JMD IN THE MEDIA

TAPPING THE TRADE

By Liane Fu
Co-Owner of JMD Beverages

Guests discover magic at Hale Koa

Corks and birds vanish during special dinner events this month

Now you see it; now you don’t. A couple of disappearing acts will take place at the Hale Koa Hotel this month, headlined by magician Mark Mauricio and self-admitted wine geek Alan Jahns.

On Wed., April 25, Jahns will play host to a “Farewell to the Cork” dinner, starting at 6 p.m. This four-course wine-pairing evening is priced at $65 plus tip.

“We held an event like this on Maui and invited the County coroner to announce the death of the cork,” quipped Jahns, a partner in JMD Beverages, a locally-owned distributor in fine wines. “We put the cork in the coffin, so to speak.”

A growing number of vintners are slowly converting from the traditional bark cork to the metallic screwcap, once associated with gut-rot wines.

“Only Luddites don’t want to make the transition,” Jahns said. “There are perceived value issues with screwcaps that aren’t true.”

And he’ll put his wine where his mouth is, pouring highlyrated international wines, such as a 2006 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand (which has gone 100 percent screwcaps with all their wines); a 2005 Verget Chablis Vendanges from France; a 2005 Gunderloch “Diva Spatlese” Riesling from Germany; and a 2004 Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir from Santa Barbara.

“The ‘cork lobby’ wants you to believe that ageability is an issue with screwcaps,” Jahns said. “But honestly, only a small fraction of wine drinkers will actually age their wines.”

As far as the ceremony of “popping the cork,” Jahns said it’s overrated and he also added that people were never even supposed to sniff the cork.

“The screwcap is the future,” he said. “The wine industry is the last industry being held hostage by being forced to use cork as a closure.”

During the evening, longtime executive chef Rolf Walter will complement the wines with his Continental cuisine, featuring such petits entrees as seared Sonoma Valley foie gras, panseared ono coupled with furikake-nori shrimp and baked veal loin en croute.

“I’m a blue collar speaker,” Jahns said. “I want to take away the snobbishness and elitism associated with drinking wines. And I don’t want any ‘fartin’ cork sniffers.”

So while Jahns is making the cork disappear, Mauricio will open his act by making a dove vanish before audience members’ eyes.

“It’s the cliche opening bird routine,” Mauricio said. “And it’s the only traditional magic trick that I’ll do for the rest of the show; everything else will be a unique experience for the audience.”

For the next two following Tuesdays (April 17 and 24) and for Administrative Professional’s Day on Fri., Apr. 27, Mauricio will dazzle the crowd with his sleight-of-hand tricks and have them in stitches with his gut-busting comedy.

“I call it ‘Magicomedy,’ which is a combination of magic and comedy,” Mauricio said. “My goal is to entertain people and not fool them. Each show is unique because it feeds on the audience’s reactions.”

The Tuesday “Magical Safari” dinner buffet show is priced at $27.95 for adults and $16.95 for keiki 11 years and younger. A 10-percent gratuity will also be charged.

“The next two Tuesday shows are in honor of kids whose parents are serving in the military,” said Lucy Lau, Hale Koa’s marketing coordinator. “They’re our little heroes and we’ll be giving them safari hats, stuffed animals and other goodies for attending the show.”

The Administrative Professional’s Day luncheon show will cost $21.95 plus 10-percent tip, with lunch starting at 11 a.m. in the Banyan Tree Showroom.

“Magic is not just for kids,” Mauricio said. “People come up to me and tell me they never liked magic until they saw my show. I do things that you wouldn’t normally see.”

Hale Koa Room

Where: 2055 Kalia Rd., Hale Koa Hotel

Call: 955-0555/955-9632

Hours: Tuesday through Saturday from 6 p.m.

Note: The hotel is also home to three different shows, including the Hale Koa Luau, Tama’s Polynesian Revue and Magic in Paradise.

The Hale Koa Hotel is accessible to family or accompanied guests of active-duty or retired military, Department of Defense civilian employees, Reserve and National Guard members.

