My Wine Year in Review

One year ago I announced the creation of Toast Wine Talk. My goal was to bring wine education to Dallas, and I’ve done just that one painstakingly-prepared wine tasting event at a time. Each class I’ve taught has been entirely unique in its content. My wine seminars have featured wildly disparate topics, and I’ve rarely repeated a wine selection. The year has been an educational journey for me — learning new producers and even learning new wine producing regions that were only briefly covered in my formal wine education.

Starting Toast Wine Talk required much more than developing class content. I’ve worked with designers to create a logo and this website, researched and purchased glassware and other wine paraphernalia, incorporated as an LLC, opened a business bank account, learned to use Word Press, and instituted processes necessary to run a small business. Since I am the child of two entrepreneurs, you could argue that I was born for this. Frankly, I’d much rather read, write, and talk about wine than deal with these operational issues. With my first year behind me, I expect to spend less time on these matters.

Speaking of formal wine education, this year I took my most rigorous wine exam to date, the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Level 3 course. Through weekly in-person courses through the Dallas Wine Education Center and countless hours of self-study, I learned about grape growing, winemaking, and every major wine producing area in the world. The test consisted of a blind tasting of two wines, multiple choice, and a short-answer/essay section. The essay section was most nerve-wracking, and more people fail that section than any other. It was a long 10 weeks of waiting, but our handwritten (in pencil!) exams had to be sent to London for grading. I got good news in May –  I passed with merit.

So can you call me a sommelier now? Well, no. The WSET program does not include a practical service examination, and typically the term sommelier refers to someone who works with a wine list in a restaurant. I call myself a wine educator. Because of the intensity of my test preparation, I didn’t do as many educational seminars as I had hoped to do. Now that the test is behind me, I will have more time for seminars and marketing.

Here are a few highlights from the past year.

Most exceptional wine service experience: Frasca, Boulder, CO

The last night of my Spring Break ski trip was spent in Boulder specifically so that I could dine at Frasca Food and Wine. Master Sommelier Bobby Stuckey visited Dallas in 2017, and I attended a small wine dinner with him at Royal Blue Grocery. His Scarpetta label from the Northeastern Italian region of Friuli Venezia Giulia (often shortened to just Friuli) is one of my go-to wine brands. (The Scarpetta Timido sparkling rose´ is a must-try.)

Bobby is very active in training sommelier candidates in hospitality. He even has a TED talk on the subject. Bobby’s emphasis on hospitality was apparent from the moment we arrived at Frasca. Sometimes destination dining disappoints, but that March evening was truly a treat. Jeremy, our sommelier, helped make the evening perfect. After our complimentary glass of Scarpetta white wine, we selected a phenomenal bottle of Refosco from the Friuli region. I had looked at the wine list online before arriving at the restaurant, and that was a wise move since the wine list was so extensive. I had also noticed that the wine list featured Essencia, a rare and expensive wine from Hungary. I had never seen it on a wine list before, and I couldn’t resist ordering it after dinner. Essencia is so precious that it is ordered and served by the spoonful on crystal spoons. After carefully pouring our spoonsful, Jeremy stood back from the table and said, “I will be standing by to see your reaction.” He genuinely seemed as delighted to be pouring Essencia as I was to be drinking it.

And while we didn’t see Bobby Stuckey that night, we did sit next to his Master Sommelier certificate.

 

Most thrilling lunch invitation: Sixty Vines Uptown with DLynn Proctor

I’m in a Facebook wine group that occasionally meets for a wine-focused lunch. When DLynn Proctor posted an invitation to lunch at the new Sixty Vines in Uptown, I rearranged my schedule to attend. You may know DLynn from his appearances in the movies SOMM and SOMM: Into the Bottle. (These movies are required viewing for wine lovers!). DLynn is now Director of Fantesca Estate & Winery in Napa Valley. Although I wasn’t familiar with the winery before DLynn’s arrival, I am now a fan. It is definitely on my list to visit the next time I’m in Napa.

