Making more out of what we have (or want)
 David Hulley
on
Wine
As we’ve discussed, “performance” stemware is a specialized category
of wine glasses. Specifically each type of wine can command an individual glass
of unique shape and dimension to positively magnify the complexities of the
vintage. For example, a Cabernet Sauvignon wine tastes best out of a Cabernet
Sauvignon design glass as opposed to drinking it out of a Pinot Noir glass.
Both vessels can be of similar volume and height, but the shapes of the bowls
are remarkably different. Cabernet Sauvignon (Bordeaux) glasses are more
truncated egg shapes whereas Pinot Noir (Burgundy) glasses are slightly
elongated, truncated spheres. This is only the beginning. Think of all the
grape varieties and styles.
Each wine has its own “ultimate glass” and much research
and testing goes into the development of every unique offering. The inspiration
behind all of this effort is to enhance your enjoyment of the winemaker’s
art. I am often asked if these glasses make cheap or poorer wines taste
“better.” The answer is a resounding “no!” Performance glasses act like
amplifiers. If there are great things within the wine the glasses will bring
them forward. If there are deficiencies within the wine, the glasses will make
these more apparent.
Performance stemware has made a thrust into the spirits category
Over the last few years, performance stemware has made a
thrust into the spirits category as well. There are now Scotch, fine Tequila,
Grappa and Cognac (VSOP and XO style) glasses to name just a few. With hundreds
of unique glasses in a growing field of manufacturers how can one choose? I
would suggest beginning with the driving originators of the concept and/or the
most experienced manufacturers: Riedel and Spiegelau. Today, the
Riedel family operates both companies. To determine which styles are best
for your entertaining and enjoyment, you must decide which wines and spirits
you drink the most. If Shiraz is your wine of choice and a world without Scotch
is unthinkable then you know which glasses you need to purchase first. You will
be delighted by your investment in performance crystal, as it will enhance the
enjoyment of your favourite tipple.
There is another way to justify your new purchases or make
better use of your existing glass stock. At a recent Four Seasons dinner with
Maximilian Riedel (11th generation glass maker) where he debuted two new
“lines” (Tyrol and Vitis), we were exposed to the “out-of-the-box” idea
of using crystal pieces for unusual purposes. The meal began with a crab and
greens salad presented in a wine glass (Bordeaux stemless “O” series) and
chop sticks.
Although the salad would not swirl, the magnified aroma in the glass was
heavenly. The entire meal was a glass menagerie with every course served on
Natchmann crystal plates and pieces (another member of Riedel Glass Works). We
ended with coffee served from heavy crystal decanters. The dinner was both
“glittering” and enlightening.
The “take home” for the evening was simple: indulge your
tastes and enjoyment with proper service pieces in whatever regular or unique
forms you choose.
(Enologist, David Hulley is president of Enosgroup
Consulting, a company specializing in corporate wine/social etiquette training,
and wine/winery investments. He can also be heard nationally on Weekends —
“Food and Wine with David Hulley.” Locally you can tune him in on Saturdays
on 1010 CFRB. David can be reached at dhulley@allstream.net)
Discovering beauty: Why Canadian models have global appeal
 The New York
Times called it “The Eh List” and nowhere on it will you find the names of
hockey teams or the titles for beer commercials. Instead, take a closer look
through the pages of Vogue, Marie Claire, or on the runways of Chanel,
Lagerfeld and Dior. There you’ll find the faces of models like Rocha, Cant,
Berrevoets and Schram. Models whose ethnic backgrounds could not be more
diverse but who are all members of this ever-growing “Eh List.” No longer
is it news that Canadian models are taking the world’s fashion and beauty
industry by storm—and though it may seem the current trend—there is much
more behind this rise in popularity.
Some would say Linda Evangelista planted the first Canadian
roots in the garden of fashion flowers. She is, after all, one third of The
Trinity: a threesome of supermodels that includes Christy Turlington and Naomi
Campbell, but back when Evangelista confessed she would not get out of bed for
less than $10,000, Yasmeen Ghauri, also a Canadian, was walking for Valentino
and Versace, posing for Cosmopolitan and Elle. Ghuari, born in Montreal to a
Pakistani father and a German mother, is most famous for appearing in
Victoria’s Secret catalogues from the early to mid 90’s, which was when
another Canadian, Lana Ogilvie, became the first black model to sign an
exclusive contract with Cover Girl.
It is no coincidence that Ghauri and Ogilvie share, along
with their success, racial identities other than Caucasian, nor is it an
accident that today, the overload of Canadian models flooding the international
fashion scene possess DNA from around the world.
Manager, Ryan Greenwood, of the boutique agency Elmer Olson
Models, attributes the success of Canadian models to “our multicultural
mosaic.” By this Greenwood doesn’t only mean Canadian models like the
Somali-born Yasmin Warsame, or former Romanian refugee, Irina Lazareanu, or the
international supermodel, Ukrainian-Canadian, Daria Werbowy. Greenwood is also referring to models he calls
“ethnically ambiguous, which means you can’t quite put your finger on what
their ethnic background is—and this is a hot, hot, hot commodity in
advertising.”
Take the Canadian, Saira Mohan, as an example. Mohan is a
blend of Indian, Irish and French, who has been the face of
L’Oreal, Olay and Victoria’s Secret. There is also Andi Muise, a mix of
Caucasian and Native American, who in the recent 2007 spring season walked
eleven shows in the Big Apple alone. Then there’s Ryan Taylor, the male model
with Yves Saint Laurent
and Alexander McQueen on his resume. His father has roots in the UK and his
mother is German and Egyptian.
Greenwood explains that models like Mohan, Muise and Taylor
are “really important in terms of endorsement because they’re reaching a
variety of target markets.” More than ever the big names of fashion and
beauty are looking for models who will attract a range of ethnic communities,
and as a result the goal of agencies like Elmer Olson Models is to represent
men and women with cross-over appeal.
That there is this global idea of beauty being depicted in
the fashion world is a good sign; but because it is only in recent years that
models are being recognized for their mixed ethnicities, maybe we’re only
just discovering the beauty of multiculturalism?
(Candice Abraham is a freelance writer based in Oakville.)
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