Monday, February 28, 2011

2/28 Marketta Winery, Oscar Beauty Recap with Bruce Grayson, Pinot Noir Shootout Recap, Shai Cellars,

What's Cookin' Today Hour ONE:

We Learn All About Marketta Winery From Winemaker Marketta Formeaux (pronounced "For-MOE")!

A native of Finland, Marketta Fourmeaux moved to France at a young age where she lived in Paris, earned a M.B.A. in Marketing and Business Administration, and continued her involvement in wine and enological science studies. She worked as an official judge for the prestigious Institut National des Appellations d’Origine (INAO), the highest authority in France for wine, and in the early 1980’s came to California to research winemaking and viticulture. Six months and 2,000 wine tastings later, she sent a report back stating: “Looks good. We stay.”

By 1988, Marketta and her former husband had moved their family to a 273-acre estate on Mount Veeder, Napa Valley to start a new life as winery owners. That winery endeavor was the successful Chateau Potelle. It was here that Marketta made her indelible mark as a viticulturist and winemaker, developing vineyards and growing grapes of great distinction from various regions in California, and producing wines internationally renowned for their balance, elegance and complexity.

Her respect for the individuality of each vine and her commitment to “hands-on” winemaking ultimately earned her the recognition of a top-ranking producer of Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Syrah, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, and elevated her beyond the label of one of the world’s first female wine producers to the ranks among the most respected winemakers in America. During this time, Marketta also created the wine style and winemaking techniques for her famed Mount Veeder Estate wines.

In 2007, Chateau Potelle was sold, and in 2008 Marketta founded Marketta Winery and Vineyards, a city cellar winery in historic downtown Napa—her third winery creation and her first as a sole proprietor. The ‘Hand Made' wines series, partly produced on site in small quantities of 100-400 cases each, are hand-crafted Vins du Terroir—wines that express the nature of the vineyard.

She constructs each wine with a minimum of technical intervention and racks by gravity, avoiding the use of filtration to ensure that the wines retain their natural intensity and integrity, resulting in wines of extraordinary balance and finesse. “Each barrel is its own world,” says Marketta. “There’s no special trick, or any one thing that makes good wine. It’s like making a painting – you know you want green, but which green? It’s the simple work and details, the sum of every choice you make—big or small—that ultimately affects the wine.”

In addition to new vineyard development and winemaking, Marketta oversees vineyard management of the grapes she procures from select vineyards.

Marketta is a member of the Napa Valley Vintners, and has served as a Board member of The Wine Institute and as the president of the Mount Veeder Appellation Council. She is also a frequent speaker on entrepreneurship and wine for business executives, and is involved in several non-profit organizations, including Building Better Ethics (founding member), Keiretsu Forum, and aiding children with cancer through St. Jude Hospital and L’Chaim Napa Valley. Of special note: October 2010 the French Consulate in San Francisco hosted a reception in Marketta’s honor to present her with the prestigious Medaille de Chevalier de L’Ordre du Merite Agricole (past recipients include Louis Pasteur), which she was awarded by the French President and Government for outstanding achievement in her profession.

For more info on this winery, check out their website at www.markettawinery.com.

Hollywood’s Winning Looks From 83rd Annual Academy Awards Head Make-up Artist to the Academy Awards and the Primetime Emmy Awards, Bruce Grayson, Recaps the Best (& the Worst!) of Beauty at the Oscars!

Since the day the 2011 Oscar nominations were announced, Hollywood’s hottest actors and actresses got busy preparing for one of the biggest nights of their lives. When their A-list glam squad was finally assembled, it took days - even weeks of careful planning to create a winning look.

Here to break it down and recap the best of beauty the next morning, is the Head Make-up Artist to the Academy Awards and the Primetime Emmy Awards, Bruce Grayson, who is in charge of the looks for celebrity clients like Rosario Dawson, Jenna Ushkowitz of ‘Glee,’ Jenna Elfman and Denzel Washington. He'll tell us who shined brightest on the red carpet and we'll learn directly from him the tricks of the trade and how you can get these looks at home.

Bruce will also talk about upcoming trends we can expect to see on and off the red carpet, like bold red and soft pink lips, lustrous hair, flawless skin and bright eyes with metallic shimmer shadows in gold, bronze and silver. Bruce will also offer advice for the guys on how to prep for a big night out (hubba, hubba!).

A Los Angeles native, it's no surprise that Emmy-nominated make-up artist Bruce Grayson was involved with the entertainment industry at a very early age. As a second-generation Hollywood make-up professional, Bruce was exposed to the craft at an early age while working alongside his father, a top make-up artist of his day. After high school, Bruce began working alongside NBC’s head makeup artist on “The Tonight Show”..

Bruce has an extensive media background and has shared his beauty expertise on shows such as E!, ET Insider, Entertainment Tonight, KXAS-TV (Dallas) and KUSA-TV (Denver). He has been quoted or mentioned in national magazines including Vogue, In Style, Self, Cosmopolitan Style, Entertainment Weekly and Us Weekly. Bruce is the make-up department head for the Primetime Emmy Awards and Academy Awards telecasts. He has also worked on and managed make-up teams for television series including The Larry Sanders Show, Less Than Perfect, Married to the Kellys, News Radio and Just Shoot Me. He is currently working on CBS's Rules of Engagement.

