We caught up with Susanne Lerescu, Sommelier for the Wine Cellar, to talk about the different types of Champagnes. The takeaway? An incredible education on Champagne and two exceptional recommendations to ring in the New Year:

Henri Billiot, “Cuvee Julie”, Reims, Champagne, NV

This producer owns about 5 hectares of vines in Ambonnay, which is considered one of the best towns for Champagne. What Montrachet is for Burgundy, Ambonnay is for Champagne!

This particular Champagne has equal parts of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and does not see malolactic fermentation. The wines are fermented in enameled steel tanks and are not fined or filtered, so you get a lot of pure fruit flavors.

The nose is more on the herbaceous side with dill and cucumber aromas, which is pretty different. Susanne recommends pairing this Champagne with Oysters, Lox and Shrimp, and notes, “If you like interesting Champagne that drinks easy and is not too dry – this is the one.”

Henri Goutorbe, “Special Club”, Vallee de la Marne, 2002

This producer has been producing this estate bottled Champagne in Ay since the late 1940s. Ay is a grand cru village (the highest designation) and home to some amazing Champagne.

The wines are all fermented in stainless steel and malolactic fermentation is taking place.

This champagne uses two grapes – 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay. The Champagne is aged for 8 years at the estate before it is distributed.

The nose is more subtle, while you get a lot of complexity on the palate. “This Champagne drinks like a big white wine with just a few bubbles and would be nice to drink throughout the evening,” says Susanne.

Both of these Champagnes are from small producers, so you’ll have a hard time picking them up at a local wine shop. Instead, you’re more likely to find these Champagnes on select wine lists, like our very own Restaurant Latour,

Cheers to a bubble-filled holiday! Happy New Year!

Mountain Creek has invested more than $20 million in resort improvements this season, including the state-of-the-art, 50,000 square foot Red Tail Lodge and Drop Zone Snow Tube Park – America’s largest snow tubing facility.

Winter adventure seekers will enjoy our  Ski and Stay packages, which include cozy accommodations, all day ski lift tickets, complimentary resort shuttle to and from the mountain and access to the resort amenities. Ski & Stay packages start at $100.99 per adult and are available now through March 17, 2012 (weather permitting).

 Set amidst a brilliant mountainscape with amazing views spanning three states, Crystal Springs Resort is Northern New Jersey’s premier fall foliage vacation destination. Just 47 miles from Manhattan, the luxurious Grand Cascades Lodge, family-friendly Minerals Resort & Spa or the recreation-rich Mountain Creek lodging options offer leaf-peepers cozy accommodations and abundant world-class amenities, including seven renowned golf courses, Wine Spectator’s Grand Award-winning Restaurant Latour and 100,000+ bottle Wine Cellar, two full-service spas and tropical Biosphere Pool Complex.

Whether traveling with a friend, loved one or the whole family, Crystal Springs Resort offers guests more autumn activities than they could shake a leaf at, including:

Harvest Weekends at Minerals Resort & Spa

Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays now through October 31st

Guests will start their weekend off with a taste of fall at the complimentary apple cider reception on Friday and Saturday evenings, with the Minerals activity director at the ready to assist travelers with day trips to nearby farms for apple and pumpkin picking and tours of local wineries. Recreation-seeking families will enjoy resort-planned activities, including mountain top hikes and canoeing, make-your-own caramel apples, pumpkin decorating, face painting and more.

Golftoberfest

Now through October 31st

Golfers at all 7 award-winning Crystal Springs Golf Courses will enjoy traditional German beer and Bavarian treats, such as bratwurst, knockwurst, weisswurst, German pretzels and potato leek soup. For a special treat, the Chefs have planned a pig roast every Saturday and Sunday.

Columbus Day Weekend Specials

October 7^th – 10^th

A long, leisure-filled holiday weekend awaits guests who take advantage of the Columbus Day Special – reserve Saturday and Sunday and receive 50% off Friday or Monday. The savings don’t stop there. The Crystal Springs Country Club will host their annual Columbus Day Sale October 8^th – 10^th. Golfers, skiers and snowboarders can cash in on huge holiday savings on all the best gear, apparel and accessories.

Autumn Extravaganza Craft Fair at Minerals Resort & Spa

October 16^th ~ 11:00 am – 5:00 pm

It’s never too early to start shopping for the holidays. Crafters, artists and artisans will display and sell their home-made items, including candles, jewelry, home gifts, clothing accessories and more.

