As years come to a close, I always take inventory of what I did over the past twelve months, and in doing so, remember some of the stand out events, and there are many in 2010. Interestingly, this year started off with one of the most memorable for me and that was January 2010’s Pinot Noir conference in Wellington, New Zealand. I wrote a blog or two about that earlier on the year and you can get a low down on some of my findings (and the preceding Syrah Symposium in Hawkes Bay) by glancing through the blog archives. Continue reading »

Like you, I have noticed that Americans are demanding bolder flavor and more adventure in their food and in their wines. (in fact I wrote a book about it!)  It’s easy to note that in wine people are gravitating towards wines that are full of flavor- from Malbec and Torrontés in Argentina, to Sauvignon Blanc in New Zealand, Carmenère in Chile, Primitivo in Italy and the list goes on and on and on. Outside of wine, you’ve likely seen same- from flavorful grass-fed beef, to brewed and flavorful cocktail infusions, to the ongoing rage in all things spicy. If you haven’t spent much time in cyberspace looking at hot sauce websites and seeing what’s out there, you have surely missed something evocative to the senses. Continue reading »

And one would also add that nothing easy is always good. Such is the case with the evolution of Pinot Noir in New Zealand. Fresh off of a successful workshop on Syrah in Napier, I spent several days in Wellington at a terrific symposium, Pinot Noir 2010. 400 plus delegates attended, all with a unified love of Pinot Noir, and especially NZ Pinot Noir, to examine the state of the state of this amazing grape in this equally amazing country.

Having had the pleasure and privilege of speaking at the previous conference in 2007, I was able to really explore how things have evolved and changed. A few years in the hands of passionate winemakers and viticutiuralists is a proverbial mini-lifetime vis-à-vis what a difference, in this case, only three years can make. Continue reading »

Those of you who follow my blog know that I am rarely one to laundry list out wines that I have tasted and enjoyed over any form of evaluation forum (be it informal like visiting a single winery or more formal such forums as the recent Pinot Noir 2010 in Wellington (New Zealand) a couple of weeks back). That said, I tasted so many noteworthy wines that I thought I’d give you a handful of my favorites, so, without further ado…

Wines of consequence (no 100 point scale from this boy): Continue reading »

Greetings and kia ora from New Zealand! I spoke this past week at a Syrah workshop in Napier (Hawkes Bay) and will be speaking this week at Pinot Noir 2010 in Wellington. But, as the Pinot event has not yet happened, well, not much to talk about that conference less anticipation and excitement for what’s sure to be a killer few days and a tad of anxious trepidation about speaking on a blind Pinot Noir tasting panel later in the week to be flanked on either side by Oz Clarke and Matthew Jukes. Continue reading »

It has indeed been a busy week in New Zealand with our Master Sommelier programs in both Wellington, the country’s capital, and Auckland, its largest city. The programs were rewarding and energetic and bode well for this nation’s evolution of the ‘métier’ of sommelerie. Tonight we are having dinner with NZ’s first and currently only Master Sommelier, Cameron Douglas, among others of the US team to review the courses, plan for the future and celebrate a week well done. Brian Julyan, the Court’s global CEO based out of the UK, and members of the ‘Team Australia’ contingent, coming off the successful courses in Melbourne and Sydney will join us and debrief the ‘Team NZ” on the results of those sessions. Should prove to be a great evening of shared success and camaraderie with great food and, of course, excellent NZ wines. Continue reading »

I have been in this business a long time. No old age jokes please, as I have heard them all - from “Pleistocene Sommelier” to “What wine goes with brontosaurus”. That said, I still get rookie-like giddiness when teaching people who are just beginning their quest.

A group of us have been down under for this past week to assist the Court of Master Sommeliers in expanding our “brand” into the Antipodes. We’ve just completed our first-ever course, in Melbourne and that group of MS’s (Team Aussie if you will) continues on to do same in Sydney. I am on “Team Kiwi”, and we are completing a session of level one (the Introductory program) and a “level two” certified in Wellington (NZ), before heading off to examine in Auckland. Continue reading »

As summer furthers itself along, I find myself increasingly doing two things I love: al fresco dining- celebrating the summer’s bounty, and watching lots of baseball as a fan (and as a ‘arm chair’ manager). Both provide great enjoyment, some creative planning and, when well executed, are the source of both pride and pleasure.

Indeed over the past weekend , cooking in the heat of an Alamo (California) summer afternoon, a friend and I were discussing the merits and importance of baseball leadoff hitters whose job of getting on base (with regularity) and setting the stage for their fellow hitters is a crucial role. A team’s chances of winning are greatly improved if you have a leadoff hitter that executes consistent hits. And how does this relate to wine and al fresco dining you ask?

Quite simple. As you set up outside, prepare your grill/bbq/smoker (or whatever heat source you intend to utilize) and plan your lazy afternoon of eating and drinking, you need to have the right ‘leadoff’- wine… and, I would add, foods. The recipes for me are pretty consistent- prosciutto and melon, grilled asparagus, heirloom tomatoes with olive oil and basil and plates of oysters on the half shell with a ‘choix’ of mignonette sauce or juicy and squeezable meyer lemon wedges. So, who do you ‘bring to the plate’ to face such a dizzying array of timely fare? Continue reading »