The Wine Awards by Cosmo Middle East and MMI Dubai: Meet the Judges
Get ready for our Wine Awards winners coming out today
By Sara Alhumiri
The reveal of the winners for The Wine Awards by Cosmo Middle East and MMI Dubai is fast approaching. Just in time for the weekend on 3rd March, you’ll find out what some of the best whites, reds, and sparkling drinks are, judged by none other than the region’s leading wine connoisseurs.
At the beginning of this year, it was announced that Dubai would be dropping its 30% alcohol tax, as well as the fee tourists and expats previously had to pay for a license to buy alcohol from stores to drink in private. So it looks like it’s happy hour, every hour 🍷.
We’re bringing you 60 wines, 19 categories, and 4 judges to give you ~all~ the wine inspo you’ll never need. Not only do our judges really, really like wine (obvs,) they’ve even blind tasted the best-selling wines so there’s no bias here, ppl!
Tony Dodds is MMI’s wine aficionado with almost 4 decades of experience in the wine industry. After graduating college, Tony worked at the prestigious Gleneagles as a waiter and junior somm, then spent 10 years in Bermuda as a sommelier and maître d’. He went back to the UK to gain his WSET Diploma, winning a scholarship and worked for 3 different wine merchants and wholesalers before moving to MMI Dubai in 2006.
The moment you knew you wanted a career in wine?
Early on, working as a junior sommelier, being tasked to learn something new about a specific wine I’d served each night after service, really grabbed my interest.
Favourite rose…
Again too many to pick one, I really enjoy Turkey Flat or De Bortoli’s Rose Rose from Australia, and from Provence, I‘m very happy to sip Rock Angel or Garrus from Chateau d’Esclans.
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.
‘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’
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.
Internet blasts Gordon Ramsay over £8 chips at London restaurant
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.
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 LonHaving tasted thousands of wines spread across 20 competitions for this year’s Global Wine Masters, I have picked out a top 10 wines of 2022 – and one sparkling.
The following selection are based on my favourites from across the blind tasting series, with each wine representing the bottle I’d most like to take home from our range of competitions – and I’ve tried to limit myself to one sample per tasting.
Whether it’s in a blind tasting or at the dinner table, Garrus has never failed to disappoint. Yes it’s expensive, particularly by rosé standards, but it’s so delicious, versatile, and easy to drink – somewhat dangerously so. If the price puts you off, its baby brother called Les Clans is made in a similar style – ie employing old-vine, barrel-fermented Grenache – and retails for less than £50. It just lacks the depth and finesse of Garrus.
When it comes to Garrus, the original is still the best. This was the first rosé to be made like a fine white Burgundy or Bordeaux blanc – fermented and aged in a mixture of new and used oak barrels to create a wine with a creamy taste and texture, and the potential to age and develop over time after bottling. It was also the brand that started the category of luxury rosés, as the first non-sparkling pink drink to retail for more than £100 a bottle. And it was the best-performer in the inaugural Global Rosé Masters, and has consistently been the highest-scorer in this competition. The appeal lies in its brilliantly-balanced mix of ripe fruit, fine oak, and freshness. One sip, and the wine gradually unfolds, revealing flavours of peach and pear, pomegranate and pink grapefruit, then orange zest mingling with creamy vanilla and toasted marshmallow. As for the feel of this rosé, there’s a slight richness to the wine, with an oily weight to it, but a bone dry, chalk and citrus finish, which ensures it still serves as a refreshing rosé.
Dry rosé wines are produced all around the world in many wine regions using countless varieties of red grapes. Historically, a summer patio or outdoor café in Provence were the places to find rosé drinkers. Now, they are a year-round favorite.
Rosé wines have been the fastest growing category of wine consumption in the last few years with the number of rosé wine brands multiplying. What is not to like? Savoring the flavors and aromas of red grapes in a chilled glass at any time of the year is my idea of a great happy hour. Moreover, a rose’ wine is also a nice Thanksgiving choice when paired with the typical Thanksgiving meal dishes.
