SOMM Laguna

As part of my New Year’s resolution list (the list is lengthy), I’m going to write blogs at least once a month and more frequently as interesting issues come up. A lot has happened in the wine world over the last few months. The Court of Master Sommeliers was rocked by several “Me Too” scandals. More than a handful of Master and Advanced Sommeliers have quietly dropped from the scene. Hopefully this is the start of a soul-searching process long overdue in this male-dominated industry.

Also, in a recent NY Times chat group, average people have been questioning the value of sommeliers as an “elitist group of fermented beverage drinkers”. There is a lot of elitism in our industry, but I hope, through my blogs and tastings, we can embrace what wine is intended to be – a wonderful and fun beverage to enjoyed with friends. Unlike other beverages, there are literally 10s of thousands of different wines out there and unless you’ve tried them before, you have no idea if you’re going to like them. If you are spending $20 – 30 (or more) on a bottle, that’s a lot of risk. In my view, a sommelier’s true job is to give comfortable guidance to people to expand their wine taste buds not to dazzle you with their ability in describing secondary and tertiary aromas & tastes or to regale you with stories of exclusive barrel tastings from their last trip to la de da Chateau.

A few Napa area wineries have decided not to produce a 2020 vintage because of “Smoke Taint”. The grape skins absorb the aromas, both good and bad, from the air around them and in the case of smoke (in the concentrations from last year) the residual taste is there and there is no way to get rid of it. The good news is, many of these grapes are being sold to distillers and they will be made into brandy and other spirits. If any of you have had a peaty Scotch single malt whiskey, you’ll recognize the smoke aroma I’m talking about. What works great in scotch is not so great in wine.

In October, I was in Austin and took advantage of some local wine tastings. Austin has come a long way in the quality of their wines and if the large crowds in the tasting rooms on a sunny Saturday afternoon were any indication, the locals in Austin agree. I’ll do a follow-up blog on Texas wines in the coming months. In November, Annie and I went to Paso Robles for a couple of great days of (outdoor) tastings. Paso Robles has also grown enormously over the last few years and is one of our favorite destinations. Once the veil of Covid is lifted, I’ll be hosting small, guided tours of the region with tasting and dinners. There is a widely diverse range of grape varietals there now and the neighboring town of Tin City provides an eclectic range of food and snacks. More on this as we get closer to summer.

As always, stay safe, wear a mask (reduce the burden on our healthcare workers) and enjoy the wine you’re with.

Happy New Year everyone!

Image below by: George Zoumer

Featured Image by: Taryn Elliott PEXELS