Napa Valley Film Festival - 3rd Annual

Napa, California, (September 18, 2013) – Napa Valley Film Festival (NVFF) Co-Founders and Directors Brenda and Marc Lhormer are proud to announce several of the festival's star-studded headlining films, as well as the first set of honorees to be feted at the Celebrity Tribute Program, hosted by Access Hollywood's Billy Bush.

NVFF returns in full force with a five-day Festival

spanning Napa Valley's four postcard-perfect towns

of Napa, Yountville, St. Helena and Calistoga,

November 13 – 17.

Two-time Academy Award®–winner Emma Thompson and fellow double Oscar®-winner Tom Hanks will "wow" audiences with a Gala Presentation, on Thursday, November 14, of Saving Mr. Banks, directed by John Lee Hancock and inspired by the extraordinary, untold backstory of the long road Disney's classic Mary Poppins took to make it to the big screen.  The terrific supporting cast includes Colin Farrell, Jason Schwartzman, Bradley Whitford, B.J. Novak, Rachel Griffith, Kathy Baker and Paul Giamatti.  Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios.
More Films and Festivities HERE

The ultimate celebration of film, food and wine, NVFF, November 13-17, lights up the picturesque towns of Napa, Yountville, St. Helena and Calistoga at the most colorful time of year. NVFF features over 100 new independent films and studio sneak previews screening in 12 beautiful venues throughout the 4 walkable villages, as 300 visiting filmmakers interact with audiences at screenings and intimate events. Attendees enjoy film panels & culinary demonstrations, wine tasting pavilions, the spectacular Festival Gala, Celebrity Tributes, Awards Ceremony, and an array of parties, VIP receptions and winemaker dinners and more.  For information or to buy passes, visit NapaValleyFilmFest.org
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Julia, Jamie, Gordon - The Rise of The Celebrity Chef

Documentary about the rise of the Celebrity Chef. With Jamie's fortune estimated at over £40 (million!) these cooks know how to whip it up in the kitchen. On and off screen.

Doc is by BBC - so it's all UK-centric. Would love to see this done covering other countries.

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Yannick Alléno is Terroir Parisien

by Paige Donner

[Originally published on BonjourParis]

Yannick Alléno, Three Michelin Star chef, is a member of the elite circle of the world's greatest chefs.  His work on Cuisine Moderne is about to break the rules of French cuisine and to take a stand for liberty and culinary creativity.

Born in Puteaux (near Paris) into a family of chefs, Alléno immediately took to the kitchen. After training at some of the top restaurants, by 2003, he became head chef at Hôtel Meurice. By 2007, only four years later, he was awarded his third Michelin star.

What are you most proud of (in terms of your own achievements)? 
I started my career at 15 years old so I have many memories and many wonderful moments. But if I had to select one it would be the day I was elected "Chef of the year" by my peers in 2008.

What's your secret talent? 
My secret talent, I have no idea! but I can tell you that I am doing what I like every day and if I had to change something, I would not change a thing. The secret would maybe be: Hard work and creativity.

If you could share a coffee or bottle of wine with a fellow Parisian from past or present, who would it be? 
It would be a Nespresso coffee, the Grand Cru Nespresso Indriya, with a spicy taste coming directly from India. Or of course a bottle of Château Yquem for a perfect meal with friends! And the two people I would most want to share my time with are my two sons.

Is there a local person you admire?
I admire many people and many chefs. But if I have to quote someone it would be Paul Bocuse, who still has a very contemporary vision of French gastronomy.

What's your favorite thing about Paris? 
The diversity of its restaurants. There is always a new place to discover.

What's the one thing that every Parisian should own? 
Humor.

Read MORE on Bonjour Paris "Yannick Alléno Person of The Moment"

 

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Paris Food And Wine by Paige Donner on Girl's Guide

07/09/2013 Show Description: Local Food and Wine  

**Interview by Doni Belau, founder Girl's Guide to Paris**

07/09/2013 Show Topic:  Today we will be talking about every Parisians favorite topic, food and wine. Paige Donner will be joining us today, founder of Local Food and Wine. She is a certified Champagne specialist, and has also written for numerous publications, including The International Herald Tribune, NY Times, Fodor's Guidebooks, Blackbook Magazine and Bonjour Paris.

Download: Girls Guide to Paris Radio Show Archive July 9, 2013

Paige Donner

Read MORE on Paris Food And Wine

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Interesting Wine Stats - Pour de France

As France celebrates Bastille Day today - 14 Juillet - we thought it amusing to post these interesting Wine Stats. 

Vive la France! 

When you're ready to book your next Wine Vacation and/or Buying Trip to Burgundy, Bordeaux, Champagne, Languedoc, Loire or Provence - Contact Us

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Burgundy Wines In Mandarin

courtesy of BIVB

BOURGOGNE WINES IN MANDARIN

The Book "Les Vins de Bourgogne" by Sylvain Pitiot and Jean-Charles Servant has just been published in Mandarin.

Over 400 pages, it includes 65 maps of regions and appellations as well as 30 illustrations and all the information you need to know about the Bourgogne region and its wines.

This reference work, first published in 1952 and at that time, authored by Pierre Poupon, is now in its 14th edition.

