With The Thirsty Traveller!
We're excited to have this exclusive 2 Bottles & 2 Questions with Kevin Brauch, The Thirsty Traveller himself. The iYellow Wine Club managed to get him away from his drinking and travelling to share some of his WINE insights.

He'll be speaking at the Gourmet Food and Wine Expo in November. Ge
t your tickets fast as it will be a sold out event! We can't wait to chill with him there and lead our own Tutured Tasting as well! Get all the info and your Gourmet tickets here.

New episodes of The Thirsty Traveller begin airing NEXT WEEK and in January on Food Network Canada!
THE THIRSTY TRAVELER, Season 5 Launches Worldwide FALL 2007! His show is Nominated For Two, 2007 Canadian GEMINI Television Awards Including Best Presenter!

2 Questions

1. Some say you have the best job in the world. What's a typical work week in the life of The Thirsty Traveller?

There’s always a day or two a week when I’m going through an airport or flying through the air. I bounce back and forth between which aircraft I prefer (airbus or boeing.)

When I’m travelling for the show each day begins with an early morning run (or at least a brisk walk to the coffee shop if I’m really hung!) In the van travelling by 8am – usually some sort of interview, drink tasting, brewery, winery, distillery tour, cooking demo through the morning and midday, a quick pub lunch or equivalent, continue with the work through the early evening and wrap by 7pm. Evening always brings a trip to a decent local restaurant I’ve tracked down online or through friends and/or professional relationships then to the pub, bar, or even the hotel lounge for several night caps. Even off-camera you’d be amazed by how much “spirit” can go into and through one small body. Bed (often clothes on) wake up, repeat!

2. What's your best wine story?

There’s too many to recount and if you were to ask me tomorrow I’d have a different answer for you, but some favourite moment’s are:
  • A seven 7am, 28-flight wine tasting of Miguel Torres wines during the 2005 harvest in Curico, Chile, with Senor Torres
  • My unsuccessful attempt at Saberage (the art of opening a Champagne bottle with a sword) on the first day of harvest at the House of Pommery, in Reims, France, 2001
  • Working the Ice Wine harvest at Pilleterri Estates Winery, 1am-4am, -18 Celsius, January 2002
  • My first Penfolds Grange, (1998 vintage, considered one of the best ever!)
  • A box-wine picnic dinner during sunset on the beach in Aruba, 1995
2 Bottles

Bottle One
Mt. Difficulty Pinot Noir, Central Otago, New Zealand (in Ontario, The Small Winemakers Collection www.smallwinemakers.ca 416-463-7178) available at Vintages in February I spent my trip there exploring NZ’s Sauv Blanc but kept coming back to this craft pinot. I was amazed that even other NZ winemakers drank this with such gusto! It’s a bit pricier than a lot of wines I typically drink ($40ish vs. the $20-$30 price point I usually shop in for non-special occasion wines) but it’s worth it!
www.mtdifficulty.co.nz

Bottle Two
Quail’s Gate Family Reserve Pinot Noir, VQA, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia (in Ontario, www.churchillcellars.com, Phone: (416) 368-5108 Spent much time with winemaker Grant Stanley, (Canadian but Australian trained) A consistently terrific pinot noir made in a Burgundian style. It’s both elegant and complex and was one of the wines I poured at GWFE’s Tutored Tastings event last year. A wine I serve to people who believe there’s no good wine made in Canada.
www.quailsgate.com


Cheers – STAY THIRSTY

kb.


For more info on Kevin & The Thirsty Traveller please visit:
www.thirstytraveler.tv & www.tapasproductions.com/