Honolulu Advertiser - April 15, 2007

Cafe Marc Aurel co-owner Adrianne Martinez, left, dabs a teary eye as Maui County Coroner’s physician, Dr. Tony Manoukian, offers his condolences to the death of the cork.

The Maui News / CARLA TRACY photo

The Maui News / CARLA TRACY photo

DINING: Funeral for the cork
By CARLA TRACY, Dining Editor

The group gathered to lay all of their preconceived notions to rest. Some dressed in black. Others donned traditional aloha attire. They came to pay respects. Yet, the mood in the room was anything but somber.

The Funeral for the Cork, the first such event of its kind in the state of Hawaii, was presented by Alan Jahns of JMD Beverages, and Marc Aurel, co-owner of Cafe Marc Aurel, at his fun and irreverent wine and espresso bar on Market Street in Wailuku.

In reality, the Funeral for the Cork was a to-die-for tasting of six fine wines with screwcaps. Attendees sipped, listened to Jahns and munched bread. Many ordered off the Euro menu.

"I’m not claiming originality on this one," says Jahns, a wine expert who holds themed tastings there a couple of times a month. "Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon Vineyards held a huge funeral in New York City when he went to 100 percent screwcaps on all his wines in 2002. At the time, he was producing over 250,000 bottles a year."

A quick search on the Internet found numerous relevant sites. "Twist of Fate" said that Grahm led a funeral procession through Grand Central Station complete with pall bearers carrying the tuxedoed "body" of Mr. Cork.

It was a 6-feet-under publicity stunt – an ode to the cork method of stopping up wine bottles that’s at least 421 years old and may well date back to the ancient Egyptians.

But why put the nail in the coffin of the cork when it’s stopped up wines so well for so many centuries?

"We are the last industry forced to use tree bark, more commonly known as cork, as a closure for our liquids," says Jahns. "Unfortunately, one of out 10 bottles are contaminated by bad corks, unneccesarily ruining our wine-drinking experience. Companies in the beer and soda industry would never, ever put up with that big of a percentage of loss."

So in comes Mr. Stelvin, a real person (unlike Mr. Cork), who actually invented the screwcap for wine bottles in the 1960s. That’s why these particular screwcaps are also known as the "Stelvin Closure" by the wine industry.

While the screwcap has been in vogue on sparkling waters, juices and spirits for decades, its presence on wine bottles is still controversial.

"It’s all about image. That’s the only downside," says Jahns. "Most of us drank cheap wines with screwcaps in the back seat of our cars. It’s still associated with cheap wines and the wine trade still has an irrational loyalty to corks."

With time, more high-end wineries are switching to Stelvin Closures as they do keep oxygen out and the wine tasting fine. It’s so "reverse chic."

"Cork taint is such a big issue it’s no wonder the industry is looking to other methods," says Jahns.

"During this tasting, we’ll examine the perceived value issues surrounding the wine bottle closure debate and offer you very high quality and expensive wines with (ahem) screwcaps."

But just what is cork taint, anyway?

According to the take-home literature provided by Jahns, "cork taint imparts a musty/moldy off flavor in wine and is considered a defect."

"In practical terms, it’s the biggest peril bottled wine buyers face," says Jahns. "It strikes sporadically, randomly and often very ferociously. No wine, regardless of its pedigree or high price, is immune from cork taint."

In fact, cork taint is why countries such as New Zealand, famous for its sauvignon blancs, are leaders in the screwcap wine industry.

"Unfortunately, most studies have just been done on white wines, and so we do not know how well these screwcap wines will age," eulogizes Jahns."Yet, how many of us here are actually laying down our wines in cellars? Most of us in today’s market are into wines simply for immediate gratification."

As Jahns chatted with wine enthusiasts at the long table, he poured screwcap wines into fine Riedel crystal glasses that are a staple at Cafe Marc Aurel. Guests swirled and sipped and marveled in the clean tastes.

The first wine was a Babich sauvignon blanc from the Marlborough region of New Zealand, rated 90 points by Wine Spectator magazine.

