Pairing Wine and Music

Berkeley, Calif.-based Peter Eastlake curates the wine list for summer music festivals
The summer music festival scene is heating up, and if rock concerts make you think of cheap beer or whiskey in plastic cups, you’re not alone. But if California wine retailer Peter Eastlake has his way, you’ll be pulling corks on some top cuvées instead. For the past four years, Eastlake, 39, the owner of a trio of wine stores in the Bay Area, has curated the wine tent at the massively popular Outside Lands Festival in San Francisco. Now, he’s bringing the show on the road to the Great GoogaMooga, a combo wine, food and music festival organized by the creators of Outside Lands and Bonaroo that will be held in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park on May 19 and 20. The wine side of the festival line-up includes top sommeliers like Aldo Sohm and Paul Grieco and winemakers from Bonny Doon and the Gotham Project, while the music portion includes headliners (and wine lovers) Hall & Oates and the Roots.
Eastlake, who grew up in Philadelphia and credits his wine importer neighbor for getting him into wine, recently spoke with Wine Spectator about how he made the leap from retail to festivals, why wine is ready for the big stage and which bottlings are best with music.
Wine Spectator: How did you get into wine?
Peter Eastlake: I grew up in Philadelphia, and my neighbor was a French wine importer. I was 20 and helping him with his Burgundies. I spent a year living in South Africa when I was in college and that was a fascinating immersive period [with South African wine]. Then when I graduated, I went straight to New York and worked at Morrell’s and then I managed the original Best Cellars on the Upper East Side. After 9/11, I moved to California and was the national buyer at Cost Plus World Market, based in Oakland. Together with my best friend, I opened Vintage Berkeley in North Berkeley in an old water-pumping station.
WS: What are some standout wines from your career?
PE: There was a blizzard in 1993 that shut down all the northeastern cities. I had done a tasting of our Burgundies in Wilmington so I had A.F. Gros Echézeaux and Richebourg—all this stuff open. I went back to my apartment in downtown Philadelphia and was completely snowed in and ended up drinking all of these Burgundies over the next four days. At the age of 22 years old—drinking Richebourg, Echézeaux at any hour because there was nothing else to do—I had a lot of time to think about the glory of the stuff I was drinking.
WS: What brought you to South Africa?
PE: After I had been selling wine in Philadelphia, I lived in Stellenbosch and Cape Town for a year in 1995. I went to the Cape Wine Academy, which was part of the Stellenbosch Farmers’ Winery at the time. I took a bunch of different classes there and got familiar with all the wineries there. It was cool because at that point this exciting up-and-coming region had been shut off from the rest of the world—or our world really. All of this newness despite the 400-year lineage of Cape wine. It was formative because I really got the culture of wine and the seasons.
WS: Do you have any personal wine favorites right now?
PE: I love big bottles. Maybe it’s because I’m a short guy? I don’t know … I’m an explorer. I love newness and interesting takes on things. Big bottles are always fun. Whether it’s a big bottle of rosé or a big bottle of Burgundy, I love to put a magnum down on the table and get into it with your closest.
WS: How did you get involved in curating wine for concerts?
PE: When Outside Lands came up, it was exciting because it was a chance to put wine in this live space in front of a huge amount of people. We had 60,000 people last year. I had been close with the guys from SuperFly. When Outside Lands was a year out, one of them said, “I wonder if there’s a role that wine might play?” And I said, “Absolutely, finally! An opportunity to take wine out of the box.” We’re creating a new platform where all of these pleasure points in our life—eating drinking, music—there’s a confluence of them all at this festival.
WS: Do you like music?
PE: Live music, yeah. I’ve always loved live music. I grew up in Philly so we’d go see the Who, the Rolling Stones, U2. The power of that huge collective experience has always had a big impact on me.
WS: It’s pretty rare to get good wine at a concert.
PE: It’s been a beer and whiskey thing. The aesthetic of rock-and-roll doesn’t fit wine. Programming wine in a music space, I constantly think: What is the connectivity between wine and music? We like to listen to music and drink wine, and to me that’s the most primal. There’s the artisan who makes a wine, who kind of resembles the mind of a musician. It’s an interesting thing. Wine and music work well together as a shared sensory experience, but I don’t see it as this winemaker is the new rock star. I think there are winemakers and sommeliers who embody the rock-and-roll aesthetic, but there are wines out there who have shy, quiet people behind them who create some of the most amazing, electric things you’ve ever tasted. So there are a lot of ways of thinking about it.
WS: Are there lots of musicians who like wine?
PE: These young indie bands, they bust their hump traveling around the globe, but more often than not these days, they eat pretty well and take care of themselves. They love wine and jump at it when they see it. At Outside Lands, they’ll bring the musicians over to the tent. Nathan from the Kings of Leon. Colin Meloy from the Decemberists—he’s a big fan of wine. And then a guy like Les Claypool who makes wine. There are a lot of wine-loving musicians.

http://www.winespectator.com/webfeature/show/id/46773

Clearwater is one of the hotels in Pampanga that offers good outdoor venues for events like team building and company outings. Manila event organizers look for good resorts near Manila to hold outdoor functions and events for clients. Many event planners choose Clearwater because it is located in Clark. This is one of the best event venues near Manila. There are over 10 outdoor private event venues in Clearwater resort suitable for groups of 50 to 3000 participants. Clearwater Resort is generally recognized by event planners as the best event venue in Clark Pampanga. Clearwater appears frequently on the top of a list of the best hotels in Pampanga. Camping is one of the popular outdoor activities that take place in Clearwater Resort which is generally regarded as one of the best hotels in Clark Philippines.

