The Rules and Etiquette of the Wine Trade Tasting

Sorry, I've been MIA for awhile. Craziness. Drama. Stuff. Life. I won't get into it. Anyways........I'm back! And I have a lot to write about. Food (of course!). Wine (you know). Glassware (cause I have something to say about glassware now). And the daily grind at the table...

But, before I get into all of those things let me start with the obvious for all of you industry folks out there. In the industry, the Fall and the Spring are the traditional "tasting periods". Importers and distributors will put on these huge trade tastings for the shops and restaurants in advance of the traditional buying season. Huge, as in 500+ wines at a show huge...as in way too many to make deciding and buying even practical.

Anyways, for years the industry itself has collectively- socially- voiced some real problems in tasting etiquette. In essence, there are 'understood' rules to coming to, and participating in, these tastings and yet each and every year many seem to be oblivious to these tasting norms which interferes with the rest of us trying to politely taste. I know this because literally after each and every tasting I've ever attended, every single one of my clients spends no less than 10 minutes on "that/those person(s)..."

So, I'm taking it upon myself to lay down some rules. Thus,

The Rules and Etiquette of the Wine Trade Tasting

(in no particular order or importance)

* Always keep your opinions to yourself (a wine you may hate, someone may love).

* Always compliment the winemaker or winery regardless of your opinion of their wine (they spent an entire year making this product, you may not like it, but you must respect that.)

* Always observe a two foot personal boundary of the tasting table (offer your glass for a taste, receive a pour, step back two feet to allow others to receive a pour as well).

* Always spit. Getting drunk at a tasting is unprofessional.

* When spitting, lean in within 6 inches of the spittoon and controllably spit so as to not create a backsplash for yourself or others.

* The food, regardless of how extravagant it may be, is a courtesy not a right. Never criticize it, the purpose of the tasting is to taste the wines.

* Always be incredibly polite to the winery / winemaker...In essence, they are artists who have made a product and are offering it to you. It may not be to your taste, but at least recognize their work.

* Whenever possible, work your physical body to keep the tasting table in front of you clear and open so that others may come forward and receive a pour.

* Bringing 'friends' who are not in the business is largely frowned upon. However, if this person truly does help you make accurate and current buying decisions then this is acceptable. There is an 'understanding' in this...

* It is always appreciated that tastings be used for business first, pleasure second (in essence, coming to a tasting to simply taste the most extravagant / expensive wine, and that's it, is frowned upon).

And that's all of the rules I can think of right now. I have spoken with many of my clients over more than half a decade regarding this subject. I welcome your input. Place your comments below.

Are you supporting your local pork store?

One of the great American past time hold overs from days long gone by is the Italian-American pork store. I was recently reminded of this last week when I decided to visit for a coffee and biscotti (although they call it bis-cot; it sounds cooler).

Anyways, I've always been nervous when it comes to prepared foods, but the Italian pork stores seem to have the finest- whether I was in East Hampton, Hoboken, Manhattan, or Brooklyn. The quality is outstanding!

So, I saw some freshly made pizza dough. Some freshly made, in-store, mozzarella. Some freshly made sauce. Voila! Pizza.

It was amazing. And the total cost for two huge pies produced was under $20.

In short- go see your local Italian pork store. Buy some dough, sauce, and mozz. You will be getting insane value and quality for your money.

1% For The Planet

I started writing this blog awhile back really for me, not you. It was a means of voicing my personal cultural philosophy...a WAY that was deeply grounded in the embrace of food/wine/the table/family-friends/ and all of the accouterments that make this experience the richest it can be.

The accouterments are the food, the wine, the glassware, etc...And the wine I sell. And the more and more I dive deeper into these accouterments the more I find myself looking for things that are 100% original and authentic. Products that are pieces of true craftsmanship and are 100% filled with soul. For me, it's more and more important that there's a related experience through the accouterment product....that the fish was hand-harvested, that the wine came from a biodynamically farmed estate, that the flowers were picked from someone's garden. In short, it's about care.

And in the end, this concept of care doesn't just stop at care of the table. The sourcing of care must descend all the way back to the source of the product- the earth.