The Benchmark for Rosé: Provence, France
The most well-known rosé wine brands come from Provence in the South of France.Provence rosé history goes back to the Romans invading Gaul (France) in the first century BCE. Some of the early rosé wines were called “claret” for having such a clear red/pink color.
In the 19th century, tourists started to flock to the Cote d’Azur to go swimming in the Mediterranean Sea, relaxing on the beautiful beaches with a chilled glass of rosé. These local wines became a symbol of glamour, leisure, and summer, now enjoyed around the year.
A wine like Chateau D’Esclans Whispering Angel is an example against which many people measure other rosé wine brands. Whispering Angel is the #1 selling imported wine from France with a production of 3.2M bottles. It is probably the greatest wine brand to come out of France in 20 years. The pale color comes from just a touch of red grape skin contact. Find this wine:
Whispering Angel is made from the grapes of Rolle (Vermentino) along with Grenache and Cinsault, all well-known grapes in the South of France. Since Rolle or Vermentino are white grapes, this rosé can also be classified as being a blend of red and white grapes. The Rolle give Whispering Angel a nice touch of floral pizazz. Whispering Angel has an even more expensive, prestigious sister: Garrus. This wine is made of Grenache grapes that are aged 12 months in French oak barrels. It is an ultra-premium wine selling for $125 to $130 and may be one of the most expensive non-sparkling dry rosé wines in the world. Find: 2019 Chateau d’Esclans Garrus Rose.
The holiday season is the perfect time of year to share a special bottle with loved ones.
By Alex Martin
We’re lucky at Elite Traveler. We get to drink rare whiskies and fine wines just to advise our loyal readers which ones are worth buying. So, we thought we would make this year’s list of wine and spirits gifts the greatest hits of what we’ve tried throughout the course of 2022. Some of these inclusions are obvious (Louis XIII and Dom Perignon continue to fly the flag for the Champagne region once again) but others have come straight out of leftfield. Every inclusion is exceptional, but many also come with incredible narratives attached. Whether you’re buying for a collector, a drinker or for yourself (we’re not judging), there’s something for everyone in this year’s wine and spirits gift guide.
Who doesn’t love a glass of Whispering Angel on a hot summer’s afternoon? It’s the most popular rose in the US for good reason. Now the owners, Château d’Esclans, want you to get serious about it with Garrus. Created by using the finest parcels on Château d’Esclans’s prized vineyards, Garrus has won plaudits from a raft of critics, several naming it the best rose in the world. Presented in a beautiful bottle that feels premium to the touch, this is as giftable as it is quaffable.
Le Jardinier Debuts Summer Garden with New Happy Hour and Sunday Brunch Offerings
Miami Design District’s hidden gem and Michelin-starred French American eatery, Le Jardinier of the Bastion Collection, offers a summer garden experience in collaboration with Whispering Angel and Château d’Esclans.
Le Jardinier’s summer happy hour, available Tuesday through Thursday from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm, transports guests to the French Riviera with themed cocktails, summer dishes, rosé pairings, and music inspired by the Côte d’Azur’s favorite summer beach clubs.
Le Jardinier’s refined yet approachable Sunday Brunch menu, available from 11:30 am to 3:30 pm, offers seasonal dishes with local ingredients, curated by Executive Chef James Friedberg. Start with the popular Golden Beet Salad, choose from a variety of sustainable seafood entrees, and share a delicious dessert – with a range of plant-based, gluten-free and vegan options to satisfy any sweet tooth.
The limited-time Sunday Magnum bottles – Whispering Angel ($70), Rock Angel ($120), and Garrus ($250) – will whisk guests away to the south of France as they sip rosé in the Château d’Esclans garden of roses. Le Jardinier’s modern, light-filled space and lush outdoor dining in its summer garden invite celebrations of every kind. Follow @lejardiniermiami for more details.
