Secret of Caesar salad: John Robert Sutton Reveals on “Foods That Matter” Podcast
The Caesar salad was NOT invented in Italy!
The iconic dish, celebrating its 100th birthday this year, has roots in Tijuana, Mexico.
To celebrate, podcast host of CurtCo Media’s Foods That Matter and seasoned food archaeologist John Robert Sutton joined Juan José “Tana” Plascencia, the owner of Caesar’s Restaurant – home of the first Caesar salad – in person.
To eat some original recipe salad and chat about how, why, where, and by whom the dish came to be one of the most popular menu items in the US.
John and Tana’s intriguing conversation, starting with the recipe’s origins and ending with its worldwide prominence, is available on Foods That Matter on all major podcast platforms. You get a firsthand look at the backstory of Caesar salad, delving into all the rich flavors and history that made it such an important influence in the dining world.
Near or visiting Tijuana?
Join Tana at the centennial celebration at Caesar’s Restaurant on July 7, 2024. Plus, if you tell Tana that you listened to this episode of Foods That Matter – Celebrating 100 Years of Caesar Salad with the Origin Story that Starts in Tijuana, Mexico – he will give you the authentic recipe to take home!
About Foods That Matter:
Come along for a culinary thrill as Foods That Matter transports foodies to corners of the world through stories of adventure with food archeologist John Robert Sutton, also known as ‘The Indiana Jones of Food.’
John unlocks the secrets to the globe’s extraordinary cuisines, as he’s been doing throughout his travels in over 120 countries while enriching top grocery stores and Michelin-starred chefs with the finest ingredients and powering them with quality products.
The presenting sponsor of Foods That Matter is Watkins, award-winning extracts, spices & herbs, seasoning blends, grilling rubs & marinades, artificial dye-free baking decorations, and more crafted in the USA since 1868. The show is available on podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, YouTube and Goodpods.
About CurtCo Media:
CurtCo Media – with its talented producers and creative team – provides listeners with quality podcasts, featuring authoritative hosts, distinguished guests, and inspiring storytellers. The company presents many nationally-recognized series, covering topics such as scripted sci-fi (SOLAR), luxury (Cars That Matter, Travel That Matters, Wines That Matter) and others.
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Thanksgiving in Los Angeles: the perfect stuffing bread DOES exist – and it’s… [Recipe Inside]
This Thanksgiving, the perfect stuffing bread DOES exist – and it’s brioche. As in St Pierre Brioche Thanksgiving Stuffing
No Thanksgiving spread is complete without a hearty stuffing. While add-ins are a matter of preference, choosing the right bread is crucial. One underrated choice is eggy, rich brioche – and with St Pierre Bakery, you don’t need to go to France to get it.
Thanks to its butter and egg content, St Pierre’s Brioche Loaf provides the perfect balance of crisp toastiness while remaining soft and creamy inside, while its lightly sweet flavor adds a decadent quality that can still lean savory. Attached below is an approachable recipe for stuffing allowing for all the craveable crunch for the whole family with minimal effort required.
St Pierre Brioche Thanksgiving Stuffing
By @BrandiMilloy
Ingredients
1 loaf St. Pierre Brioche Bread
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 medium onion, diced
3/4 cup celery, diced
3/4 cup carrots, diced
1 cup mushrooms, diced
2 large eggs
1 tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
3 sprigs fresh thyme, just the leaves
1 tbsp. fresh sage, chopped
1 small apple (granny smith works well), peeled and diced
Salt and pepper
Directions
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Preheat oven to 350 F. Cut brioche bread into 1” cubes and bake for about 10-15 minutes until toasted.
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Meanwhile, into a pot over medium high heat add butter until melted. Add onion, celery and carrots and cook until everything starts to soften, about 7 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat and set aside.
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Into a bowl whisk together the eggs, herbs, apples, mushrooms, and salt and pepper. Add your cooked vegetables and mix to combine.
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Pour mixture on top of toasted bread and stir to combine. Bake stuffing for about 45 minutes. If your stuffing starts to get too brown, cover until finished baking. Enjoy!
As America’s favorite brioche brand, St Pierre’s products are widely available via grocery stores nationwide as well as Walmart.
Holidays in Los Angeles: Dining in Beverly Hills: Mastro’s, FYC Bar + Kitchen AND Holiday Tamales from Tito’s
The Holidays in Los Angeles have never been more festive (or delicious) with holiday Dining at Mastro’s Beverly Hills, FYC Bar + Kitchen AND Holiday Tamales from Tito’s
The Holidays in Los Angeles at Hotel Amarano in Burbank
On Christmas Day from 3-10 p.m., FYC Bar + Kitchen at the luxury boutique Hotel Amarano in Burbank will be serving a special 3-course menu for just $70 per person (not including wine or cocktails).
