Dave once told me that I have a unique perspective on wine: I know absolutely nothing about it.
That’s a huge challenge in itself, but I face others as well (outlined and described below for your entertainment). Despite these challenges, I find myself making progress.
So for those of you interested in learning about wine but think it’s far beyond your comprehension, continue reading.
1. I’ve never traveled to France, Italy or Germany (the countries in which the store specializes), so I’ve never heard of most the towns and regions where the wines are produced. I learned very early on about how these towns and regions are crucial when talking about “Old World wines.” Old world wines are named after these specific regions and towns, and this is governed by law (appellation controlée in France, DOC, in Italy). In contrast, new world wines are generally named after the grape used in making the wine.
For example, let’s take Champagne. Prior to working at Moore Brothers I thought Champagne was a general type of wine, something rather common. How often have you heard, “Let’s pop open the champagne.” But Champagne is very specific type of wine: a sparkling wine made from grapes grown in the Champagne region of France using the traditional Méthode Champenoise. So, if you don’t actually have “true Champagne” on hand, it’s more correct to say, “Lets pop open the sparkling wine,” or, “Let’s open the Prosecco,” for example. Sparkling wine refers to a general type of wine, whereas Champagne is a specific type of sparkling wine. Similar to how soda (or “pop” for those of you in the Midwest) refers to a general type of carbonated beverage and Coke is a very specific type of soda.
2. I have no knowledge of the French, Italian or German language. So in addition being unfamiliar with the towns and regions of these countries, I have a very difficult time pronouncing them correctly. I can’t tell you how many names I’ve butchered. For some, I’ve come up with mnemonic devices to help me remember. For example, I was having a very difficult time with Beaujolais. I kept pronouncing it boo-zho-la. But then I came up with an amusing, somewhat scandalous, phrase…you
could figure it out if you think about it…so, now I know to pronounce it correctly as bow-zho-lay
3. I’m nearly vegan. Traditionally and culturally, wines have been consumed with animal fat of some kind; meat or fish themselves, or dairy by-product – especially “big” wines that are highly concentrated, intensely flavored, and tannic.
Regardless, I’m on a mission to find wines that pair well with vegan food. One of the best pairings I’ve experienced, thanks to my colleague Jameson, has been the 2005 Brunori Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi San Nicolò with soupe au pistou. They complimented each other so well that at one point I was tempted to pour the Verdicchio directly into the soup (the wine was quite lovely all by itself as well). My roommate, who claims to not like white wine, ended up drinking most of the bottle. I myself had a couple glasses, which is a lot for me. This leads me to…
4. I have low alcohol tolerance. I’ve never been much of a drinker so I get tipsy quite easily (which is not very “professional” when working at the store). Every day the New York store has anywhere from two to five wines opened for customers to try. It’s a tough job to have to try them all, but it’s my job, and I taste more than once – sometimes three or more times – because it’s impossible to remember what a wine tastes like with only one or two sips. In addition, complex wines, wines containing layers of nuances that transform over time, really should be tasted more than once, and over the course of a few hours. (Hmmm…I better start using the spittoon.)
I’ve realized that one of the best ways to learn about wine is simply to drink it. And Moore Brothers is a great place to start: the tasting events are always free (and often accompanied by quality, artisan cheese and bread); and the staff are some of the most knowledgeable, “no-attitude” wine teachers.