Corkscrewed with Robert Camuto

I met Robert Camuto this evening at his book event in San Francisco where he performed a reading at Books, Inc! Robert shared his chapter on harvesting grapes in Alsace and his book's theme was immediately apparent - the French emphasize all things natural and expression of terroir in their wine.

"There are 4 aspects to making great wine," concluded the author based on his observations in France. Terrior - as an expression of the earth, sun, and geology. Respect for the environment - with minimal use of chemicals and intervention of nature's intention. Wine should be made from grapes - without added acid or yeast; naturally occuring yeast brings out qualities of the wine. People - wine should be made by people (not machines), and is meant to be drunk and shared by people.

"One of the things that most impressed me was how present wine is in daily life," Robert commented on his observations of life in France. "You have it with friends and it is linked with food."

"I always thought of wine as a drink, and now I see it more as a 5th food group." (I absolutely agree! 3 glasses a day, a bubbly, a white, and a red...)

We didn't have quite that formula the evening, as the book reading progressed into dinner at A16. To conclude the book reading, Robert shared a bottle of Domaine Mosse, Le Carignan 2003, that was made from vines over 120 years old. It was a deep red wine, medium bodied, soft tannins, and aromas of tobacco, baked plum, and mineral. Later at the restaurant, we had a bottle of Terre Nere Etna Rosso 2007, which was a lovely silky Italian red that expressed light currant, pluot, and hint of rosehips. Excellent wine shared with great company - C'est la vie!