The menu will include Butternut Squash Soup OR Radicchio Cup Mushroom Salad with avocado, chives & balsamic vinaigrette;
Apple Wood Bacon-Wrapped Filet Mignon with jumbo prawns, mashed potatoes, baby carrots & Brussels sprouts OR Pistachio-Crusted Roasted Sea Bass with citrus sauce, mashed potatoes, baby carrots & Brussels sprouts – and desserts such as Chocolate Lava Cake, New York Cheesecake, Apple Tarte Tatin or Crème Brûlée – along with coffee or tea.
The Holidays in Los Angeles at Mastro’s Beverly Hills
For classic Beverly Hills luxury, Mastro’s Beverly Hills will be open Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, serving their fresh oysters, caviar, decadent seafood towers, steaks and sides galore, along with luscious desserts and handcrafted cocktails – even a succulent Rabbi’s Daughter Kosher Bone-In Ribeye 16oz Steak for anyone celebrating Hanukkah (or who just likes great steaks).
For the month of December, Mastro’s is offering a special holiday cocktail – Under The Mistletoe.
For those who want their holiday meal from the comfort of their own home, Mastro’s Beverly Hills will have their famously decadent side dishes to go this year!
The following sides will serve up to 4 people, and cost $62 each:
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Green Beans with Sliced Almonds
Creamed Corn
Creamed Spinach
For a sweet limited time finish, Mastro’s will have a gorgeous Pecan Pie as well as a special Cinnamon + Pecan Butter Cake – a twist on their famed Butter Cake – both available now through December 30.
To order Mastro’s Sides, guests just need to call the restaurant to order from December 1-22 they can pick them up on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.
Mastro’s will be open Christmas Eve from 3:00 PM – 10:00 PM, Christmas Day from 2:00 PM to 9:00 PM, New Year’s Eve from 5:00 PM to Midnight and New Year’s Day from 5:00 to 9:00 PM.
You can find their full menu here & as you likely know, the ambiance at Mastro’s every evening is like a party, with live music and white glove service.
They also have 2 private dining rooms for large parties of 40-50.
The Holidays in Los Angeles at Tito’s Tacos
Lastly – we love the tradition of Christmas Eve tamales, but they take hours to make.
The beloved, family-owned since 1959 Tito’s Tacos offers both a succulent Chicken Tamale – cilantro grilled chicken and Anaheim green chiles wrapped in homemade corn masa & steamed in a corn husk OR a Veggie Tamale, fresh veggies and pinto beans, wrapped in homemade corn masa and steamed in a corn husk.
You can buy them individually or by the dozen and the best part is that you can get them delivered straight to your door.
For more info, go to www.TitosTacos.com
Orders can be placed online for delivery or pickup on or before December 23.
About Mastro’s Steakhouse Beverly Hills
Mastro’s Steakhouse in Beverly Hills is a premier dining destination combining world class service with an elegant yet energetic ambiance, making it a popular choice for celebrities, locals and visitors.
Located at 246 North Canon Drive, Mastro’s features live music nightly, with signature menu highlights such as bone-in filet mignon, USDA Prime, Japanese A5 Wagyu, and True A5 Kobe steaks; lavish seafood towers featuring fresh oysters, shrimp, crab and lobster served in a swirl of dry ice mist, decadent lobster mashed potatoes, and Mastro’s famed Butter Cake, to name a few.
Open for dinner from 5:00 p.m.-10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and until 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
For more info, visit www.mastrosrestaurants.com
Palm Springs: Executive Chef Michael Hung Unveils flagship restaurant, Navigator, New Elevated Dining Voyage in Heart of the Desert
Palm Springs: Executive Chef Michael Hung Unveils flagship restaurant, Navigator, New Elevated Dining Voyage in Heart of the Desert Play Ground
Executive Chef Michael Hung Unveils flagship restaurant, Navigator, New Elevated Dining Voyage in Heart of Palm Springs
The Palm Springs Surf Club announces the opening of their flagship restaurant, Navigator, on Friday, November 15th, 2024!
This innovative new dining destination bridges the worlds of desert living, hospitality, and surfing.
Guests will experience dramatic views of the San Jacinto Mountains, explore the expansive 13-acre property complete with resort amenities, and marvel at the sights and sounds of surfing in the state-of-the-art wave pool.
