Waterford Wines hosting rare, one-of-a-kind wine tasting with 56 Bordeaux Grand Cru Classes

Waterford Wine and Spirits is hosting a wine tasting with 56 Bordeaux Grand Cru Classé wines, all from the year 2012, in what an expert called a rare event.

The owner and associates at the shop at 2120 N. Farwell Ave. spent a year accruing the bottles for the tasting, which will feature 56 of the 61 varietals of Bordeaux Grand Cru Classé wines that are generally used as the worldwide standard for good wine. The shop will share their unique collection with the city from 2 to 4 p.m. Sept. 30.

"If you look at American wine making, they are comparing themselves against the wines of Bordeaux, the home of cabernet and merlot," owner Ben Christiansen said. "Every wine connoisseur eventually tastes cabernet, gets interested in it, and the place where it was born and considered the best is Bordeaux. And if you want to taste the best of Bordeaux, here it is."

To have this many at one tasting is a “prestigious showing” and “absolutely rare,” according to Marianne Frantz, who is an advanced sommelier and president and founder of the American Wine School in Chicago.

“I would say for an independent owner to secure that many, and to be that committed to the Bordeaux region and have that many offerings, it's remarkable,” Frantz said.

And the tasting ticket price of $125 is a “bargain. That’s a super fair price,” Frantz said.

Christiansen set out to create a Bordeaux tasting event after the COVID-19 pandemic to boost interest in his store, which moved from E. Brady Street to N. Farwell Avenue in 2019, though the event itself might be somewhat futile when it comes to making a profit.

“It was a ton of work,” he said, and he had to put down $57,000 for the wines.

For Christiansen to get any foreign wine, he must go through an importer, wholesaler and retailer. When a shop wants Bordeaux wine, they also have to go through the Bordeaux marketplace.

“It’s kind of like I have to get married four times over,” he said. “That is why you don’t see a lot of Bordeaux going around, because of that complex set of relationships, and no one making that much money.”

For Christiansen, putting on this event is an homage to his passion for Bordeaux wines and his dedication to Milwaukee.

“We’re punching way above our weight. We’re making it happen here. I’ve never seen it done any other place,” said Christiansen, who has been in the wine business for 18 years. “Milwaukee is a land of opportunity; you can do things here, and people appreciate it and enjoy it.”

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About Grand Cru Classé wines

The Grand Cru Classé wines were established in 1855 ahead of the Paris world's fair. Between Bordeaux's humid climate and it being a port city, it was known at the time as home to the best wines in the world. At that time the French established Bordeaux's top 60 wines to be in the Grand Cru Classé, or "Grand Vineyard Classification."

One wine was added in 1973, but otherwise the list of Grand Cru Classé wines have remained the same since 1855, even in their ranking order.

"Bordeaux have for years been the benchmark of fine wine. Most people when they enter the world of wine, they look at French wine first," Frantz said.

But that doesn't mean other people have not made as good of wines, Frantz said.

"The French are very traditional. They don’t make a lot of changes very quickly," she said. "Even though other wines might be incredible, they cannot get into the classification."

The Grand Cru Classé wines at the Waterford tasting event will be from 2012, so all the wines will have aged for over a decade.

"The critics believe that 2012 has potential to be classic in style, which is good for people who like traditional Bordeaux wine, meaning the wines aren't overly ripe or under ripe," Frantz said.

Another thing that will be interesting at the event will be the chance to view all the bottles' labels. Grand Cru Classé wines have a unique set of rules, including that a label can only feature a chateau if it’s the original house and still standing.

"Whether you are a Bordeaux aficionado, or just learning, this represents an incredible, library-esque opportunity, that’s like picking it off the page of a textbook and putting it in your glass," Frantz said.

For more information about the Grand Cru Classés tasting or to register, visit waterfordwine.com or call 414-231-9393.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee wine tasting by Waterford Wines has rare Bordeaux selection