VINO FROM THE KING OF THE BLUES

B. B. KING’S WINES

“Music is love, and love is music

      In perfect harmony.

So when I sing, I have sung all about

    The love of you and me.”

                        B. B. King

By Doc Lawrence

MEMPHIS--Blues legend B.B. King released a new line of signature wines bearing his name across the United States. The Rock and Roll and Blues Hall of Famer debuted the B.B. King Signature Collection here in

Memphis and also in Nashville. The good news is that the wines are headed for other markets including Atlanta, Charlotte, Orlando, New Orleans and everywhere Americans gather to celebrate life

The introduction fanfare brought to mind what Wynton Marsalis once said at Emory University when a student asked him what the blues meant. “The blues,” maestro Marsalis responded, “is a way of never giving in, no matter how tough life is.” As I took a first sip, I thought about all the times I saw B. B. King, going back to my teenage years in Atlanta when, during the heyday of racial segregation, I enjoyed King and other performing legends like Little Richard, Ray Charles and Big Joe Turner at the landmark Royal Peacock on the city’s ”Sweet Auburn” Avenue.

These experiences, then and now are transformational.

B.B. King’s wines include a red and a white. Both wines are sourced from the award winning Bodega Santa Cruz Winery, which has been producing wine for over 60 years and is located in the D.O. wine region of Almansa, Spain. The red is a Crianza blend made from Garnacha, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon, and the B.B. King white is from 100% Verdejo grapes.

For more than half a century, Riley B. King has defined the blues for a worldwide audience. Since he started recording in the 1940s, he has released over 50 albums, many of them global classics. Over the years, B.B. King has become one of the most renowned blues musicians and developed one of the world’s most identifiable guitar styles, which earned him a #3 spot on Rolling Stone’s Top Guitarists of All Time list. B.B. King was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1980 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. He has received more than 15 Grammy awards and was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award in 1987. At 87, King continues to tour and averages 250 concerts per year around the world.

Hardly slowing down, B. B. King successfully introduced these new bottles of wine that like his songs, are filled with joy.

A perfect pairing with the blues, good conversation and Southern food, both wines are easy to enjoy for everyday drinking. After a couple of glasses and some great Memphis barbecue, things seemed a little better. It’s the power of the blues and good wine, B.B. King’s gift to the world.

PRIME TIME FOR KOSHER WINES

 

KOSHER WINES ARE FOR EVERYONE

By Doc Lawrence

ATLANTA-Passover is an appropriate time to become more familiar with the delights of Kosher wines.

Kosher wine, said Mitch Schneider, who lives in Israel and is well versed in this subject, “is produced according to Jewish dietary laws, called Kashrut. All the appropriate wine making equipment, tools, and storage facilities must be used exclusively for producing Kosher wine. Beginning with harvest, only Sabbath observant Jews are allowed to work in wine production. Only certified Kosher products like yeast can be used.”

Schneider, a career wine professional, offered a few Kosher wine nuggets:  “With some Kosher wine,” he observed, “you might see Mevushal on the label. "  He explained that this literally means boiled or cooked. “Back in history, the Jewish people would boil the wine in order to make it unfit for idolatrous use. Even if an idolater touched it, the wine would still keep the status of Kosher. Today, we use the process of flash pasteurization to make the wine Mevushal. Flash pasteurization is a very, very fast process in which the wine goes through a continuous flow while subjected to temperatures of 160 °F to 165 °F.”

I asked if the terms Kosher and organic were related? “I don't believe they are,” Schneider replied, adding that “in Israel, Yarden Winery produces an organic Chardonnay from their Odem Vineyard. In America, Baron Herzog Winery is not certified organic, but many of their wines come from sustainably grown, low spray grapes.”

Obviously, with all the diversity inherent in wine for over six thousand years, there are aspects of Kosher wine that should attract everyone who loves good wine.  Mitch Schneider believes that Kosher wine should have the same appeal a non-Kosher wine brings. “A Chalk Hill Cab that is Kosher,” he said, “will taste like a Chalk Hill non-Kosher Cab. I know many people won't even try Kosher wine, but the truth is, when tasting a wine, whatever your preconceived notions you had in your head will effect the taste of the wine.”

