experiences for exacting individuals. Inspired Travel shares their pursuit of the ultimate “luxury trinity” – great wine, great food, great places.

“We surveyed the most intriguing wine producing regions of the world, looking for the perfect launch destination for Inspired Travel,” said HinsdaleCellars.com managing director Steve Woodward. “The choice soon became obvious — Washington’s incomparable Walla Walla Valley.”

The region is not only attracting connoisseurs. It is luring winemakers from tradition-bound parts of the world such as Christophe Baron (left) of the acclaimed Cayuse Vineyards, who was drawn to the rocky soils of Walla Walla when uprooting from his native France more than a decade ago.

Washington native and author John Doerper confirms why we at Hinsdale Cellars Inspired Travel have chosen to roll out the Walla Walla Experience in Fall 2007. He writes, “… the best wines made in Washington rank among the best wines produced anywhere in the world. … (Yet) much of Washington’s Wine Country and many of its wines are still little known, making this a perfect region to explore.”

The Walla Walla Valley extends from eastern Washington State to the south, across the Oregon border. One-third of Walla Walla’s vineyard land is in Oregon, in fact.

HinsdaleCellars.com columnist Bruce Schoenfeld, who has explored the region in person, writes: “To me, there’s no other appellation that can boast such a concentration of wineries producing compelling wines anywhere else in Washington. Or, for that matter, Oregon.”

The inspired traveler not only will find an abundance of premium Walla Walla wineries, he also will witness the steady expansion of dining options and lovely accommodations in surrounding towns.

In coming weeks, Inspired Travel will be pleased to announce specific details about its Walla Walla Experience, scheduled this Fall (or possibly late Summer), including carefully selected properties where our guests will participate in private wine tastings and attend dining events hosted by a globally acclaimed celebrity chef.

The mission in formulating our exclusive packages will be to deliver exclusive access to people and places, and seamless organization to protect our clients from typical inconveniences of travel.

Inspired Travel is committed to travel experiences emphasizing small groups (16-20 clients); pre-arranged, total-access tours; connoisseur-level wine tasting; gourmet dining; accommodations offering relaxed elegance; and the freedom to add activities or build personal itineraries to nearby points of interest beforehand or afterward.

“Our promise to our clients is clearly stated,” Woodward said. “No one will come away from one of our wine travel experiences without immediately asking, ‘Where are you taking us next?’ ”

To receive updates about the Walla Walla Experience as new details are available, alert us as to your interest by email: inspired@hinsdalecellars.com.

Peak Champagnes in the Rocky Mountains

Bruce Schoenfeld in Golden, Colo.

Tradition associates Champagne with St. Valentine’s Day, though it seems to me that red wine makes a better pairing. It’s red, like the color scheme of the occasion. It also compliments the stews, braised meats, and other hearty foods that most of us in the Northern Hemisphere use to combat February’s bluster and chill.

Nevertheless, I’m happy for any excuse to focus attention on Champagne, which we seem to take for granted the rest of the year, unless it’s New Year’s Eve or we’ve just won the Super Bowl.

My favorite event of the season is a Champagne party that Steve and Kathy Carpenter have held for the past seven years at their spacious home in the Rocky Mountain foothills. The premise, simple enough, surely is replicated elsewhere. The Carpenters set out a buffet on their dining room table and pull out about a dozen bottles of Champagne (and occasionally other sparkling wines) from their cellar. The 20 or so invited guests each bring along a bottle.

The result is a steady flow of great wine, accompanied by slices of rare roast beef, savory pot pies, guacamole, and other treats. It not only proves how versatile Champagne really is, but gives me a chance to sample mature cuvees to which I otherwise wouldn’t have access.

This year, my friend David Scholefield, formerly the lead wine buyer for the province of British Columbia and now a Vancouver-based consultant for various wine-based ventures, accompanied me to the event. He kept reminding me how fortunate we were to be tasting so many fascinating Champagnes in one evening. I told him that’s what life is like pretty much every night here in Colorado’s Front Range, though I don’t think he bought it.

Some of this year’s highlights, with the night’s best at the bottom:

De Sousa & Fils Zoemie La Cuvee Merveille NV – A marque I hadn’t previously known, but one I will seek out. A big, friendly Champagne with plenty of fruit, but not without some litheness and elegance.

Schramsberg J Schram 1999 – Tangy and refreshing, with more evident acidity than the Champagnes. It had an angular quality to it, and may not improve much with age, but it has to stand near the top of any list of domestic sparklers.

Taittinger Brut Blanc de Blancs Comte de Champagne 1996 – Some diesel and minerality on the nose, and dry as cotton in the mouth. Still a baby.

Bollinger Brut Grande Annee 1988 – A mature, slightly maderized flavor, nutty and full. Not getting any better from here.

Bollinger Extra Brut RD 1988 – Totally different wine than the above. Fresh and young and full of power, with an underpinning of citrus.

Bollinger Brut Grande Annee 1996 – Delicious, with notes of lemon-drop and dry toast that strengthened as it sat in the glass. Years and years of improvement ahead.

Charles Heidsieck Brut 1985 – Still crisp, but full of evolved, secondary flavors. Fully mellowed and mature. At its peak.

Louis Roederer Brut Cristal 2000 – Dry, austere, almost stingy – all no doubt a function of its youth – and typical for Cristal. Can’t see how a wine this complex ever became the ultimate “bling” beverage. For true Champagne aficionados only

Veuve Cliquot Brut La Grande Dame 1990 – Lemongrass and lemon zest, some warmth and elegance, but maybe a touch past its best.

Charles Heidsieck Brut Champagne Charlie 1985 – Gingery, quite dry, and far less evolved than the Heidsieck Brut. Firm and delicious. Will keep improving for years.

Veuve Cliquot Brut La Grande Dame 1996 – A complete wine from a complete vintage, and one of the greatest Grande Dames I’ve had. Flowers and finesse, but with plenty of intensity. Unlimited promise.

Krug Brut Grande Cuvee N.V. (from magnum) – Totally balanced, nuanced, serious, and gloriously drinkable. As always.

Louis Roederer Brut Cristal 1999 – One of the finest Cristals I’ve had, despite the mediocre vintage. Firm, floral, and as elegant and aristocratic as a gown dripping with diamonds. Tied with the ‘96 Grande Dame and the Krug as the best wine of the night.

On Location with Bruce

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