Wine Design

Dish the Dirt at Your Next Wine Tasting Party

In Food & Wine Magazine's June issue there is a wonderful blurb about a new installation at San Francisco's Intersection for the Arts called "Taste of Place" (artist: Laura Parker) where people are invited to smell soils, then sample vegetables grown in that earth. While taking a look at this beautifully designed exhibit I thought of a great idea for a wine tasting party.

For those that can access the soils grown at your favorite wineries and vineyards why not take those, display them beautifully for your guests (perhaps even show photographs from those vineyards), have your guests take a good sniff, and then immediately sample the wines grown from that soil? It would be an interesting, educational party and a wonderful conversation piece throughout the evening.

 
Photo: Food and Wine Mag, June 2010

Wine-centric World Cup Destination: One & Only Resort- Cape Town, S. Africa

In honor of the FIFA World Cup kicking off today I thought it would be fun to profile the One & Only Resort- Cape Town. 

The luxe resort One & Only Cape Town is an urban chic waterfront resort located in the heart of the picturesque Victoria & Alfred Waterfront and features captivating views of Table Mountain. A destination unto itself, One & Only Cape Town features the city’s most comprehensive spa and the continent's only restaurants by legendary chefs Nobuyuki 'Nobu' Matsuhisa and houses Brisitsh chef Gordon Ramsay's restaurant Maze, with more than 5,000 bottles of wine on the list.

 
"Destined to become an epicurean haven for those seeking unrivalled culinary experiences, One&Only Cape Town is home to two Michelin-starred chefs both opening their first venues in Africa. An impressive glass and steel tri-level Wine Loft with a mezzanine tasting room offers an enriching opportunity to savour the region’s renowned and undiscovered wines, while the dynamic lobby lounge and bar, Vista, connects the two restaurants with captivating views of Table Mountain.

 

The culinary experience at One&Only Cape Town is one of purity, creativity and joyful discovery, with Nobu and maze, by Gordon Ramsay, showcasing the bounty of South Africa’s seafood, game and organic produce with a dash of indigenous spices. The sophisticated style of the Wine Loft and the high-energy vibe of Vista Bar offer resort guests and Capetonians exciting new options for evenings out.

WINE LOFT 

 

Oenophiles will delight in the impressive Wine Loft at One&Only Cape Town. Over 5,000 bottles, from prestigious older vintages of Cape classics to newer wineries in emerging terroirs, are showcased in a magnificent glass library, taking visitors on a tantalising journey through the Cape Winelands and other important wine regions throughout the world.

 

A magnificent three-storey glass and steel structure, the Wine Loft at One&Only Cape Town offers one of the most balanced and diverse wine collections on the continent with 5,000 bottles and up to 700 references. The mezzanine tasting room provides an exceptional introduction to the region’s vineyards with 80 wines available by the glass, including rare South African wines such as Warwick Trilogy, Meerlust Rubicon and Kanonkop Paul Sauer.

The spectacular venue also hosts special wine tasting sessions and exclusive dinners, presided by one of the Sommeliers at the Chef’s Table. Diners can choose between one of Gordon Ramsay’s six, eight or 10-course maze tasting menus, or a bespoke menu complemented by wines for each course.

 

Capetonians are invited to attend special monthly events hosted by local wineries presenting their wines and discussing the particularities and challenges of each harvest and its vintages."

 

http://capetown.oneandonlyresorts.com/dining/wine/wineloft.aspx

 

Photos and certain excerpts: http://capetown.oneandonlyresorts.com/

Avec Wine Bar- Chicago, IL

 
If you are familiar with Chicago then are certainly familiar with "The West Loop". A lively, vibrant, and energetic place; The perfect setting for one of Chicago's premier wine bars- Avec. 

Avec is first and foremost a wine bar. However, it only takes a few minutes to learn that this Chicago-based wine bar is so much more. Set in a long, narrow honey-colored room wrapped in cedar and hickory, this room is designed with five communal tables and red oak seating. I always love taking elements from the wine culture and infusing them into design. The communal tables are always a great choice when capturing elements of the wine culture. I love the soothing, almost spa-like, nature of this space as well. The subtle use of color (check out the back wall made of wine bottles!) captures the sleek, minimalist, Scandinavian qualities as well. Conversation is a wonderful quality to capture in a wine bar and Avec's atmosphere is loud and boisterous, filled with lively conversation and music to match.

Within this James Beard Award Winning designed room, rustic cuisine, charcuterie, and cheese from the Mediterranean regions of Southern France, Portugal, Italy, and Spain are served as small and large plates. I just love the name too- Avec (French meaning "with"). How fitting for such a place that serves wonderful food all to be paired with an abundant wine list of over 130 affordable bottles from the region and 30-plus wines available by the glass to encourage tastings and experimentation. The long lines around Avec speak to their success. There is a no reservation policy, but if you’re not in the mood to wait for hours, check out their equally intriguing, more formal – and expensive – sister-restaurant, Blackbird, just next door.

 
Photos: http://travel.spotcoolstuff.com/chicago/avec-wine-bar-restaurant