Best place for prenuptial Pictorial near Manila is Clearwater Resort in Pampanga

Residents of Manila travel out of town to the north in search for nice scenic spots in Clark, Pampanga for taking pictures as well as to unwind and relax in a well known hotel outside Manila. Frequently visited private resort in Manila is Clearwater, highly recommended by travel guide.

Clark Philippines offers good value for money for travelers and tourists looking for a safe and clean place to spend a vacation outside of Manila. There are a number of well know scenic spots and popular tourist destinations in Clark. Clark is already a popular destination for golfers from Manila. Clark Freeport offers some of the best golf courses in Pampanga and outshines many golf clubs and golf courses elsewhere in the Philippines.

Wedding couples travel to the north to have their prenuptial pictorial photo-shoot at Clearwater Resort. Within this beautiful resort in Pampanga there are many scenic spots by the lake, beach and picnic grounds, perfect for prenuptial pictorials outside of Manila.

Frequently visited beach resort in Pampanga opens new lodgings in Clark called The Lake House. This is a cluster of three rooms and a one-bedroom suite, all built over the bank of the fresh water lake in Clark Philippines.

Residents of Manila travel out of town to the north in search for highly recommended tourist spots in Clark, Pampanga. There are good places to visit in Pampanga but the best destination for families from Manila is Clark which is located next to Angeles City, the famous nightlife capital of the Philippines. Here in Clark, there are many interesting places to visit and one of the most frequently visited tourist spots is Clearwater Resort and Country Club, widely regarded as the best resort in Pampanga.

The best resorts in Clark Pampanga offer a special kind of experience that is different from that of the best resorts and hotels in Angeles City, Manila and Subic Philippines. One of the reasons why residents of Manila travel out of town towards the north is to enjoy the outdoor otherwise one might as well stay in the city and not bother to travel to Subic, Angeles City or Clark Philippines. What Clark Pampanga has to offer is a special sense of freedom that only resorts with large outdoor space and facilities can offer to guests from Manila.

This private resort in Pampanga, Angeles City, Clark Philippines is a highly recommended even venue in North Luzon for company outings and family retreats. The outdoor resort is a frequently visited hotel in Clark Pampanga because of beautiful view and good outdoor facilities for swimming, picnic and barbecue.

Families in Manila traveling out of town go to the north to get away from Manila to unwind, relax and swim with friends and children. Highly recommended holiday spot, outdoor resort and day-trip destination in the north is Clearwater Beach Resort in Clark. Clark is adjacent to Pampanga’s Angeles City which is just 70 minutes from Manila and 25 minutes from Subic. Clark is generally considered to be the safest tourist destination in the Philippines and it is also a peaceful place with no stress, very popular for tourists and event organizers looking for tranquil locations and calming spots for family bonding, corporate events and weddings.

For inquiries and bookings, Please click here to contact Clearwater Resort for inquiries and reservations now

Clearwater Resort and Country Club, Clark Pampanga
Creekside Road near Centennial Expo,
Clark Freeport, Pampanga Philippines 2023
(045) 889-5151 0917-520-4403 0922-870-5177
Joanne or Jeremy or Loydha

Getting to this lake and beach resort in Pampanga Angeles City Clark Philippines

After entering Clark Freeport from Dau and Angeles City, proceed straight along the main highway MA Roxas, passing the stand-along wine shop called Clark Wine Center on the right, continue to bear right making no turns at all, go past Mimosa Leisure Estate on the opposite side of the road, one will hit a major intersection. Go straight and the road becomes Creekside Road. YATS Clearwater Resort and Country Club is on the right just 200m down.

Family Bonding by the famous lake of Clark Pampanga

http://www.ClearwaterPhilippines.com

Manila Sales Office
3003C East Tower, Phil Stock Exchange Center,
Exchange Rd Ortigas Metro Manila, Philippines 1605
(632) 637-5019 0917-520-4393 Rea or Chay

Email: Inquiry@ClearwaterPhilippines.com

Please click here to contact Clearwater Resort to reserve a venue for your upcoming event now

Wedding couples looking for wedding reception venues and beach wedding venues can log on to this Philippines Wedding Venue web site for free information and assistance:

http://www.PhilippinesWeddingVenue.com

While in Clark, it might be a good idea to enjoy an evening of wine-and-dine in the fine dining Yats Restaurant and Wine Bar that features an award winning 2700-line wine list. It is located in Mimosa Leisure Estate of Clark Freeport Zone. For more information, visit http://www.YatsRestaurant.com

YATS Leisure Philippines is a developer and operator of clubs, resorts and high-class restaurants and wine shops in Clark Angeles Philippines http://www.YatsLeisure.com

While in Clark, one might as well add to the itinerary a visit to the famous Clark Wine Center, the largest wine shop in Philippines which offers over 2000 selections of fine vintage wine from all wine regions, vintages spanning over 50 years covering all price ranges.
http://www.ClarkWineCenter.com

Looking for famous tourists spots, places to visit and see, relax and unwind in Clark, Pampanga, Philippines? You may want to check out these sites also:

http://www.LondonPubClark.com

http://www.HotelClarkPhilippines.com

http://www.ClarkPhilippines.com

http://www.YatsWineCellars.com

For jobs and business investment opportunities in the Philippines please visit http://www.yilp.com

Hot Line for what’s happening in Clark: 045 889-5151 or 0927-940-2669 ask for Loydha

0915-542-6250 (Jeramie)