By Aimee L. Cook
PARK CITY, Utah— The Fire and Ice après party returns to Deer Valley’s McHenry Beach featuring a 20-foot ice bar created by the Deer Valley Mountain Operations team.
This year’s event will feature Whispering Angel rosé from Chateau de Esclans in Provence France and cocktails from Belvedere Vodka. Fire & Ice is a collaborative event with Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessey and is for adults 21 and over.
Born in Bordeaux in 1960 and educated in the US, Sacha Lichine has worked in every discipline of the wine industry, from production to final sales. He started running Château Prieuré Lichine in 1987, and bought Provence estate Château d’Esclans in 2006. Since then, he has created Whispering Angel, Rock Angel and Château d’Esclans.
What or who inspired you to become a winemaker?
Growing up in the business and spending the summers of my youth at Château Prieuré Lichine and Château Lascombes instilled a sense of passion that inspired me to build my professional career. Having the opportunity to learn about wine this way and under the influence of my father, Alexis Lichine, made wine a way of life. This was enhanced through working in the vineyards.
What’s your favourite part of the job?
Knowing how to make wine and how to sell it. There are few who know how to do both. Creating a beautiful, noble product and having the opportunity to enjoy it. To drink what you make and make what you drink.
What’s the hardest part?
Dealing with unknowns. As an agricultural product, all of the climatic risks are nerve-wracking. From a business perspective, as you
are dealing with a luxury product, the hardest part is paying attention to an accumulation of detail that has to be closely monitored, making it critical to never miss a beat on a plethora of fronts.
What’s your go-to drink at the end of a long day?
Either a Bombay Sapphire Martini “up”, shaken with olives, or our rosés, or a glass of French or New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Make sure that you start as early, from the youngest legal age as you can, drinking quality. Buy a corkscrew, travel and never stop
learning. A great expression that my father had, which has been a guiding mantra in my life, is not to follow trends, but to start them.
Which wine-related achievement are you most proud of?
Creating a category relative to giving rosé the distinction of handily capturing new consumers and outpacing change in the contemporary wine landscape.
Who is your inspiration in the wine world today?
It’s a multitude of people. Beginning with my father, Alexis Lichine; Mel Dick, president of the wine division of Southern Glazer’s
Wine & Spirits, Michel Rolland, Jim Allen, a mentor and former senior vice-president at Southern Glazer’s, the late Patrick Léon, my former consulting oenologist, with whom I created the Château d’Esclans range, followed by his son, Bertrand Léon, who has been my technical director for more than a decade. Beyond that there is also a select group of many others.
Where would your fantasy vineyard be?
On the sea overlooking a beautiful, swimmable beach, with great terroir.
Which wine (grape/style) do you find it impossible to get along with?
Red wine over 14% ABV that’s over-concentrated, overextracted, unbalanced and gives little pleasure. It is like putting a Shetland sweater in your mouth. No thank you.
How have your wine tastes changed over your career?
They haven’t changed, but evolved. I love the great wines of the world.
The mood was celebratory as Café Boulud Palm Beach marked its 20th anniversary at the Brazilian Court hotel on January 18. Partygoers toasted Michelin-starred Chef Daniel Boulud as he thanked them for their steadfast support for more than two decades.
Guests sipped on Laurent Perrier, Remy Martin, and Whispering Angel while tasting the sumptuous foods passed and positioned at stations around the picturesque courtyard, including bites from former Café Boulud Executive Chefs Rick Mace and Zach Bell, as well as current Executive Chef, Dieter Samijn.
Themed “One Night in Rio,” a call back to their location at the Brazilian Court, the event also featured Brazilian dancers, fire performers, and a drum line.
Sacha Lichine is a name that is synonymous with luxury and elegance in the wine world. He is the owner of Château d’Esclans, one of the world’s most renowned wine estates, and the creator of Whispering Angel, a rosé that has taken the world by storm. In this exclusive interview with Elite Traveler, Sacha shares his insights on the world of luxury and how he has built his brand into the epitome of sophistication and exclusivity.
His journey into the world of wine began at a young age. He grew up surrounded by vineyards and winemaking, and it was only natural that he would eventually follow in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, who were both winegrowers. However, He wanted to bring something new and unique to the table, and this drive has led him to become one of the most innovative and successful winemakers of our time.
One of Sacha’s key philosophies is to never compromise on quality. He is a firm believer that the finest wines are made from the finest grapes, and this is why he is so dedicated to finding the best vineyards and terroirs in the world. This is evident in the quality of his wines, which have received numerous accolades and awards, including multiple Gold Medals and a prestigious place in the Top 100 Wines of the Year list.
He is also a pioneer in the rosé wine market. He was one of the first winemakers to take this style of wine seriously and to invest in its production on a large scale. His efforts have paid off, and Whispering Angel is now one of the most sought-after rosés in the world, enjoyed by wine lovers and celebrities alike.