Leading the Navigator team is acclaimed Executive Chef Michael Hung. As the Executive Chef of Navigator and Director of Food & Beverage for the Palm Springs Surf Club, Chef Hung brings his culinary artistry to this highly anticipated opening.
Chef Hung’s impressive career spans from renowned New York kitchens Daniel and Aquavit, through San Francisco’s celebrated establishments, including the James Beard Award-winning team at Jardiniere, led by the renowned Chef Traci Des Jardins and Michelin-starred La Folie with Chef Roland Passot.
His culinary path has included Faith & Flower in Los Angeles which earned accolades from Esquire, Los Angeles Magazine, and Travel + Leisure.
Hung’s talent continued to shine with Viviane at the Avalon Hotel, praised by Los Angeles Times esteemed food critic Jonathan Gold and renowned San Francisco Chronicle food critic, Michael Bauer.
Chef Hung brought his expertise to the luxury hotel and hospitality scene in Palm Springs as the Executive Chef for Steve Hermann Hotels, where he revamped menus at The Colony Club at The Colony Palms and SO.PA at L’Horizon Resort and Hermann Bungalows, earning a Michelin Guide listing for The Colony Club.
Now, at the Palm Springs Surf Club, he applies his expertise to both Navigator and the larger resort’s food and beverage offerings, promising an elevated dining experience rooted in a global culinary perspective.
Navigator’s Menu will highlight modern American cuisine infused with influences from renowned surf locales, including flavors inspired by Portugal, Morocco, Mexico, Indonesia, and Hawaii. Each dish is crafted with the finest local ingredients, blending global flavors with a California sensibility.
Signature offerings include Olive & Herb Dinner Rolls with Tomato Jam, Crispy Wagyu Beef Cigars, Hawaiian-style Garlic Shrimp, and large-format dishes such as a Pan Roasted Whole Rainbow Trout or the 20-oz Ribeye with Bone Marrow Gremolata. Chef Hung’s thoughtfully curated Vegan options,Sides, and inventive Desserts like the Crème Catalan Parfait and Valrhona Dark Chocolate Mousse promise an array of flavors for every palate.
The Wine List, curated by Beverage Director Anthony Dougherty emphasizes California’s finest labels, while Dougherty’s Bar Menufeatures a refreshing selection of Handcrafted Cocktails and a robust Tap Beer program highlighting local producers.
Service will be led by renowned restaurateur, Cameron Hirigoyen, who for 30 years owned and operated San Francisco’s classic Basque restaurant, Piperade. Cameron brings her graceful poise and deep knowledge to Navigator’s dining room.
Navigator’s design pays homage to the oceanic heritage of South Pacific navigators—surfers who traversed seas by the stars, currents, and wildlife. The restaurant’s décor reflects this maritime inspiration, with custom teakwood furniture, woven textile ceiling treatments, and a hand-carved outrigger canoe serving as a focal point for the dining room. The ambiance combines nautical aesthetics with a luxurious, natural warmth, creating an upscale, intimate setting for guests to relax and dine in style.
“We are thrilled to welcome Michael Hung to the Palm Springs Surf Club family,”
Colin O’Byrne
managing partner
“His creativity and expertise are an ideal match for Navigator and our overall vision at the Palm Springs Surf Club, which is to offer guests an elevated dining experience and amenities alongside the world’s premier surf pool.”
Navigator at the Palm Springs Surf Club officially opens for Dinner on Friday, November 15th, 2024, and will be open every Monday through Sunday from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm.
Lunch is served Monday to Friday from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. Navigator serves Weekend Brunchevery Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.
The Happy Hour menu is available from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm Monday to Friday and from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm on Saturday and Sunday. For more information or reservations at Navigator, please visit www.NavigatorPS.com or call Navigator directly at 760.205.3634.
Navigator
Palm Springs Surf Club
1500 S. Gene Autry Trail
Palm Springs, CA 92264
T: 760.205.3634
About Palm Springs Surf Club: The Palm Springs Surf Club is an unparalleled destination, blending state-of-the-art wave technology with luxurious resort-style amenities. Guests can enjoy various attractions, from a winding lazy river to private cabanas by the wave pool, creating a perfect oasis in the heart of Palm Springs. With three bars, two restaurants, and dynamic event spaces, the Palm Springs Surf Club offers distinctive culinary and beverage programs, designed to cater to every taste and every occasion.