Bruce’s celebrity clients include Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Brooke Shields, Kate Walsh, Denzel Washington, Sarah Silverman, Hayden Panettiere, Sarah Rue, Richard Gere, Mel Gibson, Steve Martin, David Spade, Caroline Kennedy and Nancy Pelosi. He has also had the honor of working as the personal make-up artist for President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

What's Cookin' Today Hour TWO:

Winemaker Mat Gustafson Tell Us All the Latest News from the Beautiful Paul Mathew Vineyards!

Mat's passion for wine began while working at his uncle's store in his home state of Michigan. By the young age of 18, Mat earned his hotel/restaurant degree and began managing restaurants. He then moved to Colorado and received a degree in Political Science from University of Colorado, Boulder. He worked his way through college holding the position of Sommelier at the Flagstaff House Restaurant in Boulder. While the Flagstaff House continued to earn the Grand Award from the Wine Spectator since 1983 and having over 2000 wines on the list, Mat was able to taste some of the finest wines in the world! This is where he became hooked on Domain Leflaive White Burgundy, which would one day become his model for making Chardonnay.


When Mat graduated from UC, he came to Napa Valley and started working for Joseph Phelps Vineyards. He was a tour guide, worked in the cellar, and then the Napa Valley wine sales representative. As Phelps was in need of a Southern California sales person, Mat relocated to Los Angeles for a three-year contract. After serving his position, he returned to Northern California and went back into the restaurant business holding the position as Wine Buyer and Sommelier at John Ash & Co in Santa Rosa.

While tasting a 1975 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, he discovered great quality and age-ability from this incredible Sonoma County Appellation. Mat's passion turned to Russian River Valley Pinot Noirs. He then opened the Oakville Grocery in Healdsburg where he was the Wine Buyer and Assistant Manager. However, Mat decided his desire was to make wine. He was hired at Oakville Ranch Winery and worked for two years in the cellar. This is when Mat decided to take his passion for wine to the next level.

He began a vineyard development business in western Sonoma County and started making wine on his own. While developing vineyards during the heightened grape-planting boom in the late 1990's, Joe Dutton of Dutton Ranch recommended Mat for small production sites. Mat crushed his first vintage of chardonnay at Sebastopol-Dutton Estate Winery.

In 2001, Mat sold his share of his vineyard management company and began working at Sebastopol-Dutton Estate Winery. He started making wine under Merry Edwards, as she was the consulting enologist for the winery. In 2002, he was promoted to head winemaker as Merry handed the art of the winery's winemaking to Mat. His knowledge and understanding of the best vineyards sites at Dutton Ranch is unsurpassed. Mat states, "grape sources are never an issue."Mat is dedicated to low-input winemaking techniques. Whenever possible, indigenous yeast is used for fermentation as well as indigenous ML bacteria. He uses as little SO2 as possible and bottles the wine without filtration. "Slower indigenous fermentations make for more a complex wine and a more refined and seamless wine as well," says Mat. "Lower levels of SO2 in the barrel allow for 'elevage', the elevation of the wine quality in the barrel that higher levels of SO2 stifle." Mat is committed to Burgundian and Rhone varietals and winemaking. His plan is to make some of the best wines in Sonoma County.


Paul Mathew Vineyards is committed to low input winemaking using indigenous yeast and Malolactic bacteria. This winemaking style produces wine lush on the palate with seamless flavors. This process is much slower and more time consuming than traditional commercial winemaking. Low input winemaking showcases the fruit and the site..

For more info on Paul Mathew Vineyards, check out the website at http://www.paulmathewvineyards.com/

Shawn Shai (pronouned "Shy") Halahmy Tells Us About His Venture Into Winemaking & His Winery, Shai Cellars!

Shai is Shawn's Israeli name. It means gift in Hebrew. To Shawn, wine is an amazing gift. Meant to be enjoyed with a meal, with family and friends. The magic of wine in a bottle. The same wine, over time will change, it is living, breathing, and evolving everyday inside a bottle.

Shawn was born in Israel and moved to CA when he was about 11. He has been a Realtor in the LA area for the past 20 years, and still is. He fell in love with wine many years ago in the mid 90's. After visits to all the major wine regions of northern CA, and the Central Coast he quickly fell in love with the vibe. His thirst for knowledge about the wine making process was insatiable. He found himself asking lots of questions and seeking out new information.

As the years went by and his private wine collection at home grew, he found that that was not enough. With Santa Ynez being a 2 hour drive from his home, he found myself there regularly. Beckmen Vineyards is where he gravitated towards on my Santa Ynez getaways. Not only are the wines at Beckmen consistently remarkable, but he was always welcomed there. He offered to lend a hand during harvest, they said yes, and well, that was the start of a new phase in Shawn's life. He know he wanted to make wine one day.

In 2008 Shawn approached Mikael Sigouin, winemaker at Beckmen and his own label Kaena, and asked Mikael if he would help guide him through the process. With his guidance, Shawn was fortunate to get his hands on some great fruit. And everyone knows without great fruit, you can't make great wine. So with just under 3 tons of Syrah, under 2 tons of Cab, the purchase of a few new French and a few neutral French barrels, he was off and running. Shai Cellars was formed. Shawn's goal is to produce small quantity hand crafted wines with great attention to quality and detail.

For more info on Shawn's wines, check out the website at http://shaicellars.com/