In case you were asleep, or decided you didn’t want to look at the Internet or peruse most social media sites on Thursday…It was Officially Cabernet Day to anyone and everyone that loves wine!

Cabernet…considered the King of Grapes, is one grape that adds flare to any meal, conversation or party.  He is bold, strong, robust and at times, filthy.  Some of my favorite Cabernet smells are dark red berry, violet, gravel and raw meat.  Cabernet, depending on his region (yes, he’s officially, a HE) can range from smells of red berry, dark berry, chocolate, mineral, meat and pencil shaving.  Hints of eucalyptus, mint, green bell pepper, jalapeno and more can and do apply as well.

For instance….a Blind Tasting Component for me of Chilean Cab is ’sliced jalapenos dipped in chocolate’ and of the region of Napa, fat rich dark berry fruit, sometimes of a briar bush but distinctly of dark cocoa as well.  Remember, Cabernet has a group of grapes he hangs with.  Specifically, his Queen:  Ms. Merlot.  Juicy and dripping with soul and voluptuous character, she’s a gem seated at the King’s right hand.  Others in his group include:  Cabernet Franc (meant for aromatics and acid), Petite Verdot (added to a blend for color), and Malbec (added for color along with flavor and spice).  Once these are together, we have what’s called:  A Bordeaux Blend.  Officially, the grapes of Bordeaux.  See?  Not that hard, right?

Most ‘Cabernets’ are a blend of one or some or all of the above however, there are a few gems out there that do ride 100% the varietal – all Cabernet.  In my opinion, the most interesting of sorts.  100% the varietal means, you really get to see what this baby’s soil tastes like.

Let’s pick apart the wines I had for the nite on Cabernet Day! (I want to preface this by saying, I shared with friends.  I didn’t drink them all myself!!)

2009 Hendry Rosé:  One of my favorite Napa producers.  George Hendry’s Rosé sometimes consists of a saignée blend (a bleed of) of the Bordeaux varietals, the 2009 that we enjoyed of Cabernet, Cabernet Franc, Zinfandel and Primitivo (Italian Zin).  We enjoyed this juicy, meaty rosé with a plate of cheeses to start.

2003 Almaviva Cab:  A French Philippe de Rothschild and Concha y Toro venture out of Chile.  This sucker was loaded with candied fruit, but perfectly balanced with a hint of dry gravel dirt and minerals.  So fab with our fresh farmer’s market eggplant.  Dipped in panko crumbs and fried to perfection, the wine picked up the sweet parts of our eggplant.  Awesome pairing!

2001 Pine Ridge ‘Andrus Reserve’ Cabernet:  This, a blend of Bordeaux varietals was aged, almost perfectly.  For a 9 year old wine, I wasn’t sure what to expect, as I keep drinking through my late ‘Gary Andrus’ Wines, and some are ready and some, past their prime.  This~ with dirty red fruit, meaty with raw tones to it, and lingered for days.  Really, really good and incidentally, GREAT with our heirloom tomato caprese salad.  The tomatoes were uber ripe and delicious with this wine!

2003 Villa Cafaggio ‘Cortaccio’:  A 100% Cabernet from Tuscany and always one of my favorite wineries from Tuscany.  This wine reeked of leather, dried herbs, red tomatoes and made me crave an Italian Meat Ragu.  Mouth-watering and really so wonderful with our main course ~ A grilled peppered tenderloin and fresh green beans sauteed with shallots.  Like candy, if you like dirty candy!  Truly, an Old World Gem.

Last on the table, but certainly NOT least:  2004 Cayuse ‘The Widowmaker’ Cabernet from Walla Walla.  From the works of my friend, Christophe Baron, this wine has sat in my cellar begging to be opened.  And with a Walla Walla, WA background – weirdly flinty, chocolaty, porky and full of blackberries, marionberries and blueberries – this wine was perfect with the molten lava chocolate cakes I made topped with candied bacon! Yum!

Overall, one of my new favorite holidays~ Cabernet Day! Perfectly paired with fabulous friends and delicious home-grown garden food, I’ll take a Grape Day over any day of the week… So, When do we celebrate Pinot Noir Day?

Two days ago, I ran across a Tweet from my pals at @Winescom alerting me of a Guest Blogger they had on tap for the following day. 

The blog title entry:  “How to Make Love to Your Wine.”  

With much anticipation, I waited for the next day’s entry to appear.  And, with much disappointment, was through with my new pal from @BrokeWino’s entry in less than a minute.  I thought, “With a title like that, how could you really mess something up that had given its readers that much set up?”  I’m a sucker for titles, words and/or slogans that evoke anything fun that can be read about wine.  As a Sommelier, I spend my days and nites often reading things that are NOT as exciting, more factual, historical or educational – so when the opportunity arises to read something juicy from my field– I’m on it.  I am, at the same time, a true Mid-Westerner, which flaws me into the role of never being able to keep my mouth shut.  Therefore, I commented on the guts of the story and, long story short, was challenged into to this #Blog-Off after telling @Winescom that their ‘guest blogger’ (in so many Twitter words) = stunk. 

Could I write a better “How to Make Love…” – well, I’ll give it a shot.  Did I mention I was an English major?

The question is:  How to Make Love?  Hmmm.  Birds do it.  Bees do it.  But, when it comes to humans, we do it best.  It becomes an act of emotion, intimacy and sometimes some raw inhibition.  When making love to one’s wine, we must analyze our subject from head to toe just as we would as animals, in order to truly appreciate the experience.

 1.  Survey Your Lover

Is she lite in color, dark in her loins or is she showing some sense of maturity? 