When asked about the future of luxury, Sacha is optimistic and believes that there will always be a demand for the best of the best. He notes that people are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their tastes, and they are willing to pay a premium for products that are of exceptional quality and that offer a unique experience. This is why he is so focused on making his wines the best they can be and on providing an unforgettable experience to those who enjoy them.
£195
For the sweetest of Valentine’s gifts.
Meet Whisper of Love – our bouquet born from a collaboration with Whispering Angel, the world’s trendiest Provence Pink.
Inspired by the Whispering Angel brand color palette, O’Hara and Love Lace roses with a touch of gold foliage, have been incorporated into a masterfully sculptured hand-tied bouquet, employing the signature McQueens craftsmanship.
Whisper of Love features:
Whisper of Love Bouquet – One Size and Whispering Angel Rosé (75cl)
Whilst we make every effort to source the exact ingredients, occasionally it may be necessary for our florists to substitute with a similar stem.
Each McQueens Flowers bouquet is designed and carefully hand-crafted in our London workshop using the finest flowers from trusted growers and suppliers. Your bouquet will arrive in exquisite gift packaging with care instructions on how to look after your flowers.
By Lucy Roxburgh
Looking for a gift for the wine lover in your life? From hampers to top bottles, books and more, we’ve got all the ideas you need
If you’re looking for a wine gift for somebody who appreciates the full rainbow of red, white and rosé, we’ve got you covered. Sure, you could give them a great bottle. But our ultimate wine gift guide has so much more, from elegant glasses and decanters, to impressive hampers, insulated bottles for picnic wine and even a wine-themed board game.
• Available from Waitrose (£26)
And if you’re looking for a rosé to store in that wine bottle and tumbler take your pick from the Chateau D’Esclans offerings – from the familiar classic Whispering Angel to the Rock Angel, with pale salmon colour and notes of berries and redcurrants.
By Christian Smith
He may be one of the most well-known chefs in the world, but Gordon Ramsay isn’t immune to criticism, particularly when it comes to prices. And customers left reviews blasting the £8 fries at Ramsay’s Savoy Grill restaurant in Central London.
Yes, in a city where paying £7 for a pint has become the depressing norm and the notion of ‘buying a flat’ is more often the punchline to a tepid night’s standup comedy than a trip to Foxton’s, shelling out over the odds is a daily occurrence.
And yet, even Londoners retain the ability to be shocked by prices of seekingly innocuous items. Like chips. Specifically, the chips at Gordon Ramsay’s Savoy Grill restaurant, if the Trip Advisor reviews are anything to go by.
Taking exception to both the price and quality of their fries, one customer wrote, “The chips were very disappointing. Not hand cut or triple cooked as you’d expect from this place, but regular and frankly, tasteless frozen chips.”
Another diner added, “We had to pay £16 for two portions of chips which is madness really.”
Prices at the Savoy Grill range between £32-£100 for mains, while a selection of side dishes are all priced at £8. Puddings range between £16-£18.
The wine list is a stonking 42 pages-long, and includes Champagnes from Dom Pérignon and Krug among its offering, as well as by-the-glass serves of Château d’Esclans Garrus for rosé and a Château d’Yquem Sauternes among its sweet wines by-the-glass.
The man behind Whispering Angel isn’t done yet
By Bea Isaacson
With three distinct dining experiences ranging from casual to premium, the dining experience at Sydney’s waterside film festival is as attractive as the movies for some. In partnership with Westpac Openair, we speak to Kitchen by Mike chef Mike McEnearney about what delicacies he’s designed for the six-week season.
Whispering Angel is chic, Lichine says / ©Whispering Angel
In the Alps, on a yacht, by a Mediterranean sunset or at a party in LA. Rosé, the drink of summer, the elixir of fun, is one of the great success stories of the 21st century. And it’s all down to one man: the Bordeaux-born, US-educated Sacha Lichine.
The son of Alexis Lichine, an icon of the fine wines and spirits industry, Lichine has established a legacy of his own. Lichine is credited as the driver behind our global obsession with rosé, which he refers to endearingly as ‘pink’, through the unprecedented popularity of his brand Whispering Angel.
“The idea was to tap into the female consumer, who was looking for something lighter to drink,” Lichine tells me. “I was looking around for a new project… And the category of rosé fascinated me.”
With rosé forecast to grow by almost 70% from 2020 to 2024, the drink of choice for sunny days and balmy nights is omnipresent across today’s drinking culture. And yet rosé is a remarkably new phenomenon; rosé, by Lichine’s own admission, even a decade ago, was “really more for grandmothers than it was for anybody else… It wasn’t considered real wine.”
“Champagne rosé was already around,” he continues. “It was English women who put it on the map. It was pretty and pink and was champagne, and they were drinking it quite a bit. So, I figured if champagne rosé could take the stage, why couldn’t still rosé?”
By this point in his career, Lichine was already firmly established within the industry. Having joined the world of wine aged 23, by 27 he was running the winery Château Prieure Lichine, first purchased by his father in 1951.
