Of Chaine and Scotch and…Whaa?
by Julian Schultz
julian@oxfordwineroom.com
I asked myself, "What am I, an innocent, non-controversial, naïve wine aficionado doing here, staring at seven pony-sized glasses containing Scotch whisky?"
I answered myself, "I must be bereft of my senses to have permitted Jim Nicas, bailli (head honcho) of Central Massachusetts Chapter of Chaine des Rotisseurs to influence me to attend our annual induction/elevation dinner."
I had decided to pass on this dinner after having learned that we would sip Scotch whisky; ogle at a guy in a red plaid skirt, beribboned fancy hosiery, with sword by side; listen to a wailing, eerie, tuneless bagpipe; and be entertained by the guy's rapid repartee non-stop, some of it with innocuous double entendres and titillating ribaldries.
I know three things about Scotch: I own Scotch tape, there is beautiful country called Scotland with imposing awesome highlands and colorful moors and heather, and its inhabitants are very thrifty and miserly. And I don't give a rat's rear end about its Scotch whisky.
Our estimable bailli convinced me the experience would be rewarding - a dramatic departure from the conventional wine dinners and tastings at Chaine events.
"You've eaten my food and tasted my wine for over 25 years." Jim said. And mixing his metaphors: "Don't you think now, in the time of your twilight years and lengthening shadows, it is time you hunt in other happy hunting grounds other than in wine tasting venues?"
His cockamamie logic so befuddled me that I thought, like the brainwashed Hamas suicide bombers, that maybe I would be in the company of 72 palpitating virgins. So I dressed in my tux, wore my Chaine neck-to-chest blue-and-gold wide ribbon, adorned with neck-numbing sparkling and clanking medals - colorfully resembling a strutting South American general - and hurried to the Castle Restaurant. The atmosphere was festive with males resplendent in formal clothes - too tight already for some with swelled stomachs -- and females members dazzlingly couturier-d and coiffed, both sexes wearing their colorful medals and ribbons.
The guy in the red plaid skirt, beribboned fancy hosiery, sword by side was explaining the glories of Chivas Regal Scotch, the differences in nose and palate of each of the seven whiskies, their aromas and tastes of smoke, barley, peat, others; the improvement to Scotch by adding a spoonful of water to each glass.
His rapidly delivered one-liners had many men guffawing and some women screaming with uncontrollable laughter. I sat stone-faced, bored, eyes half closed, wishing for some wine to hurry up already. Instead I got bowl full of delicious rabbit stew, thick with tender lean pieces of rabbit and tiny tomatoes, Vidalia onions, fresh herbs and parsley that was perfectly black pepper seasoned - "true-to-tradition highlands style," Jim chortled.
Earlier at the reception we were served hors d'oeuvres of venison liver grilled with a balsamic cure and with Chivas Regal-cured smoked duck on toasted bread rounds - tasty and great! I relished my four of each. Their consort was Duval Leroy Brut Champagne, dry, crisp, apple-y, yeasty; it matched the liver and duck flavors perfectly. The two-fisted gourmets among us had bubbly one hand, hors d'oeuvres in the other and both in the mouth at the same time, making mumbled conversation with them impossible. Reflecting on my pleasure with the reception food and drink during the Scotch tasting, my dismay from staring at seven Scotch whiskies…interminably it seemed…was alleviated.
Finally, finally, finally - oh, thank the Lord, finally - we paraded into the gleaming dining room that sparkled with glittering wine glasses and found our seats. The wailing, eerie, tuneless bagpipe serenaded three Chiane hi-hukus officers - or properly said, hi-hokum officers.
Into the function room in funky-shaped chapeaux and voluminous glowing gowns of blue and red velvet that dramatically swirled about their bellies and shanks, trundled Jerry Kraft, Mondial Society wine director, Antonio Giordano, Rhode Island chapter bailli, and Jim Nicas. They were escorted by eerie, wailing, tuneless sounds of bagpipe, proudly led by bagpipe blowing puffed-out-cheeked Jeremy Bell - yep, that's his name -- of red plaid skirt, beribboned fancy hosiery, sword by side, their voices joyously ringing out with L'Ordre Mondial Celebration Carol, the song once ago riotously danced to at Shakespeare's Boar's Head Tavern by vigorous, bed-threshing bawds Doll Tearsheet and premature Mistress Much Too Quickly.
Before we were to partake of Master Chef Stanley Nicas' award-wining culinary artistry, Drs. Luba and Boris Blinder were elevated into the prestigious L' Order Mondial, the Chaine Society of acknowledged and respected wine professionals. Jim Nicas swung the vine root stock shillelagh around his head with such enthusiasm before smiting the Blinders on each shoulder with it that one frightened female screamed, "Don't miss 'em and conk their noggins!"
The Chaine, from its inception in 1248 as a goose roasters trade guild, flourished until the French Revolution in 1789 when the social and political upheaval destroyed all trade guilds. In 1950 the Chaine was reborn, and today there are chapters in over 110 countries, including over 50 in America.
The Chaine promotes pleasure in good food, good wine and good fellowship. A cardinal rule of Chaine dining (and in all dining, I should add) is to eat hot food promptly when served - not to wait for others' dishes to arrive. There is no delight in eating your hot food that is allowed to become cold, while tablemates enjoy eating their hot food served later.