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Zayn Malik joins Mixoloshe as Chief Creative Officer and Co-Owner
Zayn Malik joins Mixoloshe as Chief Creative Officer and Co-Owner
The global superstar launches a custom Lychee Martini flavor, with a unique can design inspired by his own tattoos.
The fast-rising, award winning non alcoholic beverage brand, made with clean ingredients and nothing artificial will make its retail debut at Walmart, launching across the US with the retailer by end of October
Mixoloshe, a female founded and award winning non-alcoholic beverage brand, announces its partnership with celebrated award-winning artist and entrepreneur Zayn Malik, who has joined the company as the Chief Creative Officer (CCO) and Co-Owner.
The partnership will center around reshaping the narrative of the non-alcoholic beverage industry, as well as deep creative collaboration on marketing initiatives and upcoming flavor launches.
Additionally, Mixoloshe will launch in 500 Walmart stores across the country, marking the brand’s anticipated retail debut.
Zayn’s first flavor launch is a non-alcoholic Lychee Martini, a refreshing and exotic drink, that is sweet, floral, and slightly tropical. The can design is also captivating and unique, featuring replica illustrations of his own most beloved tattoos.
Mixoloshe was founded in 2022 to redefine the booming non-alcoholic drink category with a clean, alcohol-free take on cocktails and premium spirits that taste like the real thing.
Their collection offers a non-alcoholic range of popular cocktails, such as a Mojito, Old Fashioned, Gin & Tonic, and Margarita, as well as non-alcoholic Tequila, Whisky, and Gin, all made with real ingredients, and low in sugar, calories.
Mixoloshe’s soft seltzers and non-alcoholic spirits have been recognized globally as best in class, and in 2023 they were honored with the Bartenders Spirits Gold Award, Ascot Award Gold for Taste, and the SIP Awards in Gold, Silver, and Bronze, to name a few. Their collection includes 8 canned non-alcoholic cocktail varieties, including the newly launched Lychee Martini flavor, and three bottled non alcoholic premium spirits.
“The non-alcoholic beverage market is ready for disruption, which can create immense growth potential. We see consumers already shifting preferences towards healthier and alcohol-free alternatives, which provides an opportunity for a brand like MIXOLOSHE to redefine this industry. I could not be more excited about the chance to make some noise in the category of non-alcoholic beverages and build one of the most talked about drinks in the world.” – Zayn Malik
“Zayn is a creative visionary both in music and beyond. His passion for innovation and his ability to captivate audiences will undoubtedly help us redefine the narrative around the non alcoholic beverage category, with a fresh perspective on making healthy lifestyle choices and living well, irrespective of your beverage preferences,” said Kristina Roth, MIXOLOSHE Founder and CEO. “I’m looking forward to working alongside him and shaping a future for this category where the glass is always half full of possibilities.”
Soft seltzers are available in a 12 pack, and retail for $29.99. Non-alcoholic spirits are available in a 750 ml bottle and retail for $29.99.
For more information, please visit: mixoloshe.com.
Mixoloshe is a female-founded line of non-alcoholic seltzers and spirits that are formulated to taste and smell boozy without the booze. Whether you’re booze-free forever or just for the night, these drinks are the perfect inclusive answer to an age old question—what are we drinking? High in flavor and low in calories, MIXOLOSHE packs a party into every can of soft seltzer and bottle of non-alcoholic spirits. With a mission and ingredients that are anything but fake, the brand offers booze-free cocktail alternatives that taste like the real thing. Party tonight with no regrets tomorrow.
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Cuyama Buckhorn brings back Famous ‘Jonathan Gold’ Ostrich Burger 30 years later
Cuyama Buckhorn brings back Famous ‘Jonathan Gold’ Ostrich Burger 30 years later
High Desert’s Cuyama Buckhorn brings back Famous ‘Jonathan Gold’ Ostrich Burger 30 years later
Thirty years ago, then Chief Food Critic of the Los Angeles Times, Jonathan Gold ventured out to New Cuyama because he’d heard that Cuyama Buckhorn was serving Ostrich Burgers and he was set on trying one.
“Paris has the Eiffel Tower, Agra has the Taj Mahal . . . and New Cuyama has the ostrich burger”
His review, “Which Came First?…” was about his visit to this remote roadside motel in California’s high desert to experience the burger.
“Paris has the Eiffel Tower, Agra has the Taj Mahal . . . and New Cuyama has the ostrich burger,” the article began.
In the past few years, Cuyama Buckhorn has once again become a destination worth driving to, and not just for the novelty of ordering an Ostrich Burger.
