The Luxury of White Peach Champagne, Venice, Love and a Great Gift

Yesterday, we were in Beverly Hills bright and early for business meetings.  The conversation turned to champagne as a gift, and we remembered one of our favorite aperitif (cocktail) champagnes-peach champagne.  Inspired by the famed Italian version (the Bellini, which is now the official cocktail of the International Bartenders Association), the French have bottled this wonderful elixir.

The Bellini was invented in Venice by Giuseppe Cipriani  at his restaurant called, Harry’s Bar in Venice, in 1934.  Legend has it that Signor Cipriani made the first Prosseco (Italian sparkling wine) and white peach puree cocktail for his beautiful girlfriend, and named it “Bellini” because it reminded him of a painting by the 15^th century Venetian artist, Giovanni Bellini..  This was the seasonal specialty at this quintessential Venetian restaurant that was frequented by Ernest Hemmingway, Sinclair Lewis and Orson Welles. 

We were first introduced to this delight at a fresh fish restaurant in Paris.  We ordered the sea food platter with oysters, clams, langoustine, and pink shrimp.  Our waiter suggested peach champagne.  Both my mother and Ron laughed at me when I ordered it.  The moment it arrived and I tasted it, I was in love.  When Ron and Mom tasted it, I had to pry out of their hands…they also ordered it.

When we returned to Los Angeles, I promptly called every wine store to find this champagne.  I located it at DuVin in West Hollywood across from the Pacific Design Center.  It is a wonderful wine store specializing in European wines tucked behind a garden.  The owners are a delight and introduced us to many delicious French and Italian wines.  When we lived in Napa, I had them deliver a case to our home for holiday gifts several times.  In a wine savvy community, everyone was absolutely delighted and could not thank us enough for this amazing champagne treat. 

Wishing you all a great weekend, Cheers Ron & Alexandra

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Luxury Real Estate Marketing: America’s Luxury-The New Entrepreneurial Spirit

It is a luxury to live in America. In the spirit of celebrating America’s birthday, we are sharing with you some quintessential American places (and fabulous people we have met there) during our recent travels to work with some East Coast clients. The definition for quintessential: is representing the most perfect or typical example of a quality or class. Quintessential is an essential word to know in the Language of Luxury.

We discovered The Inn at Tabbs Creek on the Internet. Every online comment about the place was positive. After a 3-hour drive in traffic from Reagan National on a hot Virginia day, we turned into to an expansive tree- lined driveway and this magnificent view of the Inn appeared (see photo). We were warmly greeted and shown to our room via the flower gardens lovingly tended by owner Lori Dusenberry. Our room had a view of an inlet of the Chesapeake Bay. (see photo below)

Since it was dinnertime, our greeter, Lori’s brother, gave us suggestions and directions to restaurants in nearby Mathews, a quaint little town. As we drove out, we noticed a large plot of land with a myriad of vegetables, the domain of owner, Greg Dusenberry, Lori’s husband. These wonderful organic vegetables would be part of our breakfast for the two mornings we were there. Lori and Greg exemplify the spirit of entrepreneurship and innovative thinking of an American family owned business. We think this excerpt from their website expresses their ingenuity and their intentions perfectly.

“The main Inn is an 1880's newly renovated farmhouse with a separate cottage housing the luxury suites just across the garden and pool. An eco-friendly and certified Virginia Green lodging establishment, The Inn at Tabbs Creek is just the place if you appreciate the natural splendor of the outdoors yet want the luxury and comfort of a casual B&B. We have also partnered with Carbonfund.org to pay for our carbon offsets, so that you may stay "Guilt Free"! (or at least, Carbon Neutral).”

Our breakfasts at the Inn were the culinary highlights of our trip. We had crabmeat omelets with their fresh crabs harvested that morning, and fresh steamed asparagus. The previous morning we enjoyed a sausage quiche with heirloom tomatoes from Greg’s organic garden. The muffins, filled with fresh local berries, came right out of their oven, piping hot, to our table.