Schneider claims that there are amazing Kosher wine available today from around the world. More than a few, he states, “are being written about and rated in top wine magazines and winning top medals in various competitions. The days of sweet concord wine are gone! Today, Kosher wine is something to be proud of like any other wine.”

Schneider said to look at Vodka. “There is a Kosher certification on Stoli. Why? Simply for the marketing aspect. No one thinks of Stoli as the Kosher Vodka. Likewise, don't think of Kosher wine as sweet concord wine.”

Here are some of the superior Kosher wines Schneider said to look for in the American marketplace: Castel Winery from Israel – “Their Grand Vin label is amazing.” Hagafen Cellars from California – “Look out for their Pinot Noir.” Borgo Reale Moscato and Bartenura Moscato.- “Two wineries, one wine - both delicious and refreshing from Italy.” Yatir Winery from Israel plus Goose Bay from New Zealand-“their Sauvignon Blanc is crisp, and very well balanced.”

What about Bordeaux? Or Burgundy? Schneider quickly responded, “we sure do have them,” referring me to two sites: KosherCuvee.com and Kosher French Wine importer.

 

Where to find Kosher wines retail? Whole Foods, Fresh Market, a first-rate wine retailer and if you’re in the Atlanta area, the Dekalb Farmers Market. I have a lifelong pal who has led me into different and usually better worlds and when we were kids, his mother would offer me Kosher dishes, saying with a big smile. “Come on: Try it just once.”

Enough said. It’s time to pour a glass of Laurent-Perrier Kosher Champagne and toast to heritage, tradition, and friendship A glass of Kosher wine brings the history of humankind onto the palate. A transcendent experience.

 

JUILLIARD IN AIKEN

 

Music Tourism In South Carolina

By Doc Lawrence

AIKEN, South Carolina –This lovely city is well known for thoroughbred horses and all sorts of stylish equestrian competition. Like much of the South, when you look around, there’s always more to keep a visitor occupied and entertained.

The 5^th annual Juilliard in Aiken Festival just concluded and what an event it was. Yes, this is the same New York City headquartered music school so identified with excellence. What may not be well-known is the school’s very prestigious Jazz program, turning out some distinguished alums like Jazz greats Wynton Marsalis, Chick Corea and Christian McBride who rank musically with other Juilliard graduates like Academy Award winning composer John Williams and classical pianist Van Cliburn. The Juilliard in Aiken Festival is firmly established as one of the most impressive, mutually beneficial relationships in the country.

The schedule featured an evening performance at the Green Boundary Club by the Juilliard Jazz Artists Diploma Ensemble, composed of Juilliard’s most advanced jazz musicians.  The selections included a song by Hoagie Carmichael and more than one arrangement inspired memories of the Dave Brubeck Quartet. Just prior to my leaving for Atlanta, the group surfaced for a repeat performance at The Willcox, one of the best luxury hotels anywhere in America, The intimate concert in the bar was what you’d expect in New Orleans or Key West.

Even with their busy performing schedules, the Juilliard artists who range from classical vocalists to violinists stay busy with daily performances in regional schools as part of the Juilliard in Aiken Outreach Program. Dr. Sandra Field, President of Juilliard in Aiken, said that “outreach is very important to Juilliard’s mission, and to ours, too. It’s a huge part of what the Juilliard artists are here for. When they’re not on stage they’re in the schools. They teach in their disciplines, but they also serve as mentors and role models.”

The exclusive Juilliard in Aiken Performing Arts Festival and Outreach Program is the only partnership of its kind maintained by Juilliard anywhere in the world. The Festival began in 2009, thanks to an extraordinary gift to Juilliard by two Pulitzer Prize-winning authors, Aiken residents Gregory White Smith and Steven Naifeh, who bequeathed the use of their mansion, Joye Cottage, to the school.  

Tourism’s trajectory is soaring high here in this wonderful part of America. Offer excellence and people will come. The truly lucky ones will stay.

Be proud, Aiken.

Gourmet Baseball 2013. Come along and watch spring baseball games in Florida, then join me for dinner:

http://mycookingmagazine.com/gourmet-highway-floridas-spring-baseball-ritual-fine-dining-near-the-ballpark/

FOOD,WINE AND COCKTAILS WITH CLASS

WILLY’S ATLANTA PALM

By Doc Lawrence

ATLANTA- My home town lost her best restaurant general manager in Willy Cellucci. From the day the Atlanta Palm opened its doors just in time for the 1996 Summer Olympics, he attracted customers to the finest bar in the region, a mixture of sports stars, movie idols, legendary musicians, local celebrities and interesting local.