Guests now come for the accommodations and the amenities this modern resort now has to offer. Whether it be to experience the culinary offerings and local farm-to-table fare, or to have a beverage at the Buckhorn Bar where some of the state’s best cocktails are being made, the resort is notable for much more than ostrich burgers these days.
In honor of Jonathan Gold, and the thirtieth anniversary of his visit to this remote outpost just two hours from Los Angeles, the Ostrich burger will be making a comeback– and an elevated one at that on what would have been Gold’s birthday, July 28th.
The new Ostrich Burger, the Ostrich Smash ($28) is made with Ground Ostrich, Molasses Onions, and Santa Barbara Cheese Company’s Sheep’s Milk Gouda served on toasted Rye bread and a side of pickled vegetables.
As Gold remarked:
“To be honest, the only point in eating an ostrich burger
may be to be able to say that you’ve eaten an ostrich burger…
Ostrich burgers may not be much of a tourist attraction,
but how many times can you visit the Louvre?”
WHEN:
Burger will be available starting July 28, 2023, Jonathan Gold’s birthday
PRICING:
Burger – $28
T-shirt – $28
WHERE:
4923 Primero Street, New Cuyama, CA 93254
Cuyama Buckhorn is located 1 hour east of Santa Maria, and 2 hours north of Los Angeles.
INFO:
Call (661) 766-2825 or visit https://www.cuyamabuckhorn.com/to reserve
E-mail: hello@cuyamabuckhorn.com
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Seafood, BBQ, Even Dessert: Chile’s Santa Ema Winery brings Flavor to your next meal
Chile’s Santa Ema Winery brings Premium Flavor to your next meal.
Chile’s Santa Ema Winery brings culture, family and premium wines to focus over their multi-generational history. Have you tasted one of their bottles? It brings dimension to light dishes, like seafood, heavier like BBQ, even dessert.
Today I have the opportunity to speak with Santa Ema’s Jaime Merino about life, history, flavor pairings and what’s next for Santa Ema.
I don’t know if people truly understand how busy wine professionals are. Would you mind just giving us an idea of how much you’re traveling and how you spend your time?
Jaime Merino: Yeah, absolutely. You know that in the wine industry, it is extremely important to be in front of the distributors that are our commercial arm into the different states.
We need to have an importer because we are an imported brand. So our wine’s coming from Chile. In order to get into the U.S., we need to have an importer. So we spend a lot of time in front of the importer and virtually every week we’re in touch either via video calls or phone calls or face to face, taking the wines into each one of the states, we need a distributor in those states.
That is the representative of the wine. So we assigned the brand to a set distributor in New York, for instance, and then that distributor with their sales force is going to take the wines to the trade, to the street. So it’s going to take it to the wine stores, going to take it to the restaurants, going to take it to the clubs, depending on the legalities of each one of the states.
Therefore, we need to spend a lot of time with the distributors and the sales forces of those distributors to make sure that they have the information for each one of the wines that they’re gonna be pushing. And then not only with the Salesforce of the distributors, but also with the trade and their sales forces.
Because any one of us as a consumer walking into a wine store that has already made the decision that we want to buy a wine, we probably have a budget. And also we probably have an idea that we want either a white or a red, but then we need to start diving into the details. Do I want domestic? Do I want imported?
And then if it is imported, do I want old world, new world? Then you start narrowing to the point that you’re going to say, I want to buy a wine from Chile.
Then that opens a new box of alternatives. So you can imagine the process of getting to one particular bottle of one particular supplier needs a lot of skimming into this very interesting and complex wine industry.
So let’s talk about the historic brand. Can you share a little bit about the history?
Jaime Merino: Yeah, absolutely. Santa Ema with one M, because we come from Chile.
But Santa Ema is a family owned company. It is owned by a family, last name Pavone, that their roots go back to Piedmont, Italy. So today, the company is run by members of the third and fourth generation of the family, and the founder of Santa Ema is the grandfather of the third generation, a gentleman named Pedro Pavone, that migrated from Italy, a little region in the Piedmont, Italy, called Rivalta.
And he migrated into South America, went across the Andes in a sidecar motorcycle and established himself in the heart of the Mao Valley, southwest of Santiago, the capital city in Chile. So he established himself in that area in 1917. And established his family, grew his family, and with his son, Felix Pavone, they bought some land and one of the properties that they bought in Isla del Maipo was actually devoted to agriculture, and that particular property, the name was Chakra Santa Ema, that is like an orchard Santa Ema or Farm Santa Ema.
So that is the origin of the name / brand that we use. Because Santa Ema was a staple landmark in that particular region.