As I expected, DLynn was completely charming. The luncheon at Sixty Vines featured several Fantesca wines, all crafted by their celebrity winemaker Heidi Barrett. I have followed Heidi Barrett for years. She also is the winemaker for Lamborn Family Vineyards. We discovered the Lamborns during one of our first trips to Napa, and we love the family and the wines. It was a treat to taste another of Heidi’s projects. It was also my pleasure to be seated next to Duane Hoff, proprietor of Fantesca. Duane came to the wine industry after a successful career with Best Buy, his in-laws’ family business. I always appreciate hearing owners tell the “birth stories” of their wineries. Duane had fun stories to share and made me feel completely at ease at a table of important wine collectors, buyers, and other industry heavyweights.

Most surprising professional development: Writing for Texas Wine Lover

Although I have always enjoyed writing, I didn’t start out thinking I would focus on wine writing. Imagine my surprise when I had an opportunity to become a writer for Texas Wine Lover. (Find TWL at www.txwinelover.com).  From interviewing winemakers to attending wine focused events and festivals, my writing assignments for Texas Wine Lover have been so rewarding. I have had my eyes opened and my preconceived notions about Texas wine shattered this year. Although I’ve never met Texas Wine Lover founder Jeff Cope in person, I know one day we will share a bottle of wine! I will discuss my deep dive into Texas wine in another post, so stay tuned for more.

 

Most perfect night: Harvest Dinner at Arista Winery, Healdsburg, Sonoma County, California

Full moon. Long table set in the vineyard. Amazing wines. Chef Tim. Delightful company. Brilliant hosts. We can’t wait to go back for lunch next month.

 

Most delicious wine: David Moreau, Santenay Premier Cru, Burgundy, 2015

This wine stood out among so many beautiful wines that I tasted this year. I had the Santenay at a Valentine’s Day meal at The French Room. In its tulip shaped wineglass, this complex, floral Pinot Noir hit all the notes that a good Burgundy should. Red Burgundy is my love language, and this one sang to me.

Most intimidating blind tasting group: 8 extremely similar white wines

I am so excited about my new wine tasting group. I plan to be a very active participant once the summer travel schedule slows. In our first session together, my teacher poured us eight similar white wines that we tasted and discussed. Then, she re-poured the wines blind. We had a short time to correctly identify each wine. Four of the wines were Riseling from different regions of the world. The others were Savennieres, Semillon, Sancerre, and Assyrtiko.

I am a slow wine taster, and I think more practice will help my speed. I start to panic when I think I’m running out of time. Still, I correctly identified 4 wines. Two of my misses were German Rieslings that I had switched. The other two were just plain wrong. I love geeking out over wine, and the tasting group both intimidates and excites me.

Best wine descriptor: This wine smells like a Greek woman’s sweaty pillow.

From wine tasting group described above. Everyone loved this wine, so don’t be fooled by the description. This is why wine writing is so tricky!

Best use of a few hours (tie): Mosel, Germany and Strasbourg, France

For our 20th anniversary trip last year, we took a Viking river cruise up the Rhine River from Basel, Switzerland to Amsterdam. Several of our stops had special excursions to wineries. I signed up for every one! My two favorite stops were in Strasbourg, France and Mosel, Germany. I am definitely hoping to go back to Strasbourg to travel the Alsace Wine Route. We had just enough time to whet our appetites for more.

In Mosel, we had a lovely view of the intensely steep vineyards as we navigated the river. Yet it wasn’t until I stood in the vineyard that I got the full experience. Good thing it wasn’t too windy! I had Riesling after Riesling after Riesling… at some point my dear husband peeled off to go tour a castle, but I stayed focused on wine.

Most unusual tasting environment: Kloster Eberbach, Rheingau, Germany

Another highlight of our Rhine cruise, we had a tour and wine tasting at this amazing former Cistercian monastery. It is the oldest monastery continuously producing wine. Our tasting was held in the monastery’s cellar, lit only by candles. We drank Riesling, of course!