A reverential word about Jeremy Bell, wine professional of the Chaine, failed accountant (he says), professional whisky taster and admiral in the non-existent Alabama navy: This guy is a total professional who has magnificently perfected his patter. He is the Chivas Regal representative, residing in Leominster, a professional whisky taster, he says, who delivers his jokes, one-liners, and serious information about Scotch, with the skill of a top flight TV and night club humorist. I wish he were discussing the Champagne, German Splatlese (late harvested) wine, Bordeaux 1975 wine and luscious sweet Sherry we had. Had he not been the pro he is, I probably would have bolted the confines of the convivial Castle.
But lucky for me I didn't! Members attending the event were given a one-inch square piece of land in Glenmora, Scotland, and by custom a title of royalty is conferred upon us. I am now a "laird" of Scotland: On royal parchment it is written that I am Sir Julian Schultz, Lord of the Pen, at Glenmora. I expect my due and absolute respect, especially from good physician and friend Dr. Bob Ouellette.
The dinner: Appetizer of baked oysters casino, stuffed with tender, delicately seasoned salmon and turkey bacon, was paired with Eltviller Sonnenburg Spatlese 1985 that showed crisp complex aromas and flavors of citrus and sweet ginger;
a perfect counterpoint to the oysters casino's fishy/meaty tastes.
Entrée, my favorite meat dish at the Castle: "dry aged" cured filet mignon, sliced and served with a reduction of the filet's delectable juices, and blueberry essence, augmented with wild mushroom risotto, tomato stuffed with spinach, sorrel and sour cream, and sauteed green beans and sliced sweet red pepper. Stupendous! Magnifico! Slightly gamy/nutty, tender and delicious with the unusual blueberry essence, the filet seemed to melt all too soon in the mouth, denying us of extended pleasure with it on the palate.
Chateau Gloria 1975, a-28-year-old Bordeaux from St. Julien, was the velvet glove caressing the steak. We lucked out here: 1975 was a problematical vintage; Some wines were so hard with tannin that many winemakers and vintners despaired that the wines would have shed its fruit before it might become drinkable. Our '75 Gloria, although beginning to fade, still showed mature, voluptuous flavors and married successfully with the "dry aged" filet. A sentimental love affair: an aged wine romantically embracing an aged filet.
Dessert: Now came the creamy, sweet, gossamer-light, egg-yoked, Drambuie- (Scotch liqueur) infused sabayon, consisting of fresh fruit of plums, blackberries, green and red grapes, with a slice of dark chocolate. Gran Barquera Pedro Ximenez, the most unctuous and sweetest and richest of Sherries blessed the marriage of the sabayon…and our receptive palates.
Thought: It seemed that we had attended simultaneous separate and parallel events: a Scotch tasting and a wine tasting. Was our bailli having us try to ride two horses with one behind? Or to put it more delicately, were we trying to taste two diverse classes of alcoholic beverages with one palate? I was intrigued, albeit baffled, and did not succumb to sipping the Scotch. So I approached the wine pristine of palate.
As usual the dinner and service were impeccable. Although the continuity and serious part of the dinner were disjointed - interrupted by our gypsy-like migrating to one function room for the earlier hors d'oeuvres and Champagne, into another function room for the Scotch tasting and the rabbit stew, and into the main Camelot room for the epicurean extravaganza of elegance and excellence.
The alien seven Scotch whiskies notwithstanding, the Chaine wine dinner was appreciated for its innovation and was acclaimed as highly successful by the members.
Hmmm, I wonder what the wines tasted like to the reckless cavalier members who heedlessly sniffed and swallowed the seven palate-disedging fiery spirits. Well, maybe too bad about them. I…I, however, enjoyed the wines immensely!
Congratulations to Stanley and Jim Nicas for the superb food and wines and to the waitstaff for their ever-smiling prompt service.
Wine Pick: Baron Herzog Special Reserve Syrah 2001, $29.99. Look for aromas of white pepper, raspberries, violets and varied spices that transfer to the palate and are augmented with balancing fruit acids, soft tannin and vanillin oak; smooth mouth-feel, swallow and forever aftertaste. This special reserve Syrah is the best of both worlds: the Rhone Valley and the Down Under Australia. It's kosher, so it has to be good as the old hot dog commercial promised about kosher food: This Syrah isn't only "good," it's superb! Unreservedly recommended.
Wine Pick: Dry Creek Chardonnay 2001, around $17. With rich baked apple, tropical fruit and honeysuckle aromas, enjoy flavors of ripe pear and vanilla spice that are softened by butterscotch undertones. Mouthfilling with extended buttery swallow, this perfectly fruit acids and texture-balanced chard is a price compassionate gem.
Wine Pick: Mondavi's NEW Vineyard Select Series Clay Hollow Merlot 2000, around $12. Again the Midas touch of Mondavi triumphs with this blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Barbera, Carignane, Malbec, Syrah and Sangiovese. Marvel at its varietal complexity and spicy oak flavors from 14 months aging in small oak barrels. Enjoy lush cherry flavors, nuances of cocoa and spice, silky tannins, seductive velvety lingering swallow and lingering aftertaste. The price? Run, don't walk to your nearest wine shop!
Wine Pick: Montevina Terra d'Oro Zinfandel Home Vineyard, 2000, around $18. Big, over the top, lush and rich with 15.9 percent alcohol and 16 months barrel aging; huge oak toasty nose is packed with ripe fruit and bacon-y oak; jamm-y, concentrated flavors with smoke, berries, spice, black pepper, plums and raisins. A full-fleshed zin that is as good as they come. Price is right!