They planted vineyards, they started producing wines that initially they were selling bulk.
But then in 1956, they founded Ema Winery, and they started producing their own wines to be bottled and started selling in the domestic market. Throughout the years and throughout the development of this company, pretty much done by Felix Pavone, we’re talking second generation.
The first exports of Santa Ema happened in 1986 into Brazil. When Brazil was just starting into becoming a wine consuming country. Today Brazil is one of the engines in South America in terms of top markets for wine consumption.
So ultimately it started as a father son business that grew and evolved into a multi generational still family business.
Yes. And probably different to many families involved in the wine industry and in the wine business for the Pavone family, this is it. So this is what they do. This is their life. This is their reputation.
Basically, they are not in the wine business because it’s trendy, because it’s fashionable. No, this is a business for them with family members hands-on. Today we have members of the third generation and fourth generation so we are undergoing a very interesting times to the winery because you can imagine that the members of the third generation are people mid 50s to early 60s and then the members of the fourth generation are their early tp mid 30s. Professionals coming from college with sometimes different visions from traditionally what the family has done.
A second ago, you mentioned regions. Let’s talk about the vineyard and the regions and the soil types Santa Emma uses and works with.
Jaime Merino: The winery and most of our properties are established in the Maipo Valley in Chile. Maipo is probably one of the most traditional valleys and wine regions in the country. Chile, for those people that have a rough idea of what Chile is, first of all, we need to look at South America.
If you look at South America, and – I will challenge people reading this to grab a map and look at South America – you’re going to notice that South America is shaped as a cluster of grapes. Therefore, no secret why South America is a very good vineyard paradise, as it is referred to sometimes, and that’s why we have very strong countries in South America producing wines.
Of course, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil producing these days. Peru becoming a very interesting offering of wines. There is wine produced in Bolivia, Chile. We’re going to start seeing a lot of wines coming from South America. But then if we go back to Chile, Chile sits on the western side of South America.
It runs north to south, and it roughly expands for 4,000 miles, but with an average width that is no more than 180 to 200 miles. So the best way to picture Chile, as I normally explain to consumers and trade, take the northern tip. take the southern tip, flip it upside down, and bring it to the west coast in the U.S.
So now, the northern part of Chile is going to be from Los Angeles all the way down to Baja California.
Baja California, that is super dry and desert, that is going to be your Atacama Desert in Chile. The central part of the country, It’s going to run from San Diego all the way up to San Francisco, so it’s going to be pretty much the agriculture area of the country.
That’s why, when we move, into October, November, we start seeing a lot of peaches and plums and fruits coming from Chile because we are in the opposite season. Then if you go from San Francisco up to Seattle; and all the way up to Alaska, that is going to be the southern part of the country. So you’re going to go into the lake districts, ultimately you’re going to go into Antarctica.
So that is a good way to picture how Chile looks from north to south, that will be like moving from south to north on the western side of the U. S.
Now, if you grab Chile and you put it across the U. S., it will span more or less from New York all the way up to Seattle. So that is going to be the length of the country if we put it across the U.S.
I love those comparisons.
Jaime Merino: Appreciate that. Yeah, just to give a sense of location and a sense of what people should find there because sometimes at least here in the U. S. Chile is known for some ideas of certain regions, like for instance, the northern part of the country because of the Atacama Desert and the geysers in the in the northern part of Chile, or if you go to the southern part of Chile and you go to Torres del Paine, that is a very touristic area. Or ultimately, if someone is a little bit more exploring with an exploring soul, they can jump into Easter Island, that is also Chilean territory, and that will be more of the Polynesian side of Chile.
In terms of the Maipo Valley, it sits pretty much in the central part of Chile in the belly bottom of the country, Santiago being the capital city, and Maipo surrounds the Santiago to the south and runs from the foothills of the Andes, starting at 1,000 to 3, 000 feet above sea level, all the way to the coast, so we’re moving east to west, bordering the Pacific Ocean.
That is going to be pretty much what you’re going to see in Maipo. And that applies pretty much to most of the wine regions in Chile, running east to west. With very few exceptions, most of the valleys in Chile, Maipo for instance, they take the name out of the river that runs through the valley that waters the vineyards and all the agriculture activity that happens in the valley.
So Maipo Valley is because there is a Maipo River that runs from east to west. And then, since you’re coming from the Andes, starting at 3,000 feet and then going through the central part of Maipo and into the ocean you have very different growing conditions in Maipo Valley.