Château d’Esclans Recognized and Decorated at The Drinks Business Global Rosé Masters 2022
The Chateau d’Esclans team are thrilled to once again have been recognized in the Global Rosé Masters, and with 5 of our wines no less. Judged by an illustrious panel of 7 wine experts, this year including 5 Masters of Wine as well as Master Sommeliers and senior buyers, this competition is globally renowned.
Whispering Angel ’21 and Rock Angel ’20 were awarded Gold medals respectively, while Les Clans ’20 and Garrus ’20 were both celebrated with the ultimate accolade of ‘Master’ – the only two wines in Oaked Dry Rose category to achieve this feat.
Further to that, amongst the 6 wines recognized as The best rosés over £25 for drinking this summer, Rock Angel, Les Clans and Garrus were chosen. Patrick Schmitt explains that this particular list is comprised of the ‘greatest still pink wines on the planet at present’. In a similar fashion, Whispering Angel was also identified amongst The best rosés under £25 for drinking this summer.
Whispering Angel 2021 wins Gold £ 15- £ 20 S till Unoa ked Dry Rosé
Significant production growth for this success story of a pink wine brand has not diminished the quality, or so it seems for Provence’s Whispering Angel, which came out as a class leader, picking up a Gold in this year’s blind tasting. It’s an excellent example of a pale dry rosé, mixing soft ripe fruit with a chalky dry refreshing edge. In terms of flavour profile, there’s white-fleshed peach and pear followed by redcurrant, citrus zest and a delicate herbal edge to bring additional interest to the persistent finish. (Patrick Schmitt MW)
Rock Angel 2020 wins Gold £ 20- £ 30 Oa ked Dry Rosé
From the 147 hectares of vines at the Château d’Esclans estate comes this really delicious, gently oaked rosé wine. Located near the Golfe de Fréjus on stony soils, old Grenache vines deliver. Augmented by Vermentino (Rolle), a traditional variety in Provence (and Corsica) and Cinsault, the wine has a typical pale peach-pink colour. The delicate peach stone and redcurrant aromatics have just a hint of creamy vanilla-bean wood. Mid-weight and just dry, the wine has beautifully defined flavours and a gentle lift of white pepper and allspice. Elegant and well-balanced with very good length, this is a delightful wine for summer (and autumn) drinking on its own or with chicken or pork. (Patricia Stefanowicz MW)
Les Cl ans wins ‘Ma ster’ accol ade in £ 50- £ 70 Oa ked Dry Rosé
The baby Garrus from Château d’Esclans, called Les Clans, gives a taste of skilfully crafted, barrel-influenced rosé for half the price of the range topper – and therefore, offers brilliant value relative to Garrus, even if it doesn’t quite match the quality. What you get with Les Clans is wonderful ripe yellow stone fruit, along with notes of orange blossom and pear, complemented by cashew nuts and toast, a touch of creaminess, and then some chalky-textured phenolic grip on the finish, giving this a dry, refreshing edge. (Patrick Schmitt MW)
Garrus wins ‘Ma ster’ accol ade in £ 100 + Oa ked Dry Rosé
When it comes to Garrus, the original is still the best. This was the first rosé to be made like a fine white Burgundy or Bordeaux blanc – fermented and aged in a mixture of new and used oak barrels to create a wine with a creamy taste and texture, and the potential to age and develop over time after bottling. It was also the brand that started the category of luxury rosés, as the first non-sparkling pink drink to retail for more than £100 a bottle. And it was the best-performer in the inaugural Global Rosé Masters, and has consistently been the highest-scorer in this competition. The appeal lies in its brilliantly-balanced mix of ripe fruit, fine oak, and freshness. One sip, and the wine gradually unfolds, revealing flavours of peach and pear, pomegranate and pink grapefruit, then orange zest mingling with creamy vanilla and toasted marshmallow. As for the feel of this rosé, there’s a slight richness to the wine, with an oily weight to it, but a bone dry, chalk and citrus finish, which ensures it still serves as a refreshing rosé. (Patrick Schmitt MW)
Helena Nicklin discovers the new breed of super Provence pinks taking the fine wine world by storm.
