Written by I spent twenty-six years watching people try to “drink better” by ordering the most expensive bottle on the list just to feel like they’ve arrived. They think a higher price tag equals a better experience, but usually, it just means they’re paying for the restaurant’s new linen napkins or a marketing budget they’ll never see. … Continue reading “Fewer Bottles, Better Bottles”
I remember a humid Tuesday in mid-August, back when I was still running my own little sixteen-cover spot. A regular came in, sweating through his linen shirt, and ordered a heavy, oaky Cabernet Sauvignon because he thought “expensive” meant “better.” Watching him struggle through that glass was like watching someone try to wear a wool … Continue reading “What to Drink When It Is Cold and When It Is Not”
Stop looking at the gold foil and the heavy-set fonts on the label as if they’re some kind of divine revelation. Most people think that knowing how to choose wine for someone else requires a degree in viticulture or a bank account that doesn’t flinch at a triple-digit price tag, but that is a load … Continue reading “Buying Wine for a Person Whose Taste You Do Not Know”
I once sat through a tasting where a man in a three-piece suit spent ten minutes describing a Riesling as having “ethereal whispers of mountain mist and crushed quartz.” I looked at my glass, then at my notebook, and wondered if he was actually tasting the wine or just auditioning for a poetry slam. Most … Continue reading “Describing Wine Without Sounding Ridiculous”
I spent twenty-six years watching people pay eighty pounds for a bottle of Bordeaux, only to spend the next twenty minutes trying to perform an academic autopsy on it. They use all the right words—tannic, structured, herbaceous—but they’re just reciting a script they learned from a glossy magazine. Most of the advice you find online … Continue reading “Blind Tasting as Practice, Not Performance”
I’ve sat through enough “expert” tasting notes to know that most people are just performing. You’ll see a sommelier point to a bottle that costs more than my first delivery van and claim it’s the only way to go, but let’s be honest: half that advice is just marketing wrapped in expensive glass. When people … Continue reading “Stop Chasing Prestige and Start Chasing Balance: What the Industry Won’t Tell You About the Best Red Wines for Pairing With Meat.”
I spent twenty-six years watching people walk into my dining room and make the same mistake: they’d come in talking about “investments” and “rare vintages” they’d seen in a glossy magazine, only to order something that tasted like nothing and cost twice what it should have. There is a particular kind of nonsense peddled by … Continue reading “A Case at a Time: Building Something Worth Drinking”
I’ve spent thirty-eight years watching people stare at a wine list like it’s a piece of ancient hieroglyphics, paralyzed by the fear of looking foolish. They see a gold-embossed crest or a long, flowing name in cursive and instinctively reach for the most expensive bottle, assuming the price tag is doing the heavy lifting for … Continue reading “Stop Paying for the Marketing and Start Paying for the Grape: a Beginner Guide to Reading Wine Labels.”
I once watched a young sommelier at a high-end bistro spend five minutes lecturing a regular about the “molecular necessity” of a specific crystal shape, all while the customer’s sea bass was turning cold. It was a performance, pure and simple, designed to make the guest feel small and the wine feel expensive. People get … Continue reading “stop Treating Glassware Like a Decoration: What Understanding the Different Types of Wine Glasses Actually Reveals About the Business of Flavor.”
I’ve seen enough “expert” guides to know that most people treat a wine tasting like a high-stakes exam where you need a crystal decanter for every single vintage and a degree in viticulture just to sit down. It’s exhausting, it’s expensive, and frankly, it’s a terrible way to actually enjoy a drink. If you’re looking … Continue reading “Stop Treating Your Guests Like Critics and Start Treating Them Like People: How to Host a Casual Wine Tasting at Home Without the Pretension.”