So most of the time I tell consumers when you are exposed to a bottle of wine coming from Chile that on the front label reads Maipo Valley, try to ask where in Maipo, because the conditions are going to be totally different.
Just to give you an example, here is a Sauvignon Blanc Select that reads Maipo Valley, but this is a central part of the valley that is only 25 miles inland from the ocean. So we have good, cool conditions to be able to produce a very expressive, fresh, crisp Sauvignon Blanc.
But then, on the other side, I have a Cabernet Sauvignon, also from Maipo Valley, but here we have a combination of fruit coming from a vineyard that we have at 1, 000 feet above sea level, with fruit coming from a vineyard sitting roughly at 500 feet above sea level.
Okay, so it is extremely important to understand this. Probably people are wondering why the altitude is so important or how the altitude could impact in terms of the style of wine that we’re going to produce. In simple words, if any of you come to visit us in Maipo, say January, February, March, that is our summertime, the first thing that I’m going to do is to make sure that you’re wearing a hat, that you have enough water, and most importantly, that you have sunscreen on you.
Okay, so let’s take this example now to the vines. Can we control the amount of water that the vines have? Yes, because our vineyards are planted with drip irrigation systems, so we can control the amount of water that each vine is getting.
Can we give hats to the vines? No, they need to find their own ways to protect themselves by growing extra leaves, trying to generate a very populated canopy of leaves to protect the clusters. What do the clusters do? Because we cannot put sunscreen on the clusters, so they need to naturally grow thicker skin to protect the fruit.
And just because of that thicker skin, you’re gonna have more structure, more tannin, more varietal expression. So that’s why it makes a very important difference where you’re planting your fruit or your vines in order to determine the style of wine you’re gonna get.
The higher you go, the more robust wines you’re going to be able to produce just because of this natural protection the vines develop.
We’re going to talk about your bottles.
Because we have a lot of foodies reading. What kind of foods would be great to pair with each one?
Jaime Merino: Before I go into the specifics of the wine, and particularly to all the foodies, I am one of those. Let me tell you that anytime that a winemaker that is going to be,”the winery chef”, is thinking on the wine that he’s going to be producing, he should be thinking immediately with what type of food he’s going to be pairing that wine.
That is probably one of the key aspects to understanding wines, and this is going to be at the same time an invitation to all our viewers, foodies or not foodies, to break taboos.
And what I mean by this is that probably our grandparents and eventually our parents were of the idea that whites are for seafood and shellfish and reds are for meats and game and why?
Why? Break taboos, play with this. This is a life element that we need to challenge to see how it performs with different types of foods and different types of elements. Also one of the other big differences that I find in Chile, comparing the U. S., in Chile, wine is part of the diet.
So for us, any meal lunch or dinner could not exist without a glass of wine to go with whatever type of food we’re going to be having. That is also a huge difference being part of the diet and not just looking at wine and approaching wine as a special occasion product that we’re going to be consuming.
Having said that, I have in front of me three of the most popular wines in our portfolio:
Santa Ema Select Sauvignon Blanc
Sauvignon Blanc is our Santa Ema Select Terroir. So Chile, in terms of whites, produces Sauvignon different types of white varieties. Chenin Blanc, Pinot Grigio, that is extremely popular, but Sauvignon Blanc is the queen of the whites, and Chile has a very strong reputation for Sauvignon Blanc.
One of the things that you need to be aware of is that stylistically, what we try to accomplish here is not the super grassy, grapefruity, very exuberant nose that you will find in Sauvignon Blancs coming from New Zealand. Sometimes you’re going to find that in Chile. But the style of wines in Chile in general is more geared towards France, the old world.
So this is going to be like a crossover between New Zealand and Sancerre. You’re going to have more minerality, you’re going to have a little bit more complexity, and not that you’re going to open this bottle and you’re going to have that very exuberant nose that is going to be extremely, Intriguing. No, it’s a little bit more tame.
It has a very nice refreshing acidity. It has a very crispy style with very interesting citrusy notes to it, making it a very good wine to enjoy at the end of the day, just because you want to hit a glass of wine at the end of the day or to be paired with food.
What type of food?
In my world, I will do ceviche all day long. If not, I will go with some oysters. Maybe with a delicate white fish – flounder or cod, for instance. Not too elaborate, not too much abusing on dairy products, cream or butter. The more simple, the better.
Cabernet Sauvignon from Maipo Valley and I have Merlot from Maipo Valley. I’m going to leave Merlot to the end. Although in tasting order, most probably. We’re going to do first Merlot and then Cabernet Sauvignon, but I’m going to explain the reasons why I’m leaving this Merlot to be the last one.