It is available in French, English, Japanese, Korean, German and Mandarin.

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Brunello di Montalcino - Mocali - 2007

Like any good California girl, I love me some Sangiovese.  So when I was able to get my hands recently on a bottle of the stuff from the Old World, my lips were smacking and my fingers trembling as we uncorked the bottle. 

Garnet Hued * Vanilla * Spice * Red Berries

Hint of Earthiness 

Balanced power between Tannins and Acidity

 

Wine Spectator's Notes On Brunello di Montalcino Vintages

• 2008   91   A cool growing season with rain at harvest; those who waited produced aromatic, balances and elegant wines.   Drink or Hold.
• 2007  93   Hotter and riper than 2006; fruit-forward, rich and elegant, offering immediate charm and softer textures.  Drink or Hold.
• 2006  95   Complex powerful wines that impress with ripe yet fresh fruit, firm, dense structures and fine balance.  Hold. 

Excerpt from Wine Spectator June 30, 2013

 

Sangiovese is virtually synonymous with Tuscany and is the most widely planted grape variety in Italy. Brunello, a synonym for Sangiovese Grosso, or "fat Sangiovese," gets its name from the big ripe grapes that are produced from these vines in the prestige appellation (Brunello di Montalcino DOCG) of Montalcino, a classic hilltop village surrounded by slopes just 30km. south of Siena in Tuscany, Italy. 

Mocali is owned by the Ciacci family and overseen by enologist  Tiziano Ciacci.  Their soils are mostly Galestro and Alberese that enrich the ground with mineral salts. Their Brunello di Montalcino wine - in fact all Brunello di Montalicino wines - are made exclusively with Sangiovese Grosso grapes.

This DOCG shares the top spot only with Vino Nobile de Montepulciano. Though winemaking in the region is recorded from as far back as the 14th century, the wines we associate today with this very first Italian DOCG emerged in the 1870s. It's largely credited to the efforts of the esteemed winemaking family of Biondi-Santi, namely Ferruccio,who decided to implement a revolutionary technique (for his day) of making his Montalcino wines - vinify his Sangiovese grapes separately from the other varieties. (At the time in Tuscany all grapes were fermented together - even the reds with the whites.) As he implemented this and a few other techniques, the resulting wines gained a reputation of being livelier and fruitier than other wines.

In July 1980 the appellation was formalized as Italy's first DOCG alongside Piedmont's Barolo. It is mostly small farmers and family estates who produce this exquisite red wine today and number approximately 200, up from just 11 producers in the 60's.  One of the DOCG requirements is that vineyards are not planted above 600m sea level. Brunello must be aged at least 4 years and for the riserva distinction, a minimum of 5 years aging is required. More INFO at Tuscany Taste.

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Chateau Mouton Rothschild - The New Museum and Cellars

Château Mouton Rothschild, June 16, 2013

Pauillac, Bordeaux

by Paige Donner

FULL SlideShow HERE

All photos by Anonymous Pirate Photographer c. Paige Donner 2013

L'Art et L'Etiquette

This is the title of the current exhibit at the new Château Mouton Rothschild Museum and Cellars in Pauillac. On display are the famous wine labels dating back to the very first one created in 1924. Below here is an excerpt from the official Château book explaining the new museum and cellars, translated from the French (to the best of my ability):

The call to great artists to illustrate each year the Mouton wine labels was a genius idea; but one that required time to be understood and accepted.

After an initial try, perhaps a bit too early with the label designer Jean Carlu in 1924, at the very first occasion of "bottled at the chateau," Baron Philippe waited until 1945 to definitively establish this practice of adding this artistic flair to his Mouton wine labels which would eventually constitute the visual signature of Mouton - and each one of its vintages.

From that moment until today a passionate collection is enriched each year by a new piece of artwork, which reunites, through the wine's labels, the most famous and celebrated contemporary artists of their day, and the most diverse: from Miró to Chagall, from Braque to Picasso, from Tapies to Francis Bacon, from Dali to Balthus, and even Prince Charles of England!

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Lanson Gold Coin Hidden Treasure Found - Interview by Paige Donner

Lanson Found Gold Coin Treasure Champagne - Interview

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Cite des Civilisations du Vin, Bordeaux

by Paige Donner

"The building does not resemble any known shape because it's an evocation. Not of wine itself, but of the soul of wine," explain architects Anouk Legendre and Nicolas Desmazieres from French firm X-TU.

When fully unveiled in 2016, the eco-building that will be the Cité des Civilisations du Vin nestled on the shores of the Garonne will offer a total surface area of 14,000 m2 including 750 m2 for temporary exhibits and 3500 m2 of permanent exhibit space.

The laying of the first stone was celebrated on June 19, 2013 during Vinexpo Bordeaux. Slideshow Below.

INFO:  citedescivilisationsduvin.com

 SlideShow HERE

Inauguration June 19, 2013 Cite des Civilisations du Vin in Bordeaux

Mayor of Bordeaux Alain Juppe and Anouk Legendre, architect of Cite des Civilisations du Vin



All photos c. Paige Donner

FULL Gallery Pictures HERE

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