Going Grape

The Hunterdon Museum will offer a Mediterranean Wine Tasting with Christopher Cree.

By: Susan Van Dongen

TIMEOFF PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY FRANK WOJCIECHOWSKI

The Hunterdon Museum will offer a Mediterranean Wine Tasting with Christopher Cree.

   One of the pivotal scenes in the recent film Sideways comes when the character Maya (Virginia Madsen) talks about her feelings for wine. She expounds beautifully on her belief that a bottle of wine is alive. There’s a time when it’s still youthful and not ready for consumption. Later, wine changes and matures until it slowly rises to a peak. Then, like humans, there’s a physical decline.
   In the movie, the soliloquy is a metaphor for living life to its fullest, being aware of the preciousness of time, taking risks — especially concerning love — before it’s too late.
   Wine master Christopher Cree absolutely agrees that a bottle of wine is a living entity.
   "Just like people you have wines that are youthful and a bit awkward, going through their turbulent teenage years," Mr. Cree says. "Then, in time, everything comes together. Some wines ‘go into their shell’ four or five years after they’re vinted. They actually close down. Then, at about 10 or 11 years of age, they come back. Wine can go out of balance, then come back and rebound — which is also like people."
   As the founder and owner of 56 Degree Wine in Bernardsville and one of only 20 masters of wine in the United States, Mr. Cree knows his syrahs from his sauvignon blancs. On April 17, he’ll lead a Mediterranean wine tasting at the Hunterdon Museum of Art in Clinton, highlighting handpicked wines from small, artisanal growers in Spain, Italy and Southern France. There also will be gourmet hors d’oeuvres for sampling throughout the museum’s galleries.
   In addition, Mr. Cree will give a special pre-tasting seminar, discussing natural vinicultural practices. Titled "Real Wine," the workshop will focus on hand-crafted wines which reflect the places, people and traditions of the various regions in which they’re grown.
   "In the seminar, we’ll taste a number of different wines and we’ll contrast the philosophies between artisan wines and how the multi-national companies produce their wines," Mr. Cree says. "It’s like the difference between shopping at a chain store versus buying fresh, locally grown vegetables.
   "The seminar is guided, but for the rest of the tasting, you can just walk around and sample whatever interests you," he continues. "At each station, there will be the importers and other experts who can answer questions. They know the people from the wineries and they know the wine very well."
   Mr. Cree says Sideways has helped the popularity of wine — that people seem to be talking about it more. However, the beverage got a real boost when it was reported to have genuine health benefits. Research indicates that moderate red wine consumption may help protect against certain cancers and heart disease, and can have a positive effect on cholesterol levels and blood pressure. This is one of the reasons, scientists believe, that the French can consume such famously rich food yet have a lower incidence of heart disease than many other parts of the world. That’s the so-called "French paradox."
   "The word is, not only is it OK to drink wine but it is actually good for you," Mr. Cree says. "That news changed people’s attitudes about wine and more and more, it’s become part of the everyday meal. (The health benefits) are stronger for reds because of the antioxidants in the grape skins, but whites are good too."
   It didn’t take news reports to make him a fan of the grape. Mr. Cree discovered his passion for wine a couple of decades ago on a trip to Europe after his high school graduation.
   "One thing led to another — first traveling in Europe, falling in love with the wine business and finding a way to make a living from this," he says. "I basically taught myself, but I had a lot of great mentors, working for wineries and importers. Later, I went to Windows on the World Wine School, and then got into the Institute of Masters of Wine where I learned all aspects of the wine business, from growing to sales and everything in between."
   Many of the wines in the tasting have been selected by Mr. Cree on his travels to the Mediterranean.
   "I go to Europe a couple times a year and do tastings there, but we also work with importers who do a lot of the foot work," he says.
   Mr. Cree has traveled all over the world, but he says his most memorable experience working in a winery was in Domain Weinbach in the Alsace region of France.
   "It was such a hospitable family and they make fantastic wines," Mr. Cree says. "They only talk about the vineyards — growing the grapes and treating the fruit as minimally as possible. In fact, they would obsess over individual grapes."
   You might say Mr. Cree is a bit obsessed himself. For example, you need to dress warmly to come into his store, which is kept at a temperature of 56 degrees — hence the name.
   "Wine is like produce — it changes as it evolves," he says. "That’s why we try to keep it in the most pristine conditions in the store. It’s a little chilly but that’s what the wine needs. There’s no other beverage like it."
Mediterranean Wine Tasting with Christopher Cree will take place at the Hunterdon Museum of Art, 7 Lower Center St., Clinton, April 17, 4-6 p.m. Tickets cost $50. Mr. Cree will give a pre-tasting seminar, Real Wine, at 3 p.m. Tickets cost $35 in addition to the tasting fee. Seminar limited to 30 people. Proceeds benefit exhibitions and children’s art programs at the museum. For information, call (908) 735-7415, ext. 11. On the Web: www.hunterdonartmuseum.org. 56 Degree Wine on the Web: www.56degreewine.com