According to Wikipedia, “the Grand Tour was the traditional trip of Europe (sic) undertaken by mainly upper-class European young men of means. The custom flourished from about 1660 until the advent of large-scale rail transit in the 1840s, and was associated with a standard itinerary. It served as an educational rite of passage.” Well we’re now well into the age of Marvin Shanken and the Grand Tour has collapsed to a weekend package deal to Las Vegas. To the Mirage Casino to taste Marv’s take on the finest wines in the world that advertise in his magazine.
PARTICIPATING WINERIES
Achával-Ferrer
Adobe Road Alana-Tokaj Alión Allegrini Almaviva Alta Vista Altesino Alto Moncayo Altos Las Hormigas Antinori Dominio de Atauta Avignonesi Castello Banfi Barboursville Marchesi di Barolo Bastianich Batasiolo Beaulieu Belle Glos Beringer Bersano Gerard Bertrand Albert Bichot Biserno Bisol Desiderio & Figli Black Kite Château Le Bon Pasteur Bodegas Borsao Bouchard Père et Fils Braida di Giacomo Bologna Brancaia Château Brown Caiarossa Capannelle Caparzo Carpineto Casanova di Neri Castellare di Castellina Catena Zapata Cave Spring Caymus Bodegas Cepa 21 Ceretto Pio Cesare Gerardo Cesari L. A. Cetto Chalone Chalk Hill Estate Chateau Ste. Michelle Chateau St. Jean Chateau Tanunda Cheval des Andes Michele Chiarlo Chimney Rock Ciacci Piccolomini D’Aragona Cloudy Bay Viña Cobos Jean-Luc Colombo Colomé Col Solare Concha y Toro Aldo Conterno Craggy Range Croft CVNE Damilano D’Arenberg Dei DeLille Dinastia Vivanco Domaine Carneros Domaine Chandon Domaine Drouhin Oregon Dominio del Plata |
Elk Cove
Emiliana Ernie Els Errazuriz Château D’Esclans Etude Livio Felluga Marco Felluga Felsina Ferrari F.lli Lunelli Feudi di San Gregorio Feudo Maccari Nicolas Feuillatte William Fèvre Flowers A & G Folonari Fonseca Fontanafredda Fontodi Ken Forrester O. Fournier (Argentina) O. Fournier (Chile) O. Fournier (Spain) Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi Fuligni Gerovassiliou Glaetzer Glen Carlou Gloria Ferrer Bibi Graetz – Testamatta W & J Graham Alfred Gratien Guarachi Family HALL Hamilton Russell Hecht & Bannier Henriot Hess Collection Hewitt Inglenook Paul Jaboulet Aîne Jacob’s Creek Jermann King Estate Kathryn Kennedy Kosta Browne Kuleto Estate Lachini LAN Louis Latour Cliff Lede Leeuwin Estate Peter Lehmann Dr. Loosen Luca Luce della Vite MacMurray Ranch MacPhail Château Margaux Louis M. Martini Masi Merry Edwards Merus Mission Hill Mollydooker Montes Monteverro Emilio Moro Muga G.H. Mumm Mumm Napa Marqués de Murrieta Tenute Silvio Nardi Newton El Nido |
Greg Norman
Bodega Norton Numanthia Jorge Ordoñez & Co. Ornellaia Siro Pacenti Viñedos de Páganos Penfolds Emidio Pepe Famille Perrin Pintia Planeta La Poderina Château Pontet-Canet Prats & Symington – Chryseia Provenance Quinta do Crasto Quinta do Vale Meão Château Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande Ramos Pinto Renato Ratti Renacer Abadia Retuerta Marqués de Riscal Rocca delle Macìe Louis Roederer Roederer Estate Rosenblum Round Pond Anthonij Rupert Rust en Vrede Rutherford Hill St. Supéry San Felice Viña Santa Rita Paolo Scavino Schramsberg Seghesio Seña Domaine des Sénéchaux Tenuta Sette Ponti Siduri Sigalas Viña Garces Silva – Amayna Marjan Simčič Charles Smith Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte Spice Route Spy Valley Sterling Rodney Strong Suavia Tasca d’Almerita Taylor Fladgate Tedeschi Tendil & Lombardi Terredora di Paolo Chateau du Tertre Teso La Monja Torbreck Bodegas Torres Trapiche Trivento Two Hands Val de Flores Bodegas Valdemar Valdicava Castello di Volpaia Bodegas Volver Domaine de la Vougeraie Waterbrook Williams Selyem Yalumba Zenato |
Pay Marv R2400 for a souvenir Riedel® tasting glass and taste the magnificent seven from SA: Anthonij Rupert, Ken Forrester, Glen Carlou, Hamilton Russell, Ernie Els, Rust en Vrede and Spice Route. Roll up, roll up! the age of the circus barker is back. Wide boys, hucksters and shills, your time has come.
Where are the French First Growths? The Kanonkops? The Meerlusts? The Christinas and Thelemas as they used to say in the Norwood bottlestore. Thank heavens the Swartland is at least represented by the appellations’ pioneer of Next Level wines, Charles Back. But not too many Platter five star stunnas at the Mirage this year, I fear, with the honourable exception of Hammo and Chas.