Willy’s personality brought them in like a magnet.

After a long battle with cancer, the irrepressible Willy Cellucci departed this life and I count myself among those who are thankful for the good times together. I learned loads about how to treat people through his example. He was  always a gentleman.He remembered names, was even-handed and  adapted to any group of guests. Uniformly good-natured, Willy knew baseball, wines, what made a good cocktail, the best from the day’s menu, and would share a tasteful anecdote that occasionally made my columns more entertaining..

Special memories include Willy’s Tequila dinner, pairing the chef’s gourmet selections with an array of anejo, blanco and reposado Tequila, an introduction of what is now commonplace with Scotch, Bourbon, Rum and othe spirits. During  lunch with Christine Born, one of the most gifted editors I’ve ever worked for, Willy joined us and explained why the cocktails at the Palm were superior. “We give you a great cocktail,” he said. “Big chunks ice that melt slowly, always with a very generous pour. I want you to come back.”

Willy was the Palm’s unofficial Sommilier and once took me on a tour of his reserve wine cellar. His knowledge of each bottle was staggering and the stories he shared about how they found their way to a celebrity’s dinner table was the stuff of a New Orleans restaurateur.

If you’re a real Dodger fan, Willy observed, “you bleed Dodger blue.” He enthralled customers with his baseball lore, always plugging his beloved Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Atlanta Palm set the standard for excellence in Buckhead and beyond. Sure, much of this is because the restaurant is exceptional to begin with. But Willy’s  special touch, which came as natural to him as his big smile, added to the enjoyment.

GOURMET BARBECUE AT SOUTH BEACH

PAULA DEEN IS QUEEN

By Doc Lawrence

 



PAULA AND SONS (Courtesy of SOBEWFF)



MIAMI BEACH-It’s the quintessential national, star-studded, four-day destination event totally devoted to showcasing the talents of the world’s most renowned wine and spirits producers, chefs and culinary personalities.  The South Beach Wine & Food Festival has raised approximately $17 million for Florida International University while evolving into one of America’s most prestigious gourmet gatherings. With more than 50 events over 4 days showcasing 200 renowned chefs, culinary personalities and high-profile culinary star plus more than 150 wineries and spirits producers the festival has come a long way since it began as a one-day event.

There could be no better celebrity to launch this year’s food and wine extravaganza than Paula Deen who was the host and emcee of a star-studded inaugural event at a legendary South Beach landmark. It was barbecue night with the effervescent Paula at the controls leading to the award of the “King of Barbecue.”

The festival kickoff party not only featured Ms. Deen but also her two sons, Jamie and Bobby Deen. The event was Moët Hennessy's “The Q.” Over 40 of the top barbecue chefs from across the country served their chicken, ribs, brisket and pork butts with appropriate side dishes paired with cocktails. A sold out international affair, the gala took place directly on the sands of South Beach behind the legendary Delano Hotel underneath the white tents that are now ubiquitous with this culinary, wine and spirits annual spring break.

Georgia’s pride and joy, Paula Deen is known globally as the reigning queen of Southern Cuisine, a well-earned distinction developed through a succession of her cookbooks, a magazine and her Food Network show Paula’s Home Cooking along with her incredibly popular restaurant The Lady & Sons in Savannah.  Eldest son Jamie recently premiered his show Home for Dinner with Jamie Deen on Food Network while younger son Bobby stars on Cooking Channel’s newest hit show Not My Mama's Meal.

This was just the beginning. I couldn’t help recall the late Jackie Gleason’s shout out that began each of his network TV shows that originated here in Miami Beach: “And away we go!”

FLORIDA BASEBALL WITH DOC LAWRENCE

THE 2013 FLORIDA GRAPEFRUIT LEAGUE-GOURMET BASEBALL

Florida Grapefruit League Baseball in Melbourne, Jupiter, Port St. Lucie, Port Charlotte, Lakeland, Kissimmee, Sarasota, Tampa, Clearwater, Dunedin, Bradenton, Ft. Myers, Viera, Lake Buena Vista

“It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone."     Bart Giamatti

By Doc Lawrence

 LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla-It’s an annual pilgramge that became a case of careless love. Baseball is in my DNA. When the grass is cut on Florida’s playing fields and the cracking sounds from bats and laughter of children fill the air, daily living seems much better.

