A Typical Trip to the Store

This is called a 'good day'...an afternoon at Hi-Time Wine Cellars produced Urban Riesling from Mosel, Chateau De Costis Grand Vin de Bordeaux, Russian River Consecration, Taylor Fladgate Porto and Lips of Faith Tart Lychee Ale.

Have a great weekend, Cheers!

Day Two, Level One: Court of Master Sommeliers

The second day began earlier than the first day… at least it felt like it. I was up all night studying the material that I learned from the first day, and ended up passing out somewhere in between New Zealand and South Africa.

Day two gave us a new pair of Masters, Reggie Narito and Catherine Fallis.

The morning started right off the bat with more blind tasting and a little bit of trickery- wines that I have never tried before; Grüner Veltliner being one of them. I missed all four of the wines in the first flight, but so did the rest of the class. I was not off to the best start, but at least I know it wasn’t just me this time.

After the first flight, it was more of where we left off on Monday- More regions, sub-regions and wine laws…you know, the stuff that is important but still puts you to sleep. 

I was able to redeem myself at the last flight, nailing two of the four wines- Malbec  (Mendoza) and Sauvignon Blanc (Loire).  That helped boost my confidence for what was to come next. EXAM TIME.

The written exam was only 70 questions, but it covered a ton information that was thrown at us in a matter of only two days. I don’t even think most of it had totally sunken in yet.

The first two pages were pretty easy, vintology and history, and I was flying through it. I was feeling pretty good.  Then I hit a series of French and Australian sub-region questions and hit a wall. I decided that in the interest of time, it was best that I just blow through all the ones that I know first and then go back and think about the ones I wasn’t so sure about.

When I reached question 70, I went back and counted that I was able to positively answer 37 of them. GREAT…I was going to need a whole lot of educated guesses to save me. I used a lot of deductive reasoning to narrow down my final answers. I finished with about 10 minutes left.

We had to wait outside as the rest of the students finished, scores were tallied and certificates and pins were set up. It was the longest 30 minutes I’ve experienced in quite some time. With only a little more than half of the questions nailed down for sure, I wasn’t sure that I had passed. 

We finally got called back for results and awards. Rows of Champagne glasses sat bubbling, waiting to be savored in celebration. You could sense the anxiety in the room as the entire class fell silent the moment the Masters stood in front of us with certificates and pins in hand.

I think the Masters sensed this, because they filibustered for a bit…then it began.

As the names were being called, applause were given. As name after name was being called, I began to worry as I was not yet called and the stack of certificates was getting thinner and thinner. I looked around and everyone sitting around me had already gotten a certificate and their Guild of Sommeliers Pin. I was scanning around the room to see who had not yet gotten one. As I was scanning I heard “Jesus Evangelistaaaaaaaa”. 

YES!

I smiled, got up and did the Tiger Wood’s fist pump. I shook hands with the Masters and collected my pin and certificate. After all the names were called, the bubbly was passed out and good times were had.

I wanted to take some photos with the Masters, but my phone had died. Oh well, I guess I’ll save that for Level Two.

I’m very glad that I passed and I did learn quite a bit. It was a fun and exciting experience, but I do have my thoughts on how the class was set up and run. That will be the topic for the next entry.

Until then ,cheers!

2010 Vina Leyda Carmenere

After two days of wine flights, blind tastings, wine pairings, terroir, region and vintology...what's the first thing I do when I get some time to breathe? Take a seat at the airport wine bar.

On my way to the gate, I stopped in "just to see" what was on their list...and behold, I found myself another Carmenere. I just had to try it.

2010 Vina Leyda Carmenere, Rapel Valley- Chile. Classic carmenere- Rich, black fruits like a mouth full of plum jam. Secondary elements of bay leaves, white pepper and baking spices taper into a full, albeit short, off dry finish.

I went against the grain and paired it with cheddar and gouda penne truffle pasta. At Vino Volo- SFO, San Fransisco.

2009 Sauvion Muscadet Sur Lie

It is typical of French Wine to have a taste of the French earth in every sip. This flavour which comes through in earthiness and minerality is referred to as "terroir". It is the main distinguishing feature between Old World and New World style wines.

This glass was an interesting specimen for Muscadet. There was a nice presence of earth- hints of wet stones and flint which come from the granite and limestone which make up much of the Loire Valley. That earthines was also balanced by a fair amount of fruit, mostly green apple and grapefruit, and vibrant acidity. Not much of a finish, but that's OK because it is a great wine to pair with food.

Overall, not bad as a stand alone wine, but excellent to pair with most seafood- Fish, shellfish and sushi.

2009 Sauvion, Muscadet Sur Lie, Loire Valley- France. The "Sur Lie" designation means that the wine was aged on it's dead yeast cells, a process which adds body and complexity to the wine.

At Rouge et Blanc Wine Bar, Downtown San Fransisco.