Halloween Weekend at Minerals Resort & Spa

October 28^th – 30^th

Spooktacular haunted hayrides, pumpkin painting, psychic, scary movies, séance, costume parties and more.

Seasonal Spa Services

October

Spa goers and hotel guests will delight in a pampering treat at Crystal Springs Resort’s award-winning Elements Spa or Reflections Spa. Fall is the perfect season to indulge in a Pumpkin Aromatherapy Massage, exfoliate with an Autumn Facial Pumpkin Enzyme Mask, rehydrate with a Milk and Honey Moisture Wrap or soften and soothe dry and tired hands and feet with a Milk and Honey Manicure and Pedicure.

Chef de Latour John Benjamin

The menu, “dalla terra a un morso” or “a bite out of the earth”, features ingredients used in celebratory events all throughout Italy. Wine Director Robby Younes and Sommelier Susanne Lerescu will pair the evening’s Italian-inspired cuisine with rare Italian wines from our award-winning, 100,000+ bottle Wine Cellar.

The Wine Cellar at Crystal Springs Resort

Photos from the event will be shared on the Crystal Springs Resort Facebook page.

The weekend’s events kicked off on Friday with a Sam Adams ‘Meet the Brewer’ tasting seminar at Black Bear.  Guests sampled four new styles of Sam Adams beer paired with assorted hors d’oeuvres. Sam Adams brewer, Bert Boyce, was onsite for a Q&A session.  The Sam Adams Beer Dinner followed with a four course gourmet menu with beer pairings. At the end of the evening, one lucky guest took home a unique bottle of Sam Adams Utopias.

Saturday morning was a picture-perfect day for the ‘Brews and Birdies’ golf tournament, which combined two favorite universal past times – beer and golf. Golfers enjoyed 18-holes at Ballyowen or Wild Turkey and sampled a variety of craft beers along the golf course.

The Beer and Food Festival continued Saturday afternoon with a Beer Seminar and Tasting in The Chef’s Garden.  Executive Chef Michael Weisshaupt and Top Chef Season 7 winner Kevin Sbraga prepared a delicious menu featuring Grilled Lamb Kabob, Smoked Turkey Reuben, Carmelized Onion Flatbread with Savory Peach Confit, Andouille Sliders with Garden Cucumbers and Cilantro, BLT “Chef’s Garden” and Wood Oven Roasted Apricots with Pomegranate Glaze. Beer pairings included Shiner Ruby Redbird, Sierra Nevada Summerfest, Blue Moon Honey Moon, Sam Adams Summer Ale, Beach Haus American Pilsner and Cricket Hill Jersey Summer Breakfast Ale.

Our signature Beer Festival took place on the 9th hole of Cascades Golf Course at Grand Cascades Lodge. The event featured over 100 varieties of beer from over 40 breweries.  Guests received souvenir pint glasses and enjoyed unlimited beer sampling, delicious BBQ food and live music by North Jersey-based rock cover band, Likely Story.

For more photos of the 3rd Annual NJ Beer and Food Festival, visit our gallery on Facebook.

Save the date! Next year’s 4th Annual NJ Beer and Food Festival will take place June 22-23, 2012.

Executive Chef Michael Weisshaupt

Chefs & Champagne New York, James Beard Foundation’s annual summer tasting party, takes place on Saturday, July 23, 2011 at Wolffer Estate Vineyard in Sagaponack, NY. Guests will enjoy flowing Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte, sensational culinary offerings from a select group of 30+ fine chefs from Greater New York and an exciting silent auction. Chef Michael will be amongst the likes of Daniel Boulud, a JBF award winner; and Marc Forgione, winner of Next Iron Chef and a featured chef at Crystal Springs Resort’s New Jersey Food and Wine Festival.

Chef Michael will serve up Barnegat Light Lobster with Lemon Ricotta and Micro-Sorrel, and if that didn’t excite your taste buds, check out the full menu here.

For reservations and more information, please contact the James Beard Foundation at (212) 627-2308.

Family golf at Minerals

Summer is officially here, the kids are out of school and you’re looking forward to a weekend getaway.  No problem! Pack your bags and join us for some family fun this Fourth of July.

Join our Fourth of July Festivities or create your own fun! The options are endless. Take the family golfing at Cascades or Minerals golf courses, catch some rays poolside or sneak away to one of our Spas. And, if that’s not enough, check out nearby Mountain Creek Waterpark and Diablo Freeride Park.

