If you’ve made it this far, you know I love wine. In fact, if you know me at all, you know I love wine.
Wine is a historical part of the human experience. We can trace its origins back hundreds of thousands of years. It is the fruit of labor of ancient family farms, young entrepreneurs, and tourist destinations.
It has been a part of cultures across the globe, taking a unique role and unique characteristics in each place.
As for me, I owe my own journey into the world of wine to my dad.
My dad knows more about wine than anyone I know … and he was self taught. He never needed a title or letters after his name, because he could tell you everything about the bottle of wine in front of you all by himself. Despite his ability to blind-taste any glass of wine you would hand him, he also makes wine seem like the most accessible thing in the world. He was the one that first taught me that what you taste is what matters more than what some wine writer has to say.
Growing up, I would watch my dad taste wine with his friends. It wasn’t a competition to see who knew the most; rather, it was a lighthearted conversation they all seemed to be having about a mystery guest in the room whom I had never met. They quietly smelled and sipped their wine … each with a subtle smile and glance at each other. They each described the look of the wine, the smell of the wine, and the taste of the wine … they shared stories about where they first had this wine … they talked about how friendly the winemaker was … there was no “you’re wrong,” or “that can’t be what you’re tasting.”
I was captivated. Once I was in college, my dad would host wine tastings for my friends while we were home on break. Yes, he taught. And he taught well. But he taught us mostly how to pay attention to our senses and to start to learn what we liked. And why we liked it. Again, there was never any “you’re wrong” here … even though I’m sure he was laughing to himself a few times.
He taught us that yes, there are techniques for how to best enjoy wine. Important techniques. And there are objective ways the quality of wine is impacted in the winemaking process. But he taught us that those things don’t matter if we don’t know how to listen to the wine in the first place. Once you can listen to the wine, then you can form an opinion and begin to learn the kinds of wines you enjoy and the characteristics that captivate you most.
Well, I was hooked. During graduate school I had an internship in Geneva, Switzerland, where I met a group of friends who were running a wine startup. I got involved in volunteering for a big event of theirs, and I was so impressed by what they knew and the different wineries they had visited. I began using my weekends to visit wineries throughout Switzerland and France, trying to soak up as much knowledge from those around me as possible.
Once I moved back home, I decided to pursue formal training. Not for the sake of a title (my dad proved that I didn’t need this), but for the sake of my own education. I enrolled in the Wine and Spirit Education Trust level 2, and I commuted twice a week to Chicago for my classes and tastings. While I had all of the tasting skills I needed thanks to my dad, this course helped further advance my knowledge of various wine regions and grape growing climates throughout the world.
After completing level 2, my suspicions were confirmed: I didn’t feel passionate about working in the wine industry, but I felt passionate about helping others learn how to listen to wine. So I kept tasting and studying with a few friends, and I am now working towards my level 3 certification.
I get asked all of the time if I’m a “sommelier.”
The answer is complex. The word can mean anything from someone who is in charge of the wine selection and service in a restaurant, to a Master Sommelier who has studied for a decade to earn the title. Technically, if you work in the wine industry, you can call yourself a sommelier. Yes, I can use that title. Or I can talk about my WSET certification. Or I can call myself a “wine expert” or a “wine consultant.” All of these titles are accurate. But I also find that they can feel somewhat inaccessible.
Yes, I know a good deal about wine. And yes, I have formal training. But what I care about most is helping make wine accessible to everyone. I love tasting a new wine with someone and watching that moment when they first taste something subtle in their wine … something beyond just grapes … a hint of spice, a note of stone fruits, or an aroma of earthiness. It’s that moment that someone first enters into a dialogue with what’s in their glass. That’s when people begin to learn about wine, when they begin to learn what it is they actually like about wine. From there, we can talk about grape varietals, tasting techniques, and food pairings.
For me, wine isn’t about consuming alcohol ... it’s about slowing down enough to sip a glass of wine with intentionality and attentiveness. It’s the difference between hearing a song on the radio and engaging in a deep conversation with a friend.
Well done and a well deserved tribute to John B