Roll the glass around the inside of its rim in a slow round motion.   Gentle.  You don’t want to hurt the baby…

You know what you are? You’re like a big bear with claws and with fangs… 
…big f* teeth, man.
Yeah… big f* teeth on ya’. And she’s just like this little bunny, who’s just kinda cowering in the corner.
Shivering.

Does she spread her legs long and slow across the inside of the glass?  Maybe that means she’s hot…  Hot-blooded, check it and see!   Does she spend her days sipping piña coladas poolside?  Does the perspiration that drips slowly down the insides of her perfectly tanned legs tell you so? 

Or is she a bit uptight?  A librarian in disguise?  Quick to run the inside of your glass, lite in color from spending her days pent up inside a cool, earthy library.  Maybe she needs some decanting?

Or does her color vary from the guts of her being to her outside edges?  She could be telling you she has some experience – look out, could be good, or could be real bad.

 2.   Smell Her Up

Grab hold of your glass and give her a full examination on the nose.  Get deep. The only way you’ll truly be able to tell more is if you really get into this part.  Close your eyes, open your mind and think deeply about what you smell?

Is she hot and dripping with Malibu sun tan lotion?  Could mean she loves wood (That’s what she said!)  Did her time at the pool give her a dark tanned voluptuous smell, dripping with ripe, juicy aromas?  This may give way to her hot climated background. 

Or does she still have those librarian glasses on?  Buttoned up tight, but screaming to show you more of her dirty inside.  Does she smell like the inside of a dirty old library?  Has she spent too much time in a cool climate expanding her ‘rooted’ mind?  This one could use a fun ‘splash’ decant to open up her cool climated insides.  Maybe a slow, easy talking to while you slide her softly into her new decanter will help.

3.  Here’s your chance to let it all hang out – Taste your Lover

Just when no one is watching, open wide, take your wine to your lips, slightly pursed, suck in a bit of air to loosen the palate and imagine all the smells you just experienced. 

Is your poolside beauty ready to party?

Hot and sultry?  Or, maybe a little promiscuous and fat through the center of your tongue?  When she slides down your throat, do feel the flames of her loins lighting you up when she reaches your insides?  Is her hedonism is all you think about?

Could be this lover comes from a hot climate and is just what the doctor ordered…

Or, after a quick splash in the tub (decanter), is your librarian ready to give you her all?  Does her dirty, bookworm side come forth and unleash her passionate side?  Buttoned tight on the outside, but dirty on the inside.  Maybe a little bit filthy, but full of pleasure, long in her length, begging your palate to ‘drink me’ and ‘feed me’?  Our little librarian may have just needed some space to free her mind.  Could be that you have a cool climated beauty that is not as quick to reveal her dark side until you give her a bit of your time.

Either way – your experience is your own.  And, your playmate for drinking is your own, too. 

Revealing facts – but all come pretty close to truly being able to tell who’s dirty and who’s just downright promiscuous when analyzing your subject.  Which one is your favorite?  That’s for you to decide – and if you decide you like ‘em both, that’s the beauty about wine –  You can have your wine and drink it too!

See?  Making Love to your Wine can be fun and arousing too! 

And, if you’re having a hard time getting it down, just have a couple more glasses and follow Step 1-3 again.  Salut!

This exert below is taken from Wines.com

(which, incidentally has a Blog site similar in name to my very own ‘the Crush Pad’)

On Tuesday, Sam from BrokeWino guest blogged on our very own WineCrushBlog. It was rousingly titled “How to Make Love to Your Wine”. We blasted it out but soon after Leslee from Amusée: a wine consulting and event planning firm, commented through twitter bashing the post.

Leslee zestfully said:

“I’m a little disappointed by your ‘guest blogger’ and their ‘How to Make Love to Your Wine’ entry. Not exciting or juicy=boring”

“I think you should get a female #Sommelier’s perspective on this ‘How to make Love to Wine’ topic…@amuseewine?”

Things were getting heated up, so we decided here at Wines.com to have a #Blog-Off between @brokewino & @AmuseeWine.

The event is simple, each blogger has until Thursday, Aug 26th (tomorrow or today if you’re late to the battle) to post their “How to Make Love to Your Wine Blog-Off” up on their own respective blogs and start blasting out their posts with the tag #Blog-Off. Whom ever gets the most combined RTs voting for them, FB Likes, and comments/reviews by Friday at 4:00CT wins.

Sam (@BrokeWino) has the head start because he has more followers, but with the feist Leslee (@AmusseWine) commented with, I think she might have a few tricks up her sleeve. Good luck to you both, and let the #Blog-Off begin!!

IMPORTANT NOTICE: The winner gets a FREE BOTTLE of WINE from us here as Wines.com!

READERS: RT your fav blogger, FB Like, Comment on Amusee’s Crush Pad, or say anything, anywhere just make it known with the #Blog-Off!

I was involved in a couple of really great conversations today, some to be shared in this post and some that will come as the days progress.  My mind, I swear, has turned into a BLOG, flipping through all the right topics, interesting tidbits that I hear all day long and more that I will then somehow, someway turn into an actual blog on my site.  Today, I was reminded of a couple of different experiences that I’ve had already this week.

In a conversation regarding ‘professionals’ in my industry, I ran into a new saying.  A friend that I was with, referred to ‘The Two C’s’.  ”The Two C’s?”, I said.  ”What’s that?!”  ”Character and Competence”, my pal replied.  While these two words can refer to many things in life, we all agreed as we listened to the definition more closely, that it was UBER important to have BOTH in almost anything you do.  From wine, to employees, to friendships, to professionals to Mano y Mano