By LLM Reporters
When you hear the words ‘fine wine’ how often do you think of rosé? For many years, pink wine was thought of as simple, frivolous and gluggable; something to be drunk only in the summertime and generally by women. Not anymore. Helena Nicklin discovers the new breed of Super Provence pinks taking the fine wine world by storm. The South of France, Provence especially, has done excellent work extolling the virtues of premium rosé wine. Even those who willingly admit they know nothing about grape juice will still pick the palest pink off a shelf because they’ve heard somewhere that ‘pale is best.’ Ten years ago, rosé used to come in all shades of pink from just off water-white to almost red and everything in between with sweetness levels all over the place. Nowadays, while we can still find the classic, off-dry, vibrant pinks of Anjou or the dark red, savoury pinks of Tavel, winemakers elsewhere around the world have been mimicking the pale, dry, saline style of Provence. It became clear that in a pink sea of confusion, Provençal rosé offered a classy dry wine style that consumers could rely on, no matter who produced it.
Why Provence?
Nearly 90% of wine production in Provence is dedicated to rosé and it is home to a research institute for the style, so it’s little wonder that pink wines from here are meant to be taken seriously. A unique combination of soils, terrain, warm weather and the Mistral wind make this part of France ideal for the production of rosé. Down in this part of the world, they tend to be blends of grapes led by Grenache, CInsault, Syrah and Mourvèdre with some Tibouren and Carignan in places.
What makes a premium rosé so good?
A lot of care and attention is put into the winemaking with premium rosé, where each grape variety, often from each vineyard plot, is vinified separately and tasted before blending so the winemakers have a true ‘artist’s palette’ of aromas, flavours and textures to work with. These days, there is also more experimentation with wood use during fermentation and ageing or lees stirring (lees are the dead yeast cells left over from fermentation that when left in contact with the wine, produce a creamy texture). The result is elegantly complex, textural pink wines that are not showy, but pack a punch when it comes to levels upon levels of delicate flavours and texture. The best are fantastic, super versatile, food friendly wines that can be enjoyed all year round.
French Rosé producers to seek out
Chateau D’Esclans
Located just northeast of St. Tropez, Chateau d’Esclans and its owner Sacha Lichine are often credited with starting the ‘Rosé Renaissance’ since Lichine took over the property in 2006. Most will know this producer for its flagship cuvée Whispering Angel, but there are other wines in the range including the famous Rock Angel and Garrus. Esclans put oak fermented, Provençal pink on the map – not for any oaky flavour as such, but for the texture that large oak barrels can bring to the wine. Since then, other winemakers have followed suit and the Provence style has evolved upwards.
Try: Garrus 2020
The original luxury rosé, Garrus was the first ever pink wine to hit three figures. It is considered to be Château d’Esclans’ finest wine, made from a single vineyard that is home to Grenache vines that are nearly 100 year-old. Entirely fermented and aged in new, large French oak barrels, Garrus is famously powerful, yet elegant – exactly what Sacha Lichine set out to do when he decided to make rosé a genuinely fine wine. Think pear tart with pineapple notes, a creamy texture and hint of baking spice on the finish. Find it for £100 from Clos19.com.
Also try: The Pale by Sacha Lichine
A great, accessible introduction to Lichine’s style of elegant, creamy rosé made with grapes hailing from the Var. An easy going pink with notes of white peach and pink grapefruit balancing a crisp salinity, it’s playful and delicious with fantastic label appeal too. Find it for £11.99 mixed six price from Majestic.
Helena Nicklin is an award-winning drinks writer and broadcaster. You can follow her on social media @HelenaSips.
