Lexpert Magazine

LEXPERT MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2013 77 TRAVEL When Winter Appalls, the Caribbean Calls you carry me?" And she heard, "Will you marry me?" For the wedding reception we would, of course, have champagne. I had ordered three cases of Drap- pier Carte d'Or Brut (the bubbly they serve currently on Air Canada's business-class flights). e import- ing agent, who is a friend, said he would take back one case of twelve bottles and give me instead a Balthazar. ere is a tradition in the Champagne region to name large-format bottles aer Old Tes- tament kings. A Jeroboam contains four bottles, a Rehoboam six bottles, a Methuselah eight bottles, a Salamanzar 12 bottles and a Balthazar 16 bottles. (e largest size is a Nebuchadnezzar weighing in at 20 bottles.) My friend said I could get family mem- bers and friends to sign the bottle as a memento of the occasion. My perceptive bride said it would only gather dust in the garage. Our wedding reception was held at Jump in To- ronto's financial district. We got married in the courtyard outside with opera arias bouncing off the buildings that enclose the courtyard; and then we all went into the restaurant for the champagne reception before dinner. en disaster struck. e sommelier came up to me and whispered in my ear, "at big bottle of champagne, we can't serve it." "What do you mean you can't serve it?" I replied, appalled. "You mean you can't li it? You can't pour it? What?" "No, you wouldn't want your guests to have it. We opened it and it was dead, flat, oxidized, gone." Sixteen bottles of champagne went down the drain that day. e wine was spoiled by a single cork. In your restaurant-going life you have probably had a corked wine or two — a wine that has been tainted by a chemical reaction between vestiges of mould in the crevices of the cork, the chlorine that was used to bleach the cork and the acids in the wine. It makes the wine smell like a swampy basement. at's why so many wineries have switched to screwcaps. Corked champagne is not all that common. If you look closely at a champagne cork, you'll notice that the business end that comes in contact with the wine is composed of two discs of high-grade cork; the rest is an agglomeration of ground cork. Because the discs are cut from the very best cork, it is a rare occurrence for champagne to be tainted, but it does occasionally happen. And I am a walking testament to that fact. e bottle disaster did not spoil the occasion, though, and my wife is not altogether unhappy that the spoiled Balthazar avoided fatefully gathering dust in our garage. I didn't write notes on my wedding wines, as I was otherwise occupied, but had I done so, I would have said, "A notable vintage, full of promise for a rewarding future." HERE? Look out your window and you'll find dirty snow, piles of work and the bills from your last getaway. ere? Beaches and palm trees and drinks that come with umbrellas. ere's Wi-Fi if you need it and a plausible excuse when you don't. Don't you think it's time you headed to the Caribbean? > Gansevoort, Turks and Caicos – If it's a party scene you're aer, this is definitely not the spot. Expect the lush feel you're used to at Gansevoort's other properties, but with an intimate twist. e 91-room property (pictured above) boasts a suite for every taste, and the location will leave you awestruck. Not to be missed: the exhale core fusion classes, al fresco dining, and the view of the waters. Starting rate is $500 per night. www.gansevoorttc.com > BodyHoliday, Saint Lucia – ose holiday pounds won't stand a chance here. Between the new "Tree House" spin studio, the Olympic-style program- ming and even a "SAD Program for Happy People" (billed as the perfect way to fight Seasonal Affective Disorder), you'll be too busy working it out in studio and on the beach to remember the body you le behind. Starting rate is $450 per person per night. www.thebodyholiday.com > Caneel Bay, Saint John – Hide out among the intimate enclaves of Saint John in the US Virgin Islands. e lush island offers you a tropical sanctuary with seven secluded beaches to choose from. At Caneel Bay resort, you'll enjoy low-key luxury, free from digital distractions (no televisions or phones in your room). Spend your time in one of the 166 simply appointed rooms, or knock out your aggression in the world-class tennis facility. www.rosewoodhotels.com > Condado Vanderbilt, Puerto Rico – And if you're already dreaming about next winter, this is the one to watch. Built in 1919 by the son of William Hen- ry Vanderbilt, this Whitney Warren-designed Grande Dame hotel has hosted countless international celebrities and history-makers including Charles Lind- bergh. e highly awaited hotel and guest rooms will open to the public in winter 2013. Rates to be announced. www.condadovanderbilthotel.com | DETOURS | Heather Greenwood Davis is a freelance columnist and travel writer recently returned from a year-long trip around the world. www.globetrottingmama.com Tony Aspler is the author of 16 books on wine, including his latest, Tony Aspler's Cellar Book. PHOTO COURTESY OF GANSEVOORT TURKS + CAICOS No toxic city slush. No frost-bitten wind. No winter of any kind

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