Are all the finest sparkling wines French? Definitely not. And they're not all called champagne. How do women fare in the wine business? Like to know what a famous female winemaker serves her private guests for dinner?
I imagine that, like all us women-over-50 in Chicago, you’re always looking for fun ways to invest your fabled disposable income. I can think of a few things; but one of the easiest and most fun is to treat yourself to a fabulous bottle of bubbly! Start by reading this story about a woman—a baby boomer like us—who knows more about sparkling wine than most of us will ever dream.
Having been for some years comfortably ensconced in my position of, oh, Veuve Clicquot is my favorite champagne, I was excited about expanding my horizons with a tasting of Domaine Carneros Le Reve (French for “the dream”) wines. It was a retrospective tasting, meaning we compared the delicate flavors and sparkles of successive vintages of the same wine. Here’s how it went:
She greeted her wine-tasting guests in the casually elegant, sun-drenched reception room of Charlie Trotter’s Tasting Library one beautiful early fall afternoon in Chicago. Elegant herself in richly tailored black trousers, a stylishly cropped jacket colored with the soft gleam of pewter, and a pair of high fashion but infinitely practical leather flats. Eileen Crane, CEO and Master Winemaker at Domaine Carneros Vineyards of California, was altogether a vision of refinement, mature beauty, and calm wisdom. Certainly she seemed a beautiful illustration of the infinite patience and detailed knowledge needed for the art of making fine wines, especially sparkling ones.
To ease into the occasion, we enjoyed simple flutes that were frosty halfway down from the cold of Eileen’s signature wine, Domaine Carnernos Brut 2007. A delightful start indeed. A quick tour followed of Charlie Trotter's astoundingly clean kitchen full of young chefs overseeing a bevy of heavy copper pots that were simmering and giving forth lovely smells.
Next we sat down to enjoy tasting six successive vintages of Le Reve, 1992 to 2005, complete with notes on each vintage and room to scribble our own thoughts. It was a joyful experience of subtle flavors and aromas. Then Eileen, who is also a master's degree specialist in food and nutrition, led us to another room to partake in a light lunch featuring with each course a different special wine from Domaine Carneros. The whole afternoon was perfectly orchestrated for savoring the joys of these fine sparkling wines, both alone and in combination with food.
After the event I asked Elaine a few questions, and she kindly took time out during the busy fall harvest to reply. Enjoy.
B(arbara). Women over 50 today were pioneers for women's equality in the business world. Clearly you made an early inroad in the wine business. Please share your own experiences and observations.
B. The wine business has traditionally been dominated by men. How many other females are in executive positions in the wine industry these days? Are there others who could be considered baby boomers (ca. 1946 to 1964) or do they tend to be younger?
E(ileen). I don't know how many female executives are in the industry today. It appears to me that most of the women executives are managing family owned businesses. The number of women managing non-family owned businesses is from my perspective very limited. Most of the women who manage wineries are a baby boomer age. With regard to winemaker's I would estimate that about 30% of all winemakers in California are women I know that in 1990 only 10% were women and ironically in 1890 10% of the winemakers were also women.
B. Were you the only woman at the time ever to be asked to oversee the construction of a winemaking facility when you were VP at Gloria Ferrer Champagne Caves?
E. William Heinz, the wine historian told me in 1989 that as far as he knew I was the only woman in the history of the world to have built 2 major wineries. I was VP and winemaker at Gloria from 1984 until 1987. I oversaw the construction and development of the winery, staffing and the production of the first wines at the facility.
[Having discovered her during her time at Gloria Ferrer, Claude Taittinger, guiding light for the famous French champagnes that bear his name, invited her to design and build Domaine Carneros and thus become the voice and taste in America of his world-famous wines. Now she is one of the industry’s most trusted winemakers. In fact, the Taittinger empire was recently bought by American investors, and Domaine Carneros now comes up first in a Google search for Taittinger wines.]