Santa Ema Select Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon from the Maipo Valley. In terms of the fruit, a combination of fruit coming from the central part of the valley and fruit coming from our vineyards in the foothills of the Andes. Just to give a little bit of the extra kick, extra structure, a little bit more of a backbone.
A Cabernet Sauvignon by the book, meaning a very honest, true expression of the variety. We use a combination of French and American oak barrels. We want a little bit of the expression of both types of wood. American most of the time is going to be more chocolate, more vanilla, more of the “sweet tastes” that you will find in wine.
French is going to give you more of the leather, the tobacco, a little bit more of the complexity. And that is the reason why we use a combination of both types: American oak barrels and French oak barrels. But not to abuse the oak, so we keep a percentage of the wine in American, and percentage of the wine in French, normally six to eight months, sometimes up to 10 months.
Then we blend it all together and we put it back in the bottle just to keep a good expression of fruit.
Red meats, strong cheeses, it works extremely well. So if you guys like grilling, barbecuing, big time, a perfect match to go with anything that you’re going to be grilling, barbecuing, but please leave the barbecue sauce in the pantry or the refrigerator because the sweetness of the barbecue sauce is going to kill most of the wines that are going to be pairing with it.
If you want ribs with barbecue sauce, fantastic! Drinking wines that are going to be suited for that is going to be challenging. I’m telling you try to keep your meats as clean as possible in terms of any super hot, spicy additions or the sweetness of barbecue sauce.
Santa Ema Reserve Merlot
Santa Ema has been working with Merlot for many years to the point that our reserve on Merlot is one of our flagships in the portfolio. Iit is a very particular wine because we use American oak barrels that are produced by a cooper in Missouri specifically for this wine with specs that are determined just for this wine.
What is the secret is that these barrels are toasted inside at a certain level of temperature that is going to allow a caramelization of the wood. That is going to be transferred ultimately into the wine via very distinctive notes of vanilla, roasted coconut, and sometimes nuances of chocolate, to the point that in certain markets, this wine is referred to as the cookies and cream wine or the chocolate kiss wine.
It’s a very interesting bottle to explore and to renew your vows with Merlot.
We have a very strong influence of Italian dishes here, so say a lasagna, chicken parmigiana will go extremely well with this, a Mexican dish with mole sauce, not too spicy mole, not too much in the heat side of mole, but more in the profile taste of mole. And if you really want to throw a curveball to this Merlot, try to venture and pair it with tiramisu and see what happens.
Phenomenal ideas.
Just to give you a little thing in relation to food and wine pairings. Many years ago, in a wine event here in Atlanta with Alton Brown, that is one of the Food Network celebrities, we put together a seminar “How to destroy a wine” and the whole concept of it was, me choosing wines, Alton Brown cooking and in the last minute doing something to what he was cooking for me to be able to say, ‘Alton, you destroyed my wine.’
So it was a very interesting experience and particularly for the consumers attending a very eye opening experience that very simple things like [preparing] a green salad that you drizzle some olive oil and you put a little bit of salt and pepper and in the last minute you say, ‘Okay, I’m going to pour this with the Sauvignon Blanc.’
Then Alton asking me, ‘Do you want me to squeeze some lemon on your salad?’ Sure, absolutely. But you destroy my wine. The show [had ]little tips and things like that.
Is there anything that we haven’t talked about that you really feel the audience wants to hear about or you want to share?
Jaime Merino: Today, one of the biggest challenges that we have as a country, Chile has a very good established reputation as a wine producing country, but most of the time perceived as a good value producing country, inexpensive wines coming from Chile. So you’re going to find brands out there, sometimes retailing for $5, 6, 7 a bottle.
And that’s fine. But that is one aspect of Chile. There’s another aspect of Chile of more premium, super premium, ultra premium wines.
I feel very often that consumers are afraid to venture into those more expensive wines. And sometimes when I’m talking more expensive, normally they retail between $15 and $18 a bottle.
That is a new Chile that needs to be discovered because that is where most of the interesting revolution in terms of the wine industry is happening right now.
My invitation is to go to your preferred store, go to the South American section or Chilean section, if there is one, and see what they have from Chile. Okay. That really
Where can we find these wines? What’s the website? And how can we follow you on social media?
Jaime Merino: Okay if you want to know a little bit more, go to www.SantaEma.CL the CL is for Chile.
If you want to follow us on social media, Instagram and Facebook
The easiest way to buy Santa Ema is go to wine.com and see what is available in your region,
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