American wine tasting: the Vinifera Revolution
Tuesday 24 October 2017 7 - 9pm
The Sir Hugh Casson Room for Friends, the Keeper's House, Royal Academy of Arts, Piccadilly
£40. Includes tastings of six to seven wines.
Friends of the RA book first
Jasper Johns: ‘Something Resembling Truth’
Join us for a wine tasting inspired by our exhibitions focusing on American art, including Jasper Johns: ‘Something Resembling Truth’.
This informative tasting will explore wines produced by individuals who have changed the landscape of American winemaking, with wines from Dr Frank Cellar in the Finger Lakes District, as well as wines from California, Washington and Oregon.
Our recent exhibitions have charted the history of American art; from the art of the American depression in America after the Fall: Painting in the 1930s, to the scale, colour and energy of the Abstract Expressionist movement in 1940s and 1950s New York. We now look to celebrate one of our greatest living artists in Jasper Johns: ‘Something Resembling Truth’. Taking inspiration from across America, this Friends tasting will explore the revolutionary developments happening in American wines from the 1950s.
The tasting will focus on the winemakers Konstantin Frank and Andre Tchelistcheff and their developments in the industry. Dr. Frank is known for igniting the "Vinifera Revolution" after moving to the Fingers Lake district from Odessa, Ukraine in the 1950s. Dr. Frank, a professor of plant sciences, championed the growth of Vitis Vinifera vines in the Finger Lakes region, where they had previously been unsuccessful due to the cold climate, and went on to produce world-class wines. Down in California the wine revolution was led by Russian-born Andre Tchelistcheff, who turned Californian wine-making traditions upside down and redefined the style of American wine.
The tasting will be led by Tanya Nesterova who has been a visiting lecturer at Westminster University for 17 years. She studied wine at WSET, the Wine and Spirit Education Trust, and has worked at the museum of wine, Vinopolis, for nine years. She also writes about wine, specialising in Russian wines.