B. You learned your love for wine from your father. And your mother sounds like an extraordinary woman who had some unusual accomplishments---including running a vocational school and, during the war, setting up USO camps across Europe. What was she doing when she turned 50 and how much of an influence would you say she's been for you?
E. After the second world war my mother like most other women retired to be housewives. I have learned over the years that a housewife is an unpaid general manager. My mother influenced me because she always encouraged me to get an education and to follow my dreams. She was a very practical woman who had a wonderful way with people, and she influenced my life in ways too numerous to count.
B. I love what you said about how there is a huge difference between tasting wine in a sterile environment and tasting it in the surroundings people usually enjoy with it---food, friends, some perhaps wearing perfume or cologne, conversation, comfortable seating, and charming lighting. With all your culinary and nutritional training and background, please give a few specific examples of how our surroundings affect our taste perceptions.
E. Over the years I have come to appreciate clarity of flavors. If I'm going to have a special wine I usually share it with just a couple of friends and the simple food such as a perfectly ripe cheese. I find that great dining experiences are enhanced by beautiful surroundings, serene music, and good company. I find that a lot of distraction, such as a noisy restaurant, a noisy room, too many tastes, too many conversations, [take away] from the experience. I am completely into a serene ambience when I want to have a fine wine or dining experience.
B. I think you said you personally taste all of your wines as they go through the winemaking process. Besides having a more educated palate and more experience, what other advantages might there be to being older rather than younger as a winemaker?
E. Most winemakers have responsibilities well beyond tasting wines. Like managing employees, wisdom hopefully comes with age. I am a much better manager today than I was 5, 10 or 20 years ago. I also believe that experience gives you the confidence to trust your own judgment.
B. For those who aren’t experts in choosing fine sparkling wines, please share three reasons why your Domaine Carneros Le Reve stands out so beautifully among the many choices available. Organically grown—how in the world do you fight nature without pesticides?—is certainly one great reason, but please tell us a couple more.
E. Le Reve is consistently rated one of the world's finest sparkling wines. You can pay more for a sparkling wine, but you may not get one that's as good. As an experienced winemaker, [I can assure that] when you buy one of my wines you can be sure of consistent quality. If you have tasted my wines in the past and liked them, you can be confident the wines you buy today will be of the same or better quality. [Better yet,] come to our beautiful winery and taste our wines sitting on our terrace overlooking the vineyards. What better way to experience wines of a place than in their place?
B. What are your favorite foods—besides caviar, oysters and smoked salmon—to enjoy with your Le Reve sparkling wine?
E. I love goat cheese with almost all fine sparkling wines. And I'll admit it; I also love triple cream cheeses. For Le Reve I would suggest crab, lobster, and my all time favorite scallops. But it goes beautifully with most shellfish and fish.
B. What’s your favorite meal to cook for guests and which of the Chateau’s wines do you serve with each course?
E. Over the years I have learned that simple dinner parties are the best. You get to enjoy them [as much as your guests do].
§ Explorateur cheese with our Brut vintage
§ Crab salad with Le Reve
§ Lamb tagine with the Domaine Carneros estate Pinot Noir
§ Berries and whipped cream with our rosé
If you’re anything like me, you’re putting on your coat right now to go out and buy a bottle or two of Domaine Carneros Le Reve for your next special occasion—even if that’s just treating yourself in the comfort of your own “domaine.”
P.S. My Lakeview Binny's had a couple of bottles of Domaine Carneros but no Le Reve. I've asked twice about getting some in. Feel free to comment here if you find some in Chicago. And I understand Whole Foods carries Explorateur cheese.
P.P.S. If you are buying a bottle just for yourself and don’t finish it in one sitting, here’s a useful tip. Put the handle of a spoon down inside the open bottle (no corks, lids or other stoppers), and your wine will actually stay bubbly for a couple of days in the refrigerator.
1. Wikipedia, Veuve Clicquot
2. Gloria Ferrer, home page
3. Domaine Carneros, home page
4. Kobrand Wine and Spirits, fact sheet, Claude Taittinger
5. Epicurious, definition, explorateur cheese
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