Beverage Dynamics is the largest national business magazine devoted exclusively to the needs of off-premise beverage alcohol retailers, from single liquor stores to big box chains, through coverage of the latest trends in wine, beer and spirits.
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/675795
6 Beverage Dynamics • May/June 2016 www.beveragedynamics.com ON THE Web INTERVIEW: MILJENKO "MIKE" GRGICH, THE KING OF CHARDONNAY In a story grabbed from our sister publication, Cheers Magazine, editor Melissa Dowling interviewed Miljenko "Mike" Grgich, who fi rst gained international recognition at the celebrated 1976 Paris Tasting, a.k.a the Judgment of Paris. At this now-historic blind tasting, a panel of French judges chose the 1973 Chateau Montelena California Chardon- nay, crafted by Grgich, as the best white wine in the world. MD: How will you mark the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the 1976 Judgment of Paris tasting? MG: We have a lot of Judgment of Paris wine panels and dinners planned for 2016. For instance, Violet Grgich will participate in a dinner and panel discussion of the "Paris Tasting Legacy" as part of the American History after Hours at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. in May. The winery will also host Judgment of Paris dinners around the country with restaurant partners. MD: What advice would you give to a wine- maker starting out today? MG: When I started more than 50 years ago, winemakers were happy to make good wine. Today, the winemakers are more highly edu- cated and more enthusiastic than ever. There is a real focus on quality. Now, everyone is shooting for crafting exceptional quality wines. BD For the full story, visit: www.beveragedynamics.com/ontheweb For the full story, visit: www.beveragedynamics.com/ontheweb For the full story, visit: www.beveragedynamics.com/ontheweb Miljenko "Mike" Grgich, who helped put American wine on the global map. 6 KEY SELLING POINTS FOR PORTUGUESE WINE Associate editor Kyle Swartz wrote about six key selling points for Portuguese Wine, which he learned about last month at the 2016 install- ment of the annual 50 Great Portuguese Wines event. Here's an example: VALUE IS THE KEY DIFFERENTIATOR In curating wines for the 2016 event, organizers whittled down 50 bottles from an original list of 400. Of the fi nal 50, 32 were priced $30 or below, while 21 were $20 or below. They were com- plex and subtle, far from the fl avor bombs that can make up this lower price tier. Although there was a fair share of noteworthy wines priced $60 or above — the vintage Ports in par- ticular — the affordable bottles more than held their own. Portuguese Wines have an excellent price point. MASTER DISTILLER GERMAN GONZALEZ TALKS AGING TEQUILA IN SCOTCH BARRELS Beverage Dynamics spoke with Master Distiller German Gonzalez about the technique of scotch-aging tequila, like with his new t1 Tequila Uno Sensa- cional. Here's a little taste: BD: What does tequila gain from aging in Scotch barrels? GG: In my personal opinion, the main purpose is to acquire dryness from the used barrels. BD: How does the fl avors of ex- Scotch barrels match with the tequila fl avors? GG: The interesting thing is that the fl avors don't match but they combine and comple- ment each other very well. Master Distiller German Gonzalez.