Our hosts graciously invited our clients to join us for our breakfast feasts on both days of our stay. We felt pampered, loved and definitely spoiled.

The Inn at Tabs Creek is a quintessential American place, with its picturesque setting, its superb cuisine and especially the generosity of spirit that was extended to us. It definitely rivals any of the French or Italian countryside inns that we have experienced.

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Luxury Real Estate Marketing: America’s Luxury: Warm, Welcoming People

It is a luxury to live in America, and in the spirit of celebrating America’s birthday, we are sharing with you some of the most quintessential places and people we have experienced in our recent travels to our clients marketplaces. The definition for quintessential: is representing the most perfect or typical example of a quality or class. This is also in our opinion one of the facets which defines luxury.

Captain Stannard House

Country Inn in Westbrook, Connecticut

This is where we learned from Jim and Mary Brewster (the owners of this wonderful bed and breakfast), this sentence, “We cannot wait to spoil you”. And they were true to their words. If you read our blog, you probably saw the picture of the tasty brownies treats on the dresser. Breakfasts were delicious, and the common areas comfortable and inviting. The House has been lovingly restored, and the work was done by an architect who specializes in restoring and building homes that are a 100 years old.

After dinner, we spent the evenings in the living room on comfortable leather couches catching up with our correspondence. We felt completely at home. The Stannard Inn is located one block from the beach, where the Atlantic meets the river. We came in strangers and we left as friends, and that is one of America’s luxury traits—warm and welcoming people. We are looking forward to our next visit.

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Marketing Luxury Real Estate: Tour and Brew to Impress

When you are marketing luxury real estate, here is a fun way to impress your clients while driving them from property to property. Why not offer them an espresso?

Handpresso, a French company is the creator of an outdoor version of an espresso machine powered by a hand pump which is available in the US via importika.com, $199.95. This model comes with 4 cups, a serving flask, and two small napkins in an elegant black carrying case, As you are touring the gardens of a home you are showing, you can relax with your clients as you discuss the property and serve them a freshly brewed espresso. We would suggest packing a tin of biscotti and some chocolate to sweeten the deal making process. The coffee pods are also available in decaf.

The other gadget is a personal one. Since 2008, European drivers have had the advantage of being able to brew a creamy cup of espresso in their car. This is very handy when you are rushing out of the door and have no time to stop at your favorite coffee place. The new gadget, HandpressoAuto, made by French company Handpresso is due to arrive in the US later this year (Christmas present?) plugs directly into the cigarette lighter of your auto. It takes two minutes for the portable machine (size of an average thermos) to deliver a cup of espresso. All you have to do is pour water into the thermos, place a coffee pod, hit the “on” button, and enjoy the hit of caffeine. The personal one presently retails for 150 euros.

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Luxetera, etc: The Joy of a Wonderful Cookbook

Last week, our dear friend, Stan Penner, gifted us with the long- awaited cookbook, Completely Delicious that he just wrote and published. This magnificent book and its outstanding recipes reflect Stan’s authenticity as a person, and as a chef who has a passion for entertaining, especially by creating intimate dinner parties for friends. If you enjoy the art of giving dinner parties or simply want to try some easy to follow sumptuous recipes, this book is for you.

An example of a recipe that you can make just for yourself is his energy shake which can be found in the drink section called “Raw Green Dinner Blast!” According to Stan, “we gave this drink to our housekeeper, and she worked nonstop the whole day. ‘I did not even eat lunch because it gave me so much energy,’ she said glowing.”

One of our favorites is shrimp curry pizza, which Stan had made for us in his pizza oven that is located at center stage in his dining room. When Ron tasted Stan’s delectable lime cheesecake, (which doesn’t take all day to make), he said “This texture is as smooth as skiing on fresh powdered snow.”

We highly recommend Completely Delicious to anyone who wants a one of a kind cookbook, and it a great gift for that special client or friend. Happy Munching.