Day One, Level One: Court of Master Sommeliers

June 18, 2012- I had been eagerly waiting for this day for quite some time.  It is special because it marks the ‘real’ beginning of something I have wanted to do ever since I really got serious about wine and first heard about The Court of Master Sommeliers.  All of the wine dinners, wine tastings, sommelier events, reading, research, cellar digging, wine bar/gastropub reviews etc…were all practice for what I started today.  

Check in time was 8am. I got there a little early so I was able to snag this photo of me in the lobby of the International Culinary Center in Campbell, CA.

Being there early allowed me to do what I like doing the most…find a nice, quiet spot to size up the rest of the class and see who my friends should be. The makeup of the class what not at all what I expected. I assumed the class would consist mainly of males 30 years and older and with very few women- probably because that is the usual demographic for the wine geeks which populate the local wine bars in Los Angeles and Orange County. You can imagine my surprise when I saw that this was actually quite a mixed bag, consisting of both men and women, with ages ranging from early twenties up to fifties and sixties. There were also a small number of foreign students who had flown in to attend this course and learn from these Masters.

When class started, I immediately recognized some of the Masters who would be lecturing today as I have watched many of their videos online and read their various articles and books. I have to admit, I was a little star-struck. I felt like a total wine geek at that point.

The Masters in attendance were Randall Bertao, Cameron Douglas, Brian McClintic and Alan Murray. I wanted to get a photo with them, but didn’t want to seem like THAT much of a geek. Just take my word for it, they were there.

Sitting in the classroom, each student had their mise en place set in front of them with Course Workbook and four wine glasses. 

The class started off pretty mellow and easy to understand, and at a very comfortable pace for me…probably even a little slow. I felt like I was in good shape. We started with the deductive tasting method, which is exactly what it sounds like. You take in the appearance, nose and taste of the wine and break down its characteristics one after another until you narrow down the varietal, climate, country, region and vintage. Our first flight consisted of two wines- one white and one red. It was a little early in the morning, and admittedly, I am not quite sure all of my senses were awake just yet…but had to have a go at it anyway!

I’ll spare you all the details of the tasting notes, but I was actually quite surprised that I was able to narrow down the varietal and vintage of what turned out to be a Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc from 2010. The same happened with the red, I was able to identify the wine as either a merlot or a syrah. After a little more digging into the defining features of each, I was able to correctly identify that it was a syrah between 3-5 years old, but again had no idea where it was from. (Australia)

The next section was viticulture and winemaking theory. Two things I was very familiar with and had no trouble keeping up. So confidence grew some more. I was quite happy at this point.

The next few sections was where it started to get tricky. Old world stuff, especially French AOC /AOP Classifications and their vast number of estates, chateaus and regions really started to make my head spin. What made me even more confused was I felt like the pace was starting to really speed up, and I was the ONLY one having a hard time keeping up!

I know that I only have a certain amount of wine knowledge, and I know that I still have a lot to learn…but at the same time, I’m no slouch. I feel fairly confident that my knowledge base was pretty solid, at least more solid than the average and even savvy wine consumer. But today, I could not believe that I was not picking up concepts and lessons as quickly as many of my classmates.

As the day went on, we had several other flights and blind tastings, and I was able to nail down a few more. This helped my confidence a bit, but I still could not understand how my classmates were able to taste and decipher the blind tastings so much faster than me.

After lunch, we had more blind tasting flights but now we had to stand up and analyze the wine out loud to the class. I felt fairly confident having had a reasonable degree of success in the morning…but things don’t always turn out the way you want them to.

Now, I don’t want to open my book of excuses just yet…but I did make the stupid mistake of having sushi with wasabi for lunch. Whether or not that temporarily disabled my senses, I’m not sure…but after lunch I could NOT smell or taste anything like I could in the morning.

In the morning I was nailing all the lesser known varietals- Muscadet, Sangiovese, Nebbiolo…but when it finally came MY turn to speak to the class, I totally screwed it up. It was an old world, sweet white wine, highly acidic with aromas of slate and petrol. For some reason I came up with 2009 Chenin Blanc, Loire Valley…when in fact it was a Mosel Riesling, 2010. It was THE most obvious thing ever, and I blew it. Confidence went down the drain at that point.

The rest of the day consisted of more theory and more information about various regions, laws, terroir and climates from around the world. All very interesting, but I was having a real hard time focusing…for a few reasons. Firstly, because I was burnt out from information overload, secondly because I felt like I was really struggling to keep up and lastly because of my Riesling faux pas.

At the last break of the day, I was able to chat with a few of my classmates.  I spoke with a few of them during the class as an aside during tastings to either confirm what I sensed, or ask questions about what they sensed. I felt like I was able to keep up with their tasting abilities, but not the speed at which they can process it. I finally learned that the majority of people in that class were at the last stages of an 11 week course taught by the French Culinary Institute and that they were taking this course as a review for the Level Two final exam later in the week. NO WONDER!

So I didn’t feel too bad after that. I was able to [more or less] keep pace with students who were 11 weeks ahead of me.

