SA: 7 stops on the Grand Tour

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.

gtour

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.