This is a banner year for Hawaii foodies and wine lovers, thanks to the number of star chefs and winemakers who will visit our islands.
Star-studded events such as Made in America at the Four Seasons Hualalai, the Four Pinots at the Four Seasons Wailea, the Kapalua Wine and Food Festival at the Ritz Carlton Kapalua, and Roy Yamaguchi and Alan Wong’s Hawaii Food & Wine Festival each will feature a who’s who of international chefs and winemakers.
Not only will we be able to taste their work and artistry, but these events also give us the opportunity to hear their stories firsthand.
Big talents who recently visited, relatively under the radar, were two dynamic women who produce artisanal wine: Catherine Breton from France’s Loire Valley and Christine Campadieu from southern France.
While these names aren’t necessarily familiar to all wine lovers, I find their work absolutely thrilling. They epitomize the essence of what I love about this field: wine and its place of origin, history and culture.
Breton hails from picturesque Loire Valley, where the powerful Loire River runs westward — with vineyards and orchards on each side — and empties into the fiercely cold Atlantic Ocean. This is a region rich in history: It is where Joan of Arc led her crusades, the infamous Cardinal Richelieu built his chateau and Leonardo Da Vinci chose to be buried.
Catherine and Pierre Breton farm 11 hectares (organic in 1991 and biodynamic in 1994) to produce fascinating wines. These took nine years to become available in the islands.
Their Vouvray "La Dilettante" (about $22 a bottle) is a dry to off-dry, exotic white wine that would make for an interesting pairing on your next visit to a Thai restaurant. It also is a great companion to lobster, crab or prawn dishes prepared in myriad cooking styles.
Breton also produces several masculine, light- to medium-bodied rustic, frisky red wines from the village of Bourgueil.
Two reds are available in Hawaii, the 2010 "Trinch" (about $24) and a very limited supply of 1997 "Les Perrieres" (about $68). The latter is well worth checking out because it comes from the winery’s own cellar and is therefore in pristine condition — an eye-opening drink.
Also visiting us was Campadieu from Domaine La Tour Vieille in the French segment of Catalonia in southern France, right on the Mediterranean Sea.
In 1981, Campadieu and Vincent Cantie took over two small family "domaines" (vineyards that make and bottle wine made from their own grapes) comprising steep, rocky terraces overlooking the breathtaking blue sea. These terraces are mercilessly pounded by the fierce La Tramontagne winds.
From this rugged, inhospitable terrain, they grow and craft superb Collioure reds and sensational Banyuls-fortified wines. In my opinion, these are some of the most interesting and unusual wines out of France today.
At Vino we regularly serve Campadieu and Cantie’s Banyuls "Rimage" (about $24) by the glass. This sweet, fortified red pairs well with foie gras and blue cheeses and especially well with chocolate-based desserts. It really is a one-of-a-kind wine worth experiencing. I recommend this wine be served well chilled.
———
Chuck Furuya is a master sommelier and a partner in DK Restaurants. Read his blog: www.chuckfuruya.com.
