February 9, 2009
Chris G and the Super Bowl Wine Showdown
Friday, January 30, marked the third and last installment, the “Super Bowl” of the wine challenge “taste-offs” between my client Chris Gaither, “The Wine Guy”, and his friendly rival, John Hall, owner of Hall’s of Fine Wine, in Inman Park.
Gaither (left) and Hall (right) give explanations about their wine selections.
Previously, there have been two taste-offs, one in October and November 2008. It has been billed as “Old School vs. New School” of wine consultants. So far, to my knowledge, there have not been any events like this in Atlanta, where two wine consultants present their wine selections to tasters in individual rounds.
The tasters sample the wines with food pairings and vote who had the better recommendation. Obviously, the one who wins the majority of rounds wins the taste-off. Gaither beat Hall on his own turf in October and the November duel ended in a draw.
Red wines featured by Gaither were:
- Calcu, Chile
- Zantho, Burgenland, Austria
- Fleuron que Vignes, Gigondas, France
- CARM, Douro, Portugal
- Saint Benoit, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, France
Red wines featured by Hall:
- Don Ramon, Rioja, Spain
- Saumur, Saumur, France
- Martin Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Dry Creek Valley, CA
- Martin Bru, Prioriat, Spain
- Hoopes Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, CA
The taste-off, once again, ended in a tie.
Not only were tasters introduced to some fantastic wines, they were also treated to some deletable bites created by Alonso Beckford, sous chef at TWO Urban Licks in Atlanta.
Beckford featured:
- Smoked trout cucumber salad
- Vegetable ragu roll with parmesan cheese and fresh herbs
- Stuffed capricola roll with sun-dried cherries and sage
- Marinated flank steak with arugula salad
Gaither is available for private/corporate events and wine menu consulting. He is also fluent in Spanish.
