Too much wine education

If I had a dollar for every person who’s ever said to me “Wow! You know so much about wine, and you’re obviously so passionate about it! You should write a book/own a wine store/ be on TV/buy a vineyard/maybe find another hobby not based on a controlled substance”, I’m afraid I wouldn't be a millionaire. But I would definitely have enough money to buy a village level Burgundy. From a decent producer.

My first “ah ha” wine moment was back in 2003 over a bunch of cult California Cabernet Sauvignons: Opus One, Heitz, Cain Five, Caymus, Silver Oak. It was a work event, but these wines caused me to lose interest in schmoozing with my clients, and more interested figuring out why these wines were so special. Why did I notice them when, up until now, the only thing I’ve ever noticed about a wine is whether is it white or red? Was it the smell? Should I be paying more attention to legs? How can I get more?

That little episode pushed me down the educational trail when I went to my corner liquor store that weekend and found out I couldn’t just buy the wines off the shelf. Allocations? Well, why don’t they just make more? How tough can it be to replicate that wine, right?

There was a lot to learn.

My first formal class was with Kevin Zaly’s Windows on the World Wine School. Being the masochist that I am (it’s like, I love having tests), that was shortly followed by a tour through the successive levels of the Wine & Spirit Education Trust, Society of Wine Educators, and Court of Master Sommeliers, with side trips to University of California Davis Extension and Culinary Institute of America.

All this while keeping my ‘normal’ day job.

In 2008 I left my lucrative career and embarked in wine. Tentatively at first, but after a brief stint in retail and working a harvest, I’m now a sommelier & wine educator in New York City.

And I moved on from California Cabernets to German Rieslings.

I want to use this blog to record the wines I encounter, build confidence in my tasting notes, explore my own voice within the vinous news, selfishly exercise my writing muscles, and contribute to the never-ending wine education for all of us.

Thanks for stopping by. Let me know when you’re ready for another glass.