Florida’s Grapefruit League also known as Major League Baseball’s Florida Spring Training is already underway with the first games set this week. For those who aren’t fanatics (and I’m really in that group), traveling to different ballparks in Florida cities opens up a world of adventure: food, fishing, wines, cocktails, fine art and folk art, hiking, canoing and the opportunity to make new friends.



ATLANTA'S JASON HEYWARD



Florida’s amazing diversity of geography, people, culture and heritage leads to all kinds of pleasure. Dining can range from Florida Cracker cooking popularized by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings’ classic book, “Cross Creek Cookery,” to oyster and seafood shacks, country cooking and barbecue to some of America’s finest restaurants. Over 500 years ago Florida received the first wines from Eurpoe brought in by Spanish settlers. In the 20^th Century, Ernest Hemingway popularized rum drinks while Jimmy Buffet made the Margarita synonmous with Key West and South Florida lifestylres.

It was players like Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, Hank Aaron, Tommy Lasorda, Mickey Mantle, Ted Williams, Sandy Koufax  and Ty Cobb who helped bring fans into the Sunshine State. Today, teams and players  attract new generations of fans back into these nooks and crannies of Florida. Baseball this time of year is a powerful touriism generator.

 

Join the journey where baseball opens up endless culinary and cultural adventures. We’ll warm up the days with a fried grouper sandwich, some smoked mullett dip, and then on successive days enjoy fried catfish, raw oysters, and shrimp galore, taking time to order genuine Florida beef, pork and poultry and farm fresh vegetables. You’ll be amazed at the wines available here as well as some of the outstanding wineries. Florida even has its own wine grape, literally born here at a university with the cooperation of a major vineyard.

Everything begins at the headquaters of the Atlanta Braves here in Disney World. There are so many excellent restaurants in the Orlando/Orange County area and I’ll find a cozy French café. But only after the conclusion of the Braves spring opener against the New York Yankees. And, I have bass fishing scheduled the next morning.

We’ll do our best to visit each city that is part of the 2013 Florida Grapefruit League season, highlighting good food, drinks and fun during this 125th anniversary of Major League Baseball spring training in Florida. 

NOTE: One evening long ago, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. unexpectedly joined three men to share fine wines from France. One was an avowed enemy. Here’s the fascinating story:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPSAYldA5qM

DOC'S WINES FOR VALENTINE'S

WINE AND LOVE

“Wine comes in at the mouth and love comes in at the eye; That's all we shall know for truth, Before we grow old and die.”

                          -William Butler Yeats-

By Doc Lawrence

STONE MOUNTAIN, GA-Valentine’s Day in the South is a magnified celebration when wine is included with a romantic dinner or combined with roses and chocolates as a gift. Let’s face it: Southerners enjoy the delights of love with wine. Rhett Butler, our legendary ladies man, risked his life smuggling in scarce bottles of Champagne. A lover’s toast requires a glass of bubbly. Down here, this is a hallowed tradition.

If Champagne is a little tough on the budget, there are alternatives. Alluring and refreshing,  Sofia Rosé from Francis Ford Coppola Winery, has the proper combinations-taste, bubbles, color, beautiful bottle-all at an amazing price of $20.00. It’s easy to find at any good retail wine shop, while still retaining the charm of being off the beaten path. Highly recommended.

The red wine for Valentine’s is the one with the perfect name: Saint-Amour. This Cru Beaujolais from Burgundy is truly delicious, food-friendly and also reasonably priced. Locating it might be a daunting task. However, any wine merchant should have it under many labels. Obviously, it is a hot item each February 14.

The late Jim Sanders first tasted Saint-Amour after WW II in France and developed his own cuvee under his J Sanders label and it is still sold at Sherlock’s wine stores in the Atlanta region. Owner Doug Bryant tells me he sells almost every bottle for Valentine’s Day.

Whether Saint-Amour, a sparkling wine or regal Champagne, the glory of the grape belongs in the celebration of love.

Why wait for Valentine’s Day? A well-chosen wine with romance in mind opens the stairway to heaven.