All in the Family By Nancy Ross Ryan I'm a big city girl and I wasn't born yesterday. That by way of saying that I'm wise to even the most subtle attempts at manipulation. Imagine my chagrin to confess that in two days flat the world-reknowned Primum Familiae Vini (First Families of Wine), along with a mere two dozen of Chicago's most illustrious chefs and sommeliers succeeded in so completely exploiting my taste buds -- that I will be forever in their thrall. Joseph Spellman, Steven Lande, Marimar Torres & Michael Nahabedian How did they do this? By presenting 23 of their superb wines at a tasting lunch at Rhapsody restaurant on April 23, and then closing in for the coup d'etat the following evening at a dinner at the Ritz-Carlton where they presented another 11 wines. This is no petty scheme, and I feel obliged to name names. Left: Jill Van Cleave, Linda Courtright & William Rice Center: Frederic Drouhin, Marcia Mondavi & Hubert De Billy Right: Baroness Philippine de Rothschild & Etienne Hugel The masterminds are the Primum Familiae Vini, a 12-member private (by invitation only) international consortium headed by its current president, the Baroness Philippine de Rothschild. This group was founded in 1991 by a handful of European wine making families. "There are two key words," said the Baroness, "Family and quality. The wines are most important but the people behind the wines are quite important, too." The group is limited to 12 members; all must be wine makers, all must be family owned and operated wineries, and all must make superb wines. (By the bye, there are currently only 11 members because a previous member's firm was sold to a large company, so there is a single opening waiting to be filled.) "In today's world almost everyone makes good -- not necessarily great -- wines. So our challenge is to make the best ones," she said at lunch at Rhapsody restaurant. This was after the reception and a glass of Champagne Pol Roger, surely among the world's finest. The participants, in order of the wines presented, are Hubert de Billy, Champagne Pol Roger (Champagne, France); Egon Müller Scharzhof (Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany); Frederic Drouhin, Joseph Drouhin (Burgundy, France); Marimar Torres, Marimar Torres Estate (Sonoma, California); Marcia Mondavi, Robert Mondavi Winery (Napa Valley, California); Piero Antinori, Marchesi Antinori (Tuscany, Italy); Michel Jaboulet, Paul Jaboulet Aîné S.A. (Rhone Valley, France); Pablo Alvarez Mezquiriz, Bodega Vega Sicilia (Valladolid, Spain); Baroness Philippine de Rothschild, Château Mouton Rothschild (Bordeaux, France); Etienne Hugel, Hugel & Fils S. A. (Alsace, France), and Dominic Symington, The Symington Family Port Companies: Graham's, Warre's, Smith Woodhouse, Dow's, Quinta do Vesuvio (Douro Valley, Portugal. The accomplices at the spectacular five-course Rhapsody luncheon were Executive Chef Roland Liccioni, Chef de Cuisine, Pastry Chef Erika Masuda and Sommelier Angus O'Hara who supervised the wine service. With 22 of the world's finest wines sitting before me to be paired at whim with the fabulous food, my taste was instantly refined and elevated to a new and higher plane. The coup d'etat was painlessly delivered on April 24 at a gala wine dinner and auction at The Ritz-Carlton Chicago. (The more than $18,000 proceeds benefited the AIWF's Julia Child Fund.) The magnificent six-course dinner, prepared by Executive Chef George Bumbaris, Executive Sous Chef Jeremy Emmerson and Dining Room Chef Sarah Stegner, was once again accompanied by incomparable wines from each member of the PFV. And the wines were poured by 16 of the Chicago area's top sommeliers and restaurateurs. I now know beyond any doubt the difference between good and great wines. and I find myself spending time on the PFV website (www.pfv.org) learning more about them.

SOCIAL STUDY - June 2001

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