Oh, and we saved the best part for last! Enjoy sizzlin’ savings of 50% off Friday or Monday when you reserve Saturday and Sunday. Choose from recreation-rich Minerals Resort & Spa, sophisticated Grand Cascades Lodge or action-packed Appalachian.

According to the new 2011/12 Zagat Restaurant Survey, Restaurant Latour at Crystal Springs Resort achieved stellar ratings by scoring in the highest possible ranking across all categories. With a 27 in food, 26 in décor and 27 in service, Latour achieved the top ‘excellent to perfection’ distinction, by scoring within the top 5 points of the scale in all categories. Note, this survey covered 1,050 restaurants rated and reviewed by nearly 7,000 New Jersey diners.

The Zagat accolades continue with an exceptional narrative including “ …this ‘top table’ showcases the chef’s ‘incredible’ New American cuisine, prepared from locally sourced ingredients and complemented by an ‘amazing’, 7,000-label wine list; ‘white-glove’ service and an ‘unhurried’ pace enhance the ‘extraordinary’ mood…”

The Wizards are coming, the Wizards are coming! Parents, mark your calendars. The energetic, 3-point shooting, dribbling and dunking Harlem Wizards are coming to Minerals Resort & Spa Sunday, June 26 to Friday, July 1.

Get to know the players!

Come experience:

• Daily Morning Basketball Clinic for kids ages 8 thru 15
• Daily Afternoon Wizards Experience – Contests, games, learning tricks
• Special Wizards Entertainment Night – The guys vs. moms, dads and family!
• Special Wizards Group Lunch
• Wizards Video Night – Watch some old videos featuring the players from the 70’s to today
• Special Activities – Swimming, hiking and biking with the Wizards!

Call Member Services Now to Register! 973.827.2222 x3 OR visit us online at: http://thecrystalspringsresort.com

Crystal Springs Golf Resort is comprised of seven public courses in Sussex County. The courses were carved from farmland, forests, limestone ridges, and spring-fed wetlands – hallmarks of the New Jersey Skylands. As those habitats get whittled away by development, the remaining lands become ever more critical to the survival of wildlife and the health of our soils, water, and air.

The Wildlife Action Plan (WAP) is designed to help us all make effective land management choices for wildlife – whether we have postage-stamp backyards, larger suburban lots, or responsibility for hundreds of acres.

Crystal Springs falls on the larger end of that spectrum, and they’ve been tackling the laundry list of WAP actions to keep their holdings alive with wildlife both common and rare. At their Ballyowen course in Hardyston, for example, Crystal Springs maintains a mosaic of “no-mow” grassland amongst the golf greens. In 2006 they also planted native warm-season grasses in an adjacent farm field. As well as reducing labor and adding to the course’s Celtic flair, these areas provide a combined 60 acres of shelter, nesting, and foraging grounds for grassland birds like the bobolink (a threatened species), which are now regular residents at Ballyowen.

Two other courses contain large wetland areas that are home to rare species. With help from state and federal agencies, Crystal Springs has plugged old agricultural ditches that had drained wetlands for decades, removed invasive plants that were choking their open “emergent” habitats, and planted a small woodland buffer around an amphibian breeding pool. Work is ongoing to safeguard habitat for bog turtles, a federally listed species with a special stronghold in northwestern NJ.

Most recently, Crystal Springs offered up 600+ acres of forest land for bat habitat and research. Crystal Springs has a mix of forests, floodplains, and wetlands that is attractive to forest bats like the federally endangered Indiana myotis, who roost and raise their young under the bark of dead or dying trees. An assortment of artificial roosts were installed in one section of forest this fall as part of a pilot project, and Crystal Springs staff will be girdling select trees to provide a greater array of natural roosting options for bats.

While they could have taken a much different tack, Crystal Springs’ ownership and staff have embraced their role as endangered species caretakers. Superintendent Brad Sparta and grounds manager Craig Worts deserve special kudos for moving these projects along. A number of partners have provided guidance and funding, including the NJ Endangered and Nongame Species Program, US Fish and Wildlife Service, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, GoNative! consulting, Audubon International, and the Conserve Wildlife Foundation.

Check out the things you can do for wildlife in your area: www.njfishandwildlife.com/ensp/waphome.htm. Or contact us to feature your project!