by Keith Lin

It's appropriate that Christophe Tassan is affiliated with Le Bec-Fin, one of Philadelphia's most revered finedining establishments. After all, few people in the world know more about wine, and with his elegant demeanor and fitting French accent, who would refuse a recommendation from him? DiningOut catches Tassan before his recent trip to France.

Wineries like Gruner Veltliner and Schloss Vollrads have worked glass corks into their production line. Do these new corks store wine properly, or are they a kind of aesthetic gimmick?

A couple of months ago I was part of a group of tasters who considered this question. Everybody agreed that, at the moment, nobody knows. Wine has to be kept in the bottle for many years. If you use a glass cork, does it make a big difference in the wine keeping or not? I don't think so. Unfortunately, nobody has any conclusive research. You have to wait about 25 years or so. Around 1967 or 1968, we saw that we didn’t have any more trees for corks, so they did an experiment in Burgundy. They corked with screw caps, and in 1995 they did a tasting. None of the tasters could tell the difference, so it shows that, if we can replace the cork, it's probably okay.

What are the differences between wines aged in French oak and American oak, and with what foods would you pair them?

The reason we use oak barrels for aging is that the wine takes on the perfume of the oak. In France, there are two main forests, one in the center and one in the north. The center forest is a cooler climate, so the grain of the oak is different—it's better for wine production, so they use it more. French oak—whatever the grape, whether a burgundy or Bordeaux—creates a spicy, vanilla or smoky taste. This results in wines that match peppery sauces. The American oak is more minty in aroma. Red berry jellies and sauces, cranberry jelly—these are good foods to match the aroma that you find in American oak.

China isn't particularly known for its wine culture, but it looks as if its wine production is increasing exponentially. Do you think China will be able to produce quality wines, having started relatively late in the history of the wine industry?

In China, the question is: Why don't young people drink wine? The challenge is to change perception. If China takes the short route by going right into producing enjoyable wines—fruity, with balance—they might be able to pull it off. If they want a certain terroir, it will take more time and lots of experimentation, so it will need to come later. If China tries today to produce wines like those from New Zealand or South America, it's only a question of equipment and process. They can get these things. It was the same with Chilean wines—they hired Italian and French winemakers, and they did it.