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Introducing - Perks & Rec

Introducing - Perks & Rec

Our NEW Monthly Newsletter - an affiliate publication of Terroir Tours

November 22, 2024

11/22/24

15 min read

From the Founder

I’m so excited to report that we’ve grown to over 2300 readers in our community! Those of you long time followers and supporters will notice we're turning up the frequency with a fresh new haircut and a brand new outfit! Our newsletter platform has upgraded features, including an archive where you can easily find links to our previous articles with stories, tips, trips & travel recommendations.

Also, you now have the opportunity (and the responsibility) to help us grow! PLEASE use the referral link below to recommend and share our newsletter with any and everyone that you think might be interested. For every 10 people that join via your link, I’ll send you a coupon for a free glass of wine at Lewis & Elm or at Rioja!

In other exciting news, our first travel related ebook - Perks & Rec: How to Travel the World for Free - is due to be published and released in early 2025! It’s the ultimate guidebook and resource for travelers. Full of easy to understand explanations, checklists, charts, photos, strategies and real-life examples that clearly outline how anyone can use credit card points and miles to enjoy amazing vacations, for free! Here’s an excerpt.

	Perks & Rec Chapter 151.16 KB • PDF File

Soon, we’ll add a sustainer portion to this publication. This annual subscription will give you full access to our entire library of global city guides and resources like hotels, restaurants, bars, wineries, tips, highlights and more! We’ve organized the details that we compiled first hand so you can apply what we’ve learned to enhance your experience and save you a ton of time. Here’s sample.

	Terroir Tours Val d'orica Guide6.08 MB • PDF File

Be sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook @terroir_tours and @perks_and_rec for highlights, details and the latest updates.

Last thing, I’d love to hear from you. Please send me your questions, comments, complements, rebuttals and stories from the road. It’s great to know that you guys are reading the newsletter and I truly hope you get a ton of value.

Cheers,

Jake Assaf - CS

Bernard Dreams of Cheese

Alsace, France - July, 2024 - Driving deep in the evergreen forests of Alsace, we arrive in the first of many charming Hansel & Gretel villages complete with cobblestone streets and fantastical timber framed houses. I’ve grown to love the world famous wines from northern France on this most recent ”research” trip. Today, however, Lauren and I have a different culinary objective. Armed with a pro tip from our friends the Milans, we have an appointment to taste cheese at Antony - Eleveur de Fromages.

Its founder, Bernard Antony can accurately be described as the French King of Cheese. I honestly had no idea what to expect but we’re in the middle of an amazing adventure and I’m ready for lunch.

We arrived a bit late and hustled inside the building. A cooler with what looks like hundreds of cheeses is prominently displayed in the center of the room.

We exchanged pleasantries with a nice lady who escorted us down the hallway and into a cavernous, dimly lit tasting room. Three or four dark wood tables and benches lined the walls and dozens of framed photos hung around the perimeter. In each pic, alongside kings, queens, presidents and prominent members of state, we see Bernard’s big smiling face, reminiscent of Jolly ole St Nic. Our host returned with a bottle of water and a basket of fresh bread. We took the opportunity to request a bottle of local wine, of course. As we waited, I spotted more memorabilia. A photo of Bernard at the Palace of Versailles, Buckingham Palace and here's a letter from the King complimenting him for the selections he made at a recent dinner and thanking him for the nice things he had to say about British cheese. Then I spotted a brief but poignant article which I’ve translated and summarized below.

If someone had told Bernard back in the days when he was a factory worker with few qualifications to his name that he would one day become one of the world's top artisan formagers, he would have found it hard to believe. The first steps of his career had hardly suggested such destiny. However, in the mid 1970’s he drew a few steps closer to it when he left his job at the factory and set out on his own, driving his van along his native Alsatian countryside selling a range of goods.

“I did the rounds of the villages, offering groceries, coffee, wine, and so on. Each time I set out, I knew my customers would be expecting me because in those days, big supermarkets were rare and often quite far away. Public transport was also less frequent and slower,” he remembers.

Bernard might have remained an itinerant hawker for a longer time, continuing to enhance the special relationship he had developed with his customers, but a chance meeting changed everything. In 1979 he made the acquaintance of Pierre Androuet, a master cheese artisan who had grown to be one of the greatest fromagers in the world.