At the end of the day, we had blind tasted 14 wines- 7 red and 7 white, traveled to the regions of France, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and North America, and learned a bit about viticulture and the many wine laws which regulate the trade all over the world. Not bad for a days work.

Can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings. Cheers!

2010 McManis Family Chardonnay

This was taken during one of my last-minute study sessions.

2010 McManis Family Chardonnay, Napa Valley. This is a classic example of one of California's most popular varietals. Cool, bright and zesty, with citrus flavours dominating the subtle hints of pear and apple. Not as buttery as other California Chardonnays, but that's fine with me!

At Pour Haus Wine Bar, Arts District, Los Angeles

The Changeover

I was sitting in a Chinese restaurant one afternoon in 2010, staring off into space when I noticed that the bar area of this particular establishment was actually quite nice. The materials, construction, design and physical layout were all visually appealing. As I sat and ate, I started to fill the areas of the bar in with coffee service equipment.  It looked like it would make for a new and different coffee experience, but it needed something else.  I then added beer and wine equipment and the idea of a boutique café/gastropub began to take shape.

That is when the obsession really started to grow. 

At the time, I was invested very heavily into the coffee industry but not so much wine and beer- Those two were more like hobbies and interests than serious investments in career-specific knowledge. In order to create an environment that served the best of all three, I needed to learn more about the other two.

I had plans to try and open in late 2011, but after reviewing what I wanted to provide- as well as reviewing my competition- I decided that it was best I step back and take a moment to really learn exactly what I’m getting myself into.

So here I am now…about to take the leap into the next step with the Court of Master Sommeliers, then Cicerone Beer Sommelier Course after that. I do plan to travel to “Old World” wine countries in the next year or so, before settling down to open my gastropub.

There are a lot of exciting things happening in the next year or so…so much, in fact, that it is a little scary.

I think that’s enough background on me for now…let’s get onto the fun stuff. Wine, beer, food and the journeys in between!

Birthday Suit, Uinta Brewing- Sour Cherry Ale

Contrary to popular belief, I do not survive on wine alone. Here is an excellent example of another one of my favourites- Sour Ale.

Traditional beer brewing is an exact science of using only the right strains of yeast to produce a specific type of beer and flavour. Sour ales are quite the opposite. Wild and naturally occurring yeast strains are allowed to enter the brew and do their thing, imparting tart and sour flavours to the beer. It is also common practice is to add fruit (usually cherries, raspberries or grapes) to cause secondary fermentation while the beer ages.

This spontaneous and secondary fermentation really shows through on the palate, with every sip being crisp, refreshing, wild and unlike any beer you've ever tried. If you've never had, I highly recommend. It will change your perspective on what beer should be!

Birthday Suit, Uinta Brewing- Sour Cherry Ale. This bottle-conditioned, soured golden ale pours red because of the cherries and has a nice sparkling mouth feel, not unlike Champagne. It has been matured over cherries and delivers that delicious balance of sweet and sour. It then finishes clean and refreshing, perfect for a hot summer day! Cheers!

At Lucky Baldwin's, Old Town Pasadena.

2007 Conn Creek Anthology Meritage

2007 Conn Creek Anthology, Meritage*. This is a prime example of a beautiful California Meritage blend, with a deliciously sweet blueberry aroma coupled with smooth black fruit flavors with just the right touch of acidity and pepper on the body. This wine is full without being too bold, nice and balanced with a long, semi-dry finish. It is elegant and just complex enough.

This photo was taken at one of my favourite local gastropubs. Their selections are fantastic and I am consistently pleased with the quality of their wine service. I feel that many other venues can take service lessons from this crew. At Chapter One: the modern local, Downtown Santa Ana.

*Meritage is a California wine based on a Bordeaux-style blend, meaning it is a mix of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. (The five traditional varieties from Bordeaux, France)

Aging Red Wines

One of the questions I often get asked is if red wine always gets better with age. The rules are different for white, sparkling and fortified wines, and we will cover those in time.

Simply put, the vast majority of red wine is meant to be consumed young, within 2-5 years of their vintage date. Most wine you purchase at the store is not meant for aging, as stores tend to cater to most customers who crack the bottle open a few hours after purchase...for example: party gifts or date nights.

In order to stand the test of time, red wine must be bold and tannic, but with structure, balance and proper concentration- just remember that older does not always mean better. When wines are young, they are more vibrant and lively with fruit being the primary descriptors...but as they age, they lose the youthful 'freshness' and usually transform into something softer and more complex.

My personal collection has three levels, the largest includes many 'ready-to-drink' wines so I have a selection from which to choose for any given occasion. The second level is wine that I have tried before and THINK will improve with a bit of aging. The third and smallest level of my collection includes the long term storage- Grand Crus, Dom P, Bordeaux and so on.

In short, don't worry about aging your reds! Buy it, pop it, pour it, enjoy it! As a good friend of mine said,
"Do NOT cellar good wine! You may get hit by a truck tomorrow and never know what it tasted like!"- Peter Mums

Hope this clears things up a little bit. Feel free to message me with any other wine questions you may have!