Whether it's the glass we select to pour our beverage of desire, or the glass we select to give your us aesthetic pleasure, glassware has been with us for centuries and is still revered with the same awe and respect.
Our first guest is renowned Master Sommelier, television personality, author and speaker, Andrea Immer Robinson. Andrea has created a glass for those of us who would like both to enjoy our wine in a glass that enhances the experience, yet want to simplify our dinner parties (and the washing up) and have more room in our cupboards with fewer glasses. The One Glass by Andrea Robinson brings the solution. Listen to find out her secrets.
We welcome back Kris Margerum, Head Sommelier for the beautiful Auberge Du Soleil in the Napa Valley, who worked with Andrea in the glasses design will tell us about Auberge's Friday night wine events that will feature the One Glass.
From our palates to our eyes, we will learn about the art and technique of glass blowing, by renowned glass blower, Ed Breed of Breed Glass. Think you'd like to try to create your own glass, visit the studio for a "taster" class!
The One Glass by Andrea Robinson
Wine can be
complicated. Wine glasses don't have to be. Discover The One glasses. One for
reds, one for whites, each perfect for all varietals.The One Glass by Andrea Robinson eliminates the guesswork and complexity from stemware selection, and rivals the finest European stemware for both grace and performance.
Designed to bring out the best in all red and white wines, the carefully engineered shape of The One glasses emphasizes the fruit, spices and tannins with incredible mouth feel.
About
Andrea Robinson
Andrea Robinson, one of the country’s leading wine
educators, is one of only seventeen women in the world to hold the title of
Master Sommelier. The first woman designated as Best Sommelier in the United
States, Andrea is also an honors graduate of the French Culinary Institute and
Sommelier for Delta Air Lines. She is the winner of three James Beard awards
and was selected by Bon Appetit Magazine as Wine & Spirits Professional of
The Year in 2004.
Andrea
has written four top-selling wine and food books, including Everyday Dining
with Wine, which won the prestigious IACP cookbook award.Andrea's first book, Great Wine Made Simple, was an enormous success, and quickly established her as one of America's top wine writers. The book was a James Beard Award nominee, and has been lauded for its original, real-world approach to wine by numerous publications including The New York Times and Wine Spectator. She subsequently published, Andrea Immer's Wine Buying Guide for Everyone (published in 2002 and updated annually), Great Tastes Made Simple, and her most recent book, Everyday Dining With Wine. Andrea's new television show, 'Pairings with Andrea' currently airing on the Fine Living TV Network, compliments her first show 'Simply Wine', also currently airing on Fine Living.
As a contributor to popular magazines such as
Bon Appetit, Real Simple and Robb Report, Andrea shares her knowledge with
thousands of consumers and professional each month. She consults clients such
as Brinker International restaurants, Hilton Hotels and Olive Garden. Andrea
also speaks regularly to the National Restaurant Association, dozens of major
corporations, consumer wine groups and top hospitality schools.
Andrea has appeared on more than 100 episodes of the Food Network's “Cooking Live Prime time,” “Hot off the Grill” and “Emeril Live” shows. She was featured on Working Mother magazine's cover as a Working Mother of the Year, and she has been profiled in People, Glamour, Elle, NBC Nightly News, CBS This Morning, The New York Times, Food & Wine magazine, and others.
To learn more about Andrea, visit her website at www.andreawine.com.
KRIS MARGERUM
Head Sommelier
As Head Sommelier at Napa Valley’s
Auberge du Soleil, Kris Margerum follows a simple philosophy when selecting
wine for the inn’s Michelin-starred restaurant: One plus one can equal three.
The right wine complements the food, and together, they create an unforgettable
experience. Margerum has been in pursuit of the perfect food and wine pairings
at the iconic wine country inn for more than 25 years, during which time he has
developed close relationships with the top wine makers of Napa Valley. His wine
list currently offers 1,500 selections from a 17,000-bottle cellar and has been
awarded Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence for the past five years.
Margerum works in partnership with
Executive Chef Robert Curry to create exquisite food and wine pairings for the
six-course Chef’s Menu and all of the other dishes Curry dreams up for the
Restaurant and the more casual Bistro and Bar. Margerum is also responsible for
the restaurant staff’s wine education and conducts wine tastings and
advanced-level winery tours for them on a regular basis.
“A few years ago,
I started conducting blind tastings,” recalls Margerum. “This allows me to
evaluate each wine on its own merits, without prejudice. I taste more than 100
wines a week to find four or five that meet my ideals and make the wine list
and hope our guests can benefit from knowing that each wine has been hand
selected.”
Margerum has developed wine lists for a
number of other Auberge Resorts’ properties, including the opening wine list
for Esperanza in Los Cabos, Mexico and for Calistoga Ranch in Napa Valley. More
recently, he turned his attention to Auberge Spa, where he pairs wines by the
glass with the floral or herbal notes in a selection of spa treatments to
create the ultimate wine country spa experience. His newest project, a
collaboration with Auberge pastry chef Paul Lemieux, showcases Margerum’s
passion for Madeira wines and Lemieux’s talent with confections in an
after-dinner presentation of Madeiras and house-made chocolates.
Margerum’s career with Auberge du
Soleil spans more than 25 years. Prior to being appointed head sommelier in
1999, he acted as the restaurant’s assistant food and beverage director for six
years, helping to oversee daily operations, planning, budgeting, forecasting,
hiring and reviews, monthly inventories and guest satisfaction management.
Before that, he acted as assistant restaurant manager for the Auberge and was
promoted to restaurant manager after a year. He began his career at Auberge du
Soleil in the dining room as a server.
Margerum is a graduate of the Sterling
School of Service and created the Napa Valley Sommelier Society, which meets
quarterly at various Napa Valley restaurants to discuss common issues and
strategies – and, of course, to taste wine.
Ed Breed
Breed Glass
 |
| J. Panter, Thistlecreek Studio |
"The process of
transforming hot molten glass from the furnace to the beautiful and seductive
finished form seems like a life long journey condensed into minutes rather than
years and just as quickly it brings with it the frustration of failure and the
exhilaration of success. I truly love the call to the challenge, the unexplored
paths of beauty and the chair in the garden at the end of the day."
Ed Breed.
Ed Breed.
Mesmerized by the roar of the glory hole and the challenge of sculpting molten
glass, Ed has pursued his passion for glass and light studying with T.C.
Roberts on Whidby Island, WA., coursework in kiln formed glass at the Bullseye
Glass Factory in Portland, Oregon and specific training in blowing at Red Deer
College in Canada. He was chosen to assist at R. Strong Glass in Berkeley, has
studied at San Francisco State University with Elin Christopherson, at Public
Glass with Johnathon Schmuck in the Australian roll-up technique as well as
coldworking and at BAGI with Treg Silkwood. He also is a participant in the
annual Napa Valley Open Studios.
After receiving a BFA in lighting design from the University of Southern
California, Ed began work on the Hollywood sound stages and TV studios then
accepted a position as a lighting and production assistant with Shipstads and
Johnson Ice Follies. He went on to work for George Lucas at Industrial Light
and Magic on the Star Wars and Indiana Jones series of films as well as many
others. With his own company, The Costume Factory, he honed his
three-dimensional art and presentation skills designing and building complex
corporate performing advertising characters, including Kool-Aid Man, Pillsbury
Doughboy, Jelly Belly, and many Disney parade characters.
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