Last year, I stumbled upon a trailer for the film 180 South (http://www.180south.com/) by Chris Malloy. Patagonia Clothing Company was heavily involved in the movie and I eventually found myself reading quite a bit about Yvon Chouinard and Patagonia. For me, Chouinard has become a proverbial business mentor. His company is worth hundreds of million of dollars and yet it maintains the feel of a company that was just created by some kids out of a college dorm room. It is anti-establishment in every way, yet feels free enough to sell millions of dollars worth of clothing to Joe and Jane America every day. And the beauty in all of this is that they haven't, nor ever will, sell out. They are 100% authentic, soulfull, and sincerre in everything they do.

One of the tenants of Patagonia has become a staunch aggressive stance on pro-environmental issues. In fact, they have become the first members of a group called 1% For The Planet in order to actively care for the planet.

And that's where I'll tie all of this together. To love the table, to love the food, and the wine, and all that is the dining experience- and life for that matter- and simply ignore the environmental problems around us is simply arrogance. It's not dreaming. If you think otherwise, go to the Gulf coast and ask some blue collar fisherman what they think about the importance of environmentalism...Cause that could be us Northeasterners, or Westcoasters, or whoever next week!

And so....

If you own a business, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you go and visit Patagonia's Tin Shed (http://www.patagonia.com/web/us/tinshed/index.jsp?ln=263). Click on the link for 1% For The Planet. Listen to Yvon and co.

Once you do- and you think about the Gulf- it becomes a no brainer.

What I look for in wine

"What do you look for in wine?"

Being in the business, I'm asked this a lot. I like transparent wines. I want to taste where they come from. I want simple wines, but wines that are so pure, so authentic, that their complexity and depth is whimsically hidden by how simply they can come across. It's a little tough to explain.

I recently came across a quote which I think sums up the way I want my wine:

"Have you ever thought, not only about the airplane but whatever man builds, that all of man's industrial efforts, all his computations and calculations, all the nights spent working over draughts and blueprints, invariably culminate in the production of a thing whose sole and guiding principle is the ultimate principle of simplicity?

It is as if there were a natural law which ordained that to achieve this end, to refine the curve of a piece of furniture, or a ship's keel, or the fuselage of an airplane, until gradually it partakes of the elementary purity of the curve of the human breast or shoulder, there must be experimentation of several generations of craftsmen. In anything at all, perfection is finally attained not when there is no longer anything to add, but when there is no longer anything to take away, when a body has been stripped down to its nakedness."

-Antoine de Saint Exupéry

I like it when I taste a wine and it's so pure, so authentic that there's nothing for me to wonder about it. I just exist next to it, it's that deep.

Truth in Wine Importing

I have to say that I do work in an exciting industry. It's not the CIA, but terrorism is an issue in importing wine. Our South American buyer sent this to me the other day...

"There is always a first for everything; our container from Argentina was stolen at port in Buenos Aires earlier today. At gun point, the driver was asked to walk away from the trailer; the thieves drove away with all of the wine.

I’m trying to get the wineries to prepare the same orders as quickly as possible."

So, if you're ever frustrated as to why the wine you love is out of stock, please keep in mind that piracy and many many other anomalies are potential issues.

The proper way to serve corn.

So simple, but I have to be a proponent.

Go buy some corn. DO NOT SHUCK THE CORN!

Fire up the grill. Put the corn on and grill them (husks and all) for about 10-15 minutes until the outside of the husks look well charred...like the corn kind of subliminally looks cooked.

Pull from grill and put on platter. Wait. Let the corns cool off some. After 10 minutes or so, shuck the corns. Finish by rolling the cooked corn (shucked by now) in salt, pepper, and walnut oil.

Serve with a village Maconnais wine.

Belons

They'll haunt me forever. Yellow-greenish. Earthy. Muddy. Musky. They drink of river bank. Nickel sears the back corner of your mouth for hours. More earth and estuary revolving over and over your tongue. Mushrooms. Intense dark mud.

By all accounts this was the weirdest ocean creatures I've ever eaten. I'm actually not sure I enjoyed eating it.

But, I'm still tasting it and I can stop thinking about the tasting experience.

In his work A Geography of Oysters Rowan Jacobsen writes, "Belons are off-putting and overwhelming, like an anchovy dipped in zinc. Most people can't take them. But if you can take them, you may find that very soon you can't stop taking them. You will be on your way to joining the cadre of Belon addicts."

Not quite sure I'm a Belon addict yet. But, I'm definitely way interested in a really really funky way...

PS- requires wine!