“I thought the category has some legs to it,” he explains to me after I ask why he felt so strongly about bringing rosé to the world. “Some potential. It wasn’t respected by any of the trade, but I think people wanted something that started like a white and finishes like a red.”
“Something you could drink before a meal, during a meal and after a meal,” he neatly summarizes. “But to get it on the map, we had to make it good. Try to make it into a real wine, as opposed to some sort of byproduct.”
In 2006, Lichine bought property in Provence. “I said, let’s go and try to make some real wine in Provence.”
What ensued is the extraordinary journey of Whispering Angel which, I tell Lichine, sounds like something out of a film.
“We embarked… and made something that we enjoyed drinking ourselves, and we just took our bottle bag, took to the world, knocked on doors… Put our wines into people’s mouths.”
At one point, Lichine says, he and the team were doing 450 consumer events in the US on a yearly basis. Gradually, Whispering Angel started doing events at Ascot, Wimbledon and Goodwood races in the UK. Suddenly, it felt everyone was drinking pink, from the British royal family to Adele.
Clearly, the hard work paid off, the initial vision validated. People started thinking “rosé was actually quite good, and not what they thought it was before.” In fact, Lichine says they never came across “rejection, taste-wise.”
The key to success, he continues, “is that they got the taste right.”
Perhaps one of the biggest indicators of the roaring success of both rosé and Whispering Angel comes in the form of the “strategic alliance” partnership formed with LVMH in 2019. I ask Lichine why he pursued the merger, and he is quick to correct me that, in fact, it was the other way around.
“I didn’t pursue them, they pursued me. We were out there doing our own thing and they kept knocking on our door, saying we’re looking for a rosé brand,” he says.
With LVMH overlooking fashion brands such as Tiffany & Co, Christian Dior and Bulgari, and wine and spirit brands including Dom Perignon and Veuve Clicquot, it was a significant acknowledgment of Whispering Angel as a luxury brand – or, at least, a brand with the potential to be luxury.
“As time unfolded, Mr Arnault [Chairman and CEO of LVMH] visited. He’s obviously good at what he does, and after a few hours, we had an understanding.”
Lichine tells me that Whispering Angel “didn’t need a lot of help” but does acknowledge it has given “a boost to the brand, the concept, and the idea.”
“It’s given us credibility,” he says. Whilst recognizing that rosé has, today, become ‘chic’ and ‘aspirational’ to drink, the merger “shows that rosé isn’t just a fashion, it’s becoming a standard, something people are drinking on a yearly basis.”
He credits the ‘champagne approach’ of Dom Pérignon as invaluable to the sales of Whispering Angel.
Today, rosé compromises 15% of the wine market worldwide — an impressive feat considering where rosé was before 2006 – and yet Lichine’s ambition for the wine is clear: that 15% highlights that how much room there is to expand.
But it’s the future of rosé that I want to discuss with him, rather than the position of rosé within the wine industry. What does the future hold, I ask; what can we look forward to?
“Rosé is the hardest color to make good, and the easiest color to make average,” Lichine replies.
Listing new technology and innovators entering Provence, “I think the category is going to get bigger and bigger, and people are going to be making better and better rosé.”
“But competition is interesting. It’s healthy. I think it’ll be fun. We were fortunate to be the first ones…” he says, and chuckles confidently. “I think there are good times ahead.”
By Doug Wallen
With three distinct dining experiences ranging from casual to premium, the dining experience at Sydney’s waterside film festival is as attractive as the movies for some. In partnership with Westpac Openair, we speak to Kitchen by Mike chef Mike McEnearney about what delicacies he’s designed for the six-week season.
The top tier of dining at Openair is The Lounge by Whispering Angel, the event’s premium restaurant set on an elevated deck with grand views of the Opera House, bridge and skyline. Here the menu features an option to indulge in gourmet starters like chicken liver pâte, oysters and baked scallops and a prix-fixe two course menu where guests choose a main each, a selection of sides for the tables and a dessert each, which includes an apricot tarte fine – another Kitchen By Mike classic.
“The view from the dining platform is beautiful,” says McEnearney. “You have a really lovely evening, perched up there.”
With the holiday period now behind us, slowly but surely people are returning to daily routine and reacquainting themselves with the days of the week. However, just because life is returning to normal that doesn’t mean isn’t any room to add a little glamour to the everyday. Enter Whispering Angel, the drink of choice this Winter, whether it be on the slopes at Apres-Ski or gifting to a loved one this Valentine’s Day, we’ve got you covered.
For those looking to be a little bolder, Château d’Esclans offers their estate wines for serious rose lovers. Owing to the use of temperature-controlled, French oak barrels, Chateau d’Esclans, Les Clans and Garrus are bigger, more complex wines that are the perfect complement to hearty winter dishes. A filet mignon for two with a bottle of Garrus really would leave a lasting impression on Valentine’s Day, or even to share in front of the fire with friends and family.
To find the ultimate addition to your perfect winter evening, please click here.