"We’re doing a power tasting on these wines," says Jahns. "This one boasts pink grapefruit and ripping acidity. It makes the hair on the back of your neck stand at attention. No oak."

Next up was a white Bordeaux from France, followed by a German Riesling from Gunderloch Rothenberg.

"Germany, like France, has her hands tied by tradition. But Fritz Hasselbach, (the riesling producer) believes in the bucking of tradition."

As the wines continued to flow, the group began to crucify the cork with their gallows humor. They were having fun getting "twisted" on the selection of fine screwcap wines.

"Put a cork in it!" someone squealed. "Should I sing ’Amazing Grace?’ " asked another. "I’ll never pay corkage as long as I live!" shouted a third.

The next "funeral" is Wednesday and wine geeks and cork dorks alike will want to come. "We do tastings, not funerals, two times a month at Cafe Marc Aurel," says Jahns. "But the themes are generally not set in stone."

? VISITATION: The next Funeral For the Cork will be held Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. in Cafe Marc Aurel in Wailuku.

? ATTIRE: Dress in black or aloha wear.

? HOW MUCH: Cost of $48 offers five screwcap wines, one with a cork, and bread.

? TO BOOK: Call 280-2508

The Banyan Tree’s Chef de Cuisine Jojo Vasquez fishes with a wine bottle as Brian Clancy (from left), Suzanne Chambers and Jim Powlan toast to the wine and food festival’s silver anniversary.

The Maui News / CARLA TRACY photo


Marc Aurel & Alan Jahns

DINING: Cafe Marc Aurel
By CARLA TRACY, Dining Editor

Some of us skeptics didn’t think Cafe Marc Aurel would last, when it morphed from just a little coffee house on Market Street in Wailuku to include a wine bar at night with live entertainment.

But as it turns out, Cafe Marc Aurel continues to rock – as one of the most popular and fun places on the island.

“A couple years back, I was driving across the Santa Cruz mountains when Marc Aurel called me on my cell and said he wanted to do a nice wine bar with gourmet cheeses, Riedel crystal, the whole nine yards,” says Alan Jahns of JMD Beverages.

“I thought, ’Yeah, yeah, yeah. Sophisticated wine bar in Wailuku. Lots of luck!’ But the thing’s a huge success. It’s an unbelievable gathering place. It’s very Euro, very cosmopolitan, very sophisticated. It’s got a Greenwich Village feel to it.”

Of course, others thought it was “da bomb” from the start.

“I think it brings a whole new taste to town,” says Dr. Tony Manoukian, who frequents Cafe Marc Aurel after 4 p.m. “I mean, 80 wines by the glass, not very many places do that. The food has a European flavor with great smoked meats, salads and cheeses –and they all pair well with the wines.”

“Dr. T” as he’s called there, continues his compliments. “The variety of wine is amazing. You may order wines from Australia, Chile, California and Europe. You can even order a nice German pinot noir. I didn’t even know the Germans made red wine. And Marc brings a variety of entertainment from bluegrass to jazz to belly dancing. It’s like a world cafe right there on Market Street. It’s stirring things up in Wailuku.”

The above-mentioned Alan Jahns is one of the people helping to stir it up there with his twice monthly wine tastings on varying Wednesdays.

“I’m competing against Philosopher’s Night and Poetry Night,” says Alan. “Who would have thunk it? What he’s done in here is hip and cool. Even though my kids tell me saying ’hip and cool’ isn’t hip and cool. It’s against all odds. He lifted this street. Who needs another pawn shop?”

Owner Marc speaks equally as fondly of his wine expert pal Alan.

“I forced Alan into my place so he could see what I was doing,” he says.”Now, the whole wine list is essentially Alan Jahn’s design. He wrote all the cutesy things on the wine list. As for his tastings, it’s musketeer style. Bohemian ambience. Interactive. It’s not a sit back and let me learn. It’s a round-table dialogue. You can ask about screw caps or whatever. If you don’t, trust me, I will.”