“Androuet had understood that there was a great future for quality cheeses. He explained to me what a real cheese was and just how extraordinary a product it could be. Made with raw milk of course. But also crafted by skilled artisans that practice their profession with passion, even with real love.”

Thanks to the advice he received and a bit of his own intuition, Bernard set up as a fromager, building his own cheese aging cellar in 1983 and gradually improving his cheese maturing techniques.

“We were lucky to gain the trust of clients in Germany and Switzerland and from the folks that used to buy from my van.”

Gradually, his cheese gained renown for their excellent quality and the understanding he built with his cheese suppliers.

“The secret in our profession is developing good relationships with artisan fromagers and respecting their craft. Artisan fromagers are often artists rather than cheese makers. We source our cheese from most regions in France and we’re careful to choose cheesemakers that work with a real passion. They intrust us with their babies and it’s our job to raise them with loving care. When the cheeses have been aged and receive all the care and attention they deserve, they attain their optimal maturity.”

Soon, the top restaurants started to order Bernard's cheeses.

“People have said that my cheeses have soul. Daniel Boulud of Daniel, in New York City told me I'm less of an affineur (cheese refiner) and more of an eleveur de fromager (cheese maturer). I like that distinction.”

I took my seat on the bench as our host returned with the Grand Cru Pinot Gris. Then, he appears. Bernard Antony approaches with two generous plates of an intoxicating selection of French cheese. He extends his enormous hand to shake mine and it disappears in his grasp. I think Lauren and I were both in shock, having just realized this man was essentially French culinary royalty.

The language barrier is challenging but with a series of gestures, mostly pointing and smiling, we get there. Bernard spent the next hour tasting cheese with us. Apparently the remainder of his staff had gone to lunch. He’s an utterly charming and humble man. He moved thoughtfully and deliberately and made great eye contact, we were both immediately impressed. Together, we laughed and gave him our undivided attention as he showed us more photos, awards and letters of commendation. The room was simultaneously a den and a shrine but it felt more like I had entered a sanctuary and Monsieur Antony was administering the sacrament.

Our time flew by and we heroically completed the tour de fromage. Folks began to return from lunch. Still giddy as a Swifty, we took a quick selfie, paid our bill and said au revoir to the GOAT.

Over 20 Michelin 3 star restaurants serve Bernard’s cheeses. It’s been said, “Bernard has placed the love of well accomplished work on the highest pedestal. The care he lavishes on his work is exemplary, and what he crafts is the image of perfection. He’ll never tell you his cheeses are the best you can find, but their presence on the tables of the greatest restaurants speaks for itself.”

A fine accolade indeed.

Natural Selection

I was on a winery tour recently with a small group and the winemaker was our host. There’s always at least one cut up in each group, this time it wasn’t me. As we’re prompted to ask questions, the cut up says, “How do you know if a wine is any good?”

The winemaker paused, then responded, “If it makes you want to take another sip, that’s a good wine.”

I’ve been doing this wine thing for a while now. So long that, I can remember when it was cool to drink Merlot. This was back in what I call the era of “maximum intervention.” Characterized by wines with loads of extraction, tannin, alcohol and of course, new oak. Cabernet Sauvignon was all the rage and a guy called Bob Parker was The wine influencer. Thanks to his particular palette, winemakers, restaurateurs and a generation of American wine drinkers were captivated by these explosive, dare I say, obnoxious fruit bombs.

I work in the wine business, I’m also into wine. I find the topic fascinating for so many reasons which I don’t need to explain to anyone still reading. Suffice to say, sometimes I just want a simple soave and I don’t even care about the producer. Others, I’m concerned about the stemware and if that Barolo may be too young - but if we ARE going to open it, it needs to breathe and be chilled a few degrees. Like all art forms, this shit has levels.

I get it. No one likes a wine snob. We’re surely one of the easiest and funniest sub cultures to dunk on. I have the image in my mind of Frazier and Niles discussing the merits of French oak rather than Hungarian. These know it alls… Gatekeepers… It’s these uptight fundamentalists who just can't resist bloviating at the proletariat why a wine is worthy or not.

If that’s the image neophytes and young people have of wine culture and wine drinkers, no wonder so many folks are turned off before they’ve even tasted the juice!

I like to think that what we do well at my places is remove all that bullshit. I’m proud to walk into Rioja or Lewis & Elm and see a variety of folks enjoying a diverse selection of wine (and beer). I always remind people that the best wine in the world is whatever you like!

I’ve also noticed over the course of my administration, the more wines I’ve tried, (especially blind) the more my palette has evolved. I’ve found that I don't particularly care for the “popular” wines we’ve gotten to know so well from California. Sure there is a “style” to the wines but for me, too much manipulation prevents the wines from being unique. For me, a lot of the wines all taste the same and don’t express terroir. They just taste like a 2x4.

And it wasn’t just me, the cultural wine pendulum had begun to swing. The “minimal intervention” movement had arrived! Characterized by wines that were fresh and versatile, where the big ripe fruits were not always driving the bus and the oak (if any) was balanced and well integrated. I saw more European wines available from sales reps and on restaurant menus. I remember when we couldn’t give away rose if it wasn't the middle of summer. Now I had 3 on by the glass all year round. If you’re not at the country club or maybe at a fancy wedding reception, don’t expect to find that oaky, buttery chard.

Remember though, none of this is new. Nothing with wine is new, it’s all been done, we’re simply participants in the cyclical nature of technology and consumer culture. Personally, I’ve had a 10 year love affair with the wines of Beaujolais. Medium bodied reds based on the grape Gamay, I like their stoney minerality and the crunchy red fruit flavors. They’re the rural, unpolished relative of the more opulent and world famous neighbors to the north. I find the wines lively and a bit unpredictable.

Things were good. We’re living in the golden age of wine. There was so much great wine to experience from so many places in the world. Exciting places like France, Italy, South Africa, Argentina, Portugal. Each region expresses its own distinct terroir.

Then, something happened. The pendulum swung past the middle. And kept going…

By now, you’ve all heard of, or perhaps have unfortunately been exposed to “natural” wine.

The designation - ambiguous at best, sort of akin to the Californians labeling their wine, “reserve.” Without actual definition or legal distinction, “natural” wine is supposedly made from grapes that are 'ethically’ farmed using fair labor practices and without the use of sulfites and without filtration. As you all well know, sulfites can be used as a preservative in wine, but are also in most of the foods in your pantry and in your children’s lunch box.

On a recent trip, I stopped into a local wine bar for a quick splash and a bite to eat. I walked in and the lights were bright, the atmosphere was modern and clean, bordering on sterile. I looked over the menu and didn’t recognize many of the producers, awesome! When the bartender approached, I said hello and that I’d be happy for her to help guide me. She explained that all of the wines on the list were “natural” wines. Two other customers joined in and together, the three educated me on the in’s and out’s of “natural” wine. Together, we tasted seven wines that were available.

I have no motive to disparage these wines. I believe that in theory, these folks mean no harm but I feel what they’re doing is irresponsible and those of us that know better need to tap our glasses and speak up.

I’m reminded of the fundamentalists refusing to take sick children to the doctor. Every single wine we tried smelled spoiled and/or tasted like band-aids. I’ve tasted several more since. All terrible. And the most egregious offender, Petulant Natural. Or maybe you know it by its cool nickname, Pet Nat. Objectively, the wine is cloudy and barely shelf stable. A wine so utterly devoid of terroir it truly could have come from anywhere. I’m all for minimal intervention friends, but I’m afraid we’ve jumped the shark.

I have so many questions. Why are we going backward? Can your farm really be organic if your neighbors isn’t? Am I brainwashed? Is my pallet unable to discern the delicate nuance of these “natural” wines after years of indoctrination?

I think the answer is no. Sulfites occur naturally, a little is ok and I’m not interested in drinking sediment or particulate.

After 45 minutes listening to these modern day Crane Brothers insist that these wines were good and debate the definition of organic vs. biodynamic farming, I realize we’d pretty much come full circle.

I’m praying to Bachuss that some A-list celebrity goes full Paul Giamatti on this horse piss asap so we can all go back to drinking delicious vinho verde,

Obrigado!

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