02
Nov
2010
- Details
-
Category: On the Road with the Grape Guy
Sam Neill, the actor from such movies as Hunt for Red October, The Piano and the Jurassic Park franchise (he was the one who was not Jeff Goldblum or Laura Dern. Need more help? He is the taller one with an accent); and who can forget his role in The Tudors (Season 1) as Cardinal Thomas Wolsey … cool.
Anyway, Sam Neill was in town shooting a movie called “The Vow” (a romantic drama set for release next summer starring Rachael McAdams and Jessica Lange) … after only an hour and a half’s worth of sleep Sam kindly joined a small gaggle of wine media to discuss and pour his wines … then it was off to L.A. and the on to Australia. “I’ll sleep around Christmas,” he answered with a smile to my, “I hope you get to take a nap along the way” comment.
Wait a second … did I just say Sam Neill has a winery? Yup, and has since 1997. It’s located in the Central Otage region of New Zealand – the place he calls home – and I have to say he makes some pretty excellent wines for a “celebrity” winery. But Sam’s not your typical ‘celebrity’ winery.
First the name of the winery is Two Paddocks ... (to find out more about Two Paddocks, see pictures of Sam and his wine, and read the reviews, click here )
To read about more interesting adventures thru the world of wine check out the On the Road With the Grape Guy blog.
02
Nov
2010
- Details
-
Category: On the Road with the Grape Guy
Another dinner at Bb33 in the Delta Chelsea hotel in downtown Toronto – and another hosted by the International Wine and Food Society – I was under the impression they rarely came back to the same place, let alone twice in 6 months, but according to Martha Russel, President, “this was too good an opportunity for us to pass up.”
The reason: Elisabetta Gnudi Angelini was in town to promote her 3 wineries: Borgo Scopeto, Doga Delle Clavale and the most famous of the three Caparzo. Her bio tells about a “successful career as a movie producer”, but a quick check through the internet, including IMDB (internet Movie Database), and nothing appears – seems her wine production is more famous than her movie production (though the movie “Letter To Julia” was filmed on her property) and I was also able to uncover another famous winery under her control: Altesino.
Elisabetta’s wineries specialize in wines made from Sangiovese, the grand grape of Tuscany: “Sangiovese gives good results only in Tuscany,” she says, “and it makes a very masculine wine.”
Tonight a 5-course dinner was paired with Elisabetta’s wines and, as usual, the meal was brought to you by the letter “G”, namely Chef Gino Guercio, who continues to impress. Pictures of the meal can be found below, as for the wines, 6 were poured – here are my top three (in reverse order) …
The Wines …(see the best wines of the evening and pictures of the fabulous dinner)
To read about more interesting adventures thru the world of wine check out the On the Road With the Grape Guy blog.