So what makes Marc, who is a youthful store owner, such an expert in things Euro and Bohemian? According to his biography, he was born in Germany and attended school in Italy and Greece.

“During the summer, Marc and his mother would venture off in their Volkswagen bug to Turkey, Pakistan, Iran, India and everywhere in between. He attended school in Washington, D.C., and went back to Berlin for two more years before settling into high school on the Big Island.”

Then wanderlust hit again and he traveled in the international corporate sector before coming back to Hawaii to fulfill his dream of doing coffee and wine right.

“My father studied physics in Grenoble and he had a favorite men’s store there called the Marc Aurel boutique. I was named after the store. Cafe Marc Aurel was also featured in the movie, ’The Third Man,’ filmed in Vienna and starring Orson Welles.”

The dream is here, alive and kicking, and so let’s talk about what’s new at Maui’s wine bar hot spot. “We have a new menu with a wahine laying in a bathtub of corks,” he says. “ All of the specialty meat sandwiches are new with your choice of Black Forest ham, Buender Fleisch air-cured beef or prosciutto. The cheese of the month is Chimay, a supple cow’s milk from Belgium. The wines of the month are German rieslings.

“We are just expanding our specialty meats,” he continues. “I’m only interested in carrying the best meats and so I e-mailed the SAAG company and placed an order. Turns out the co-owner Barbara Mosle lives right here on Maui in Wailea.”

Salads are all new on the menu, including the panzanella marinara Italian summer salad – all come in small and large sizes Tuesdays are the salad extravaganzas and Chef Ken Fleming has taken over, working with Marc’s mom, Claire.

“He creates new salads weekly. Last week, it was eggplant, cheese, portabella mushrooms and tomato over greens with dressing. He’s from fine dining restaurants and was a saucier in Alabama. All of these people I work with are so making it happen.”

Make sure to save room for dessert. Marquis au Chocolat is an “ultra rich cake-like dessert with chocolate genoise, chocolate ganache, baked hazelnuts and chocolate leaf.” Marc also now sells Padovani chocolates handmade on Oahu and he has a freezer full of Haagan Dazs ice cream along with ports, dessert wines and even a 1917 Madeira.

Next Thursday kicks of the F-word series, (meaning “folk” music) with Teri Garrison. and April will be the first art month featuring Danny Kealoha.

Make sure to give Cafe Marc Aurel a try. It’s better to just drop by as they sometimes are too busy to answer the phone. So it appears it will be there a long, long time – stirring things up in Wailuku.

CAFE MARC AUREL FAST FACTS

Where: 28 N. Market St., Wailuku.

Coffee house: Enjoy coffees, organic herbal teas, smoothies, bagels, pastries, fruits, salads, sandwiches and pizzas from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Wine bar: 80 different wines by the glass, gourmet cheeses, beers, spirits, ports and desserts all go along with a calendar of live jazz, acoustic, country, open mic, belly dancing and more from 4 p.m. “guaranteed until 9 p.m., usually until 11 p.m., and sometimes until 2 a.m.” Closed Sundays.

For entertainment line-up or more details: Visit

cafemarcaurel.com or call 244-0952.

JMD Beverages, along with Morrad Foods, held a Trade Show at the Maui
Culinary Academy (Maui Community College) on September 30, 2005.
Pictured (left to right) are John Wise (Maui Sales) and Alan Jahns (Partner)

A sold out dinner called the "Invasion of the Oregonians", with all proceeds benefitting the Maui Prepatory Academy, was held recently at Kapalua's newest restaurant: The Pineapple Grill at Kapalua on Saturday July 9th, 2005. Pictured (L to R) are : Rob Alstrin (Penner-Ash Wines); Alan Jahns (Partner, JMD Beverages); Deb Hatcher (owner, A to Z Winery); Tony Rynders (winemaker, Domaine Serene Winery); Josh Bergstrom (owner/winemaker) Bergstrom Winery; Karen and Ken Wright (Ken Wright Winery).

JMD Partners Alan Jahns and David Nip Travel to California