Tag Archives: organic

Grapejuice Events: Backdoor Cocktail Club

Life Experiences & Activities, Places & Events, , , , , , , , , , , ,

The memories of this event are still fresh in our mind though it took place way back in September.  Backdoor Cocktail Club takes place in the Arts District Downtown Los Angeles at the showroom and residence of an amazing designer/artist, Stephen Kenn, and his equally amazing partner and wife, Beks.  Here, this couple hosts very unique cocktail parties where they and sometimes special guests of theirs serve up tasty treats and delicious drinks. We were so excited to be invited to stand behind their bar for a night and do what we love, pour and talk about wine.

image courtesy of BDCC
image courtesy of BDCC

We thought it would be fun to try a concept where we paired wines with the interior of their space.  First, we had to ask ourselves, how do we define space? Initial thoughts were rustic wines to match the interior.  It’s not only objects that shape and fill a room, we also considered the people, those which give a home its heart.

BDCC wines

So, we started off with the always-pleasing, Hofer Grüner Veltliner from Austria. This wine is organic, biodynamic, and made by a couple that mirrored our hosts craft and creativity, Hermann and Maria Hofer. Next, we poured Underwood Pinot Noir made from grapes sourced all over Oregon.  Owner and winemaker, Ryan Harms, makes wine that is affordable, delicious, and fresh.  He is the first winemaker to release wine in a can. I’m equally horrified and intrigued by this. Stephen designs furniture that utilizes recycled military fabric, making something new out of a material that possesses a rich history. We saw a correlation between these innovative creators. We ended the night with a Cab Franc from Bourgueil called “Jour de Soif”. Gauthier is a father and son produced organic and unfiltered interesting red.  This is where the rustic interior comes into play.  The natural earthy and dirty qualities coming out of this wine match the interior’s earth-inspired palette.  And so, the flight was complete.

We had a blast conceiving and executing this Grapejuice event.  Please join us for the next one, wherever that might be!  Also, keep in mind, unlike most DJ’s, we take requests.
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“Don’t judge a book by its cover” with Fuori Strada Off Road Grillo

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2010 Fuori Strada Off Road Grillo by Monte Bernardi

 I’ve always been mystified by a pretty package.  Even though I can’t afford to pay my never-ending list of parking tickets, I am guilty of buying $10 chocolate bars made proudly in Brooklyn. I think, if it has a well-designed package the contents must be good, right?  Not always.

This grillo made in Sicily offers the other side to this argument.  Fuori Strada Off Road Grillo by Monte Bernardi comes packaged in a box, a tetra pack to be exact, the stuff your coconut water comes in.  It tastes way more expensive then you would expect and the reason is, it actually is more expensive then you would expect.  The winemaker, Michael Schmelzer, told me how he is able to save on costs with shipping the wine since the package is lighter and more travel-friendly then a case of bottles. He is able to offer the consumer a better quality product existing in a not-so-attractive package.

One thing that is a plus or minus depending on how you look at it is this:
the wine is ready to drink now.  Since it is not in a bottle it can’t be kept in your cellar to open when that special time comes along.  I would suggest drinking it immediately with no reason.  One time someone said to me, “oh, you work at a wine store…you must collect wine” and to this I replied, “no, I drink it”.

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Pheasant’s Tears – Saperavi with Break up

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saperavi

Break ups. We’ve all gone through them, and we know the following to be true, wine helps. We’ve found the perfect match for a breakup bottle. Dark, moody, and a little rough around the edges, Pheasant’s Tears – Saperavi is that post-break up “screw you” bottle of wine.

Pheasant’s Tears comes from the village of Tibaani, in Eastern Georgia and is 100% Saperavi grape.

Notes of black fruit give it enough sweetness to balance out the dry, tannic quality making it almost bittersweet, just like a breakup. This wine is so dark in color, Saperavi means “black” in native Georgian. Clearly, this break up is fresh.
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