Best month for industry events: April

In addition to the Sixty Vines luncheon with DLynn Proctor and Duane Hoff, I was delighted to be included in two other special lunches during April. Both warrant a longer story.

I was invited to lunch with Robbie Meyer, Winemaker at Murrieta’s Well at Flora Street Cafe. The others attending were Melanie Ofenloch, the Dallas Wine Chick (see her article about the lunch here), Tina Danze of the Dallas Morning News, and The Wine Curmudgeon, Jeff Siegel. Robbie told some fascinating stories about Murrieta’s Well and shared several of his wines. Just as I enjoy listening to an author or artist talk about their creative pursuits, I could listen to Robbie talk about making wine all day. He was very patient as I asked a million questions about viticulture and blending. We sampled the dry Rose, The Whip (white blend), and The Spur (red blend). Look for these wines on restaurant menus, and go visit if you’re in Livermore! www.murrietaswell.com

The second luncheon was sponsored by Lodi Winegrape Commission, a trade group dedicated to promoting this dynamic region which is best known for its old vine Zinfandel. Perhaps you’ve seen these gnarly looking grapevines that haven’t been trellised. The region is home to 40% of California’s premium Zinfandel, but there’s more to Lodi than Zin. We were fortunate to taste some other varieties that Lodi produces including rose´ and white wines too.  It was fun to meet the winery owners and representatives that were in town for the Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival. I’m putting that event on my calendar for next year. I also added Lodi to my travel wish list. I have many friends who have traveled to Lodi and speak so highly of its wines and general vibe. I’d like to check it out for myself.

Bonus:  I was seated across from Master Sommelier James Tidwell, co-founder of TEXSOM, and Donaji Lira, Conference Director at TEXSOM. I have been aching to volunteer at TEXSOM for years, but it’s a highly coveted position that generally goes to actual sommeliers. This August I am going to attend TEXSOM as a participant. I can’t wait! Additionally, I just joined the TEXSOM International Wine Awards volunteer team for the next event to be held in February 2019.

Wine Education + Volunteering = Life

Most challenging wine seminar topic: Wines from Ancient Lands / What Would Jesus Drink?

I donated a tasting to my church, and the topic definitely required more research than most. My wine education thus far only covered Turkey, Georgia, Lebanon, and Israel briefly. My wine library now has some new titles. I’d love to give this presentation again!

Biggest ah-ha! moment: no one uses dump buckets

I have reduced the number of wines I recommend for a tasting seminar. Why? Because people are hesitant to use the dump buckets provided! In fact, at several of my sessions, someone in the group has volunteered to be the dump bucket. Oh dear.

Most cherished, unexpected development: new friends

Julia Child said that people who love food are always the best people. Perhaps she meant people who love food AND WINE are always the best people.

One of my goals for Toast Wine Talk was to strengthen a sense of community around wine in Dallas. Mostly I just need more people in my life to call when I want to attend a wine tasting! I have been so fortunate to make new friends who love wine like I do. THANK YOU to my classmates in my WSET class, the Dallas Wineaux group, participants in my seminars, fellow volunteers for the TEXSOM International Wine Awards, and the random people I’ve met at tastings and events this year. I love knowing that I’ll see familiar faces in the aisles at Pogo’s and at trade tastings. Let’s continue learning, growing, and appreciating wine together.

What will the next year bring? Here’s hoping for more glasses shared with friends! I also plan to expand my writing both through Texas Wine Lover and here on my website. I need to work on marketing, especially social media presence, and photography (mostly remembering to take photos!). I’d like to continue to help consumers connect with small producers and support thoughtfully produced wines. Of course I’ll still be available to lead you and your guests through fun and informative wine seminars. Please reach out, and I’ll customize something for your group.

Thank you for your support during the inaugural year of Toast Wine Talk.

As my friend Carolyn observed, the wine life agrees with me.

Cheers!