Spirits After Taste

The importance of Dallas in the world spirits market was emphasized in March by the plethora of distinguished foreign visitors promoting their wares. Recognizing the rapidly increasing demand of Dallas for top line wines and spirits, our visitors are no longer second-string bench-warmers, but the quarterbacks.

To qualify as a world sales manager of wine and spirits, one should be suave and articulate to snow the buyer, handsome and tall to impress the buyer’s wife, and extremely knowledgeable to ward off the cynical critics. One must also have a cast iron stomach and liver to survive both hotel food and the gourmet dinners perpetrated in one’s honor by loyal and adoring fans. To add that one must speak with an accent is superfluous.



Artfully contrived, explicitly instructive and hell on the competition was the Scotch whisky tasting conducted by William F. Bergius, sales director for Teacher’s Scotch. The charming, kilted Scot presented a unique challenge to the taste buds of Sigel’s “Les Amis Du Vin.” The tasting consisted of four samples of unfinished Scotches of different characters and ages, and four marketable brands straight off the shelves.



Teacher’s Highland Cream is undoubtedly one of the best brands on the market and frankly didn’t need promotion by running down the competition. Bergius’ criticism of the others was rather subtle: too much grain whisky in the cheaper blend and too much vanilla (yes, that’s legal) in the premium blend.



To test for vanilla we were asked to pour a few drops of the Chivas Regal on our hands, rub the palms together, cup the hands and smell for something found in most kitchens. At our table two people recognized vanilla almost immediately.



The real rub in this little exercise was that the next Scotch tested was Teacher’s. Of course we couldn’t have tested it the same way-our hands were still wet and still smelled of the last blend.

The four brands, presented side-by-side, were distinctly different. J & B was the lightest in color, texture, and on the palate. Chivas Regal was fuller in body, mellow and rich on the taste buds. Teacher’s was the maltiest on the palate and its bouquet was deep and distinct.

To me the real hit of the evening was Glendronach – a 12-year-old single malt Scotch. Unbelievably mellow and smooth with delicate, aristocratic “nose” Glendronach deserves to be sipped from inhalers, just like a fine cognac.



There were also four unfinished Scotches which were samples Bergius brought to show us the difference between aged and unaged Scotch. But who would want to drink unfinished Scotch? They were interesting to taste, but bring me the real thing every time!

Teacher’s is, of course, widely available in Dallas at about $8.10 a fifth. Glendronach is available at King Liquor Store, 5626 East R. L. Thornton; Red Coleman’s, 7560 Greenville Ave; and Sigel’s, Inwood and Lemmon, for about $10.95.

Bernard Ganter of Mumm’s champagne is perfectly cast in the role of a world sales director. His selling job is comparatively easy, for after all, everybody has drunk Mumm’s at one time or another. The problem is assaulting the almost indestructible fortress of Dom Perignon, which is magnificently promoted, and indisputably one of the greatest champagnes in the world.

Mumm’s ultimate weapon is “Renee Lalou,” a memorable champagne beautifully balancing complete dry-ness with mellow, but crisp acidity. Alas, the public needs a name, a handle, a glamorous symbol to identify. It sounds much more romantic to hear Dom Perignon, the legendary 17th century monk, exclaiming “Look, I am drinking stars!” than to hear Renee Lalou, flesh and blood president of Mumm’s, saying “Look, I made another million dollars for the corporation.”

The big-selling Mumm’s champagne -the extra dry-has an ever so slight sweet edge and fruitiness that makes it more popular with infrequent imbibers of champagne. The Renee Lalou is more loved by the cognoscenti.

There are no organized tastings of champagne in Dallas to my knowledge, the high cost being the obvious reason. The following Mumm’s champagnes are available in Dallas: Mumm’s Cordon Rouge, 1966, at about $15.30; Mumm’s Cordon Rouge, non-vintage, at about $12.80; and Mumm’s Extra Dry, non-vintage, at about $11.80.

After calling 10 different stores I found Renee Lalou 1966 only at Red Coleman’s on Greenville at $21.95 per bottle.

The latest wine tasting at Oz on March 11th was again sold out, leaving the late callers disappointed and thirsty.

The attraction of the evening was Louis Latour, the present head of the revered wine establishment in Burgundy and the eighth Louis in that position since the founding of the firm. Latour doesn’t fit the mold of the world salesman. He is articulate and personable, but rather than the salesman his image is that of the proud producer of great wines.

I couldn’t help visualizing the incongruity of Latour’s usual environment of hills, vines and soil, with the supercharged neon and stainless steel atmosphere of Oz. He bridged the two worlds and conducted a well-paced, interesting tasting of his family’s five burgundies. The wines ranged from good to excellent, but I was not surprised that the best wine of the evening was Chateau Grancey, 1970. This particular label, named after the Latours’ ancestral home, represents the blend of the finest family-owned plots on the hills of Corton.

Geographically Corton is a long way from Dallas, but our convoluted liquor laws triple the distance. Follow me …

Louis Latour wines are imported to the U.S.A. by the blue chip wine firm of Frederick Wildman and Son (the importer).

Then, in line with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission laws and regulations, Wildman is in turn represented in Texas by Estrada’s of Galveston (the wholesaler) whose name you have seen on the neck labels of hundreds of impeccable wine selections.

The next step is for the retail wine stores to buy the imported wines from the wholesalers and finally sell them to the customer. To confuse the picture even more, the restaurants must also buy from the retailers.

We won’t even discuss the problemsof wet and dry areas within Dallas,okay?

Wine Finds

From time to time I plan to make recommendations on particular wines which I have tasted. I offer them to you as good but inexpensive suggestions. Also I will give the name of liquor stores where they may be purchased.



For the special occasion when you don’t mind paying a little more, I recommend Chateau Sou-tard 1962, a very well balanced St. Emilion, to go with lamb. It’s mellow but not flabby, the bouquet is nicely developed and aged, but still fresh and typical of a St. Emilion. The wine is really at its peak. It should be opened 30 minutes before serving and decanted at the last moment. $6.99 per bottle, $69.55 a case at Red Coleman’s.



George Roth recommends a ready-to-drink Chateau Pavie-Macquin 1967 (St. Emilion) at $4.59 a bottle at Marty’s. (I have tasted the 1964s, but not the 1967s. I found the ’64s to be very good, and I am making this recommendation on the strength of Roth’s testimony about the ’67s.)



I liked Macon-Villages 1971 from C. Rongier. A bone-dry white burgundy, fresh and clean tasting with no barrel or wood aftertaste. It makes even fried catfish palatable. $2.79 per bottle, $29.68 a case at Sigel’s.



Now is the time to beat inflation and start stocking up on 1970 Bordeaux. Most of them are still too young to drink, but the thing to do is to stash away a case or two and open a bottle every 4 months, take notes, and follow its aging and progress. The prices for 1970s have just about bottomed out, but watch for some useful 1971s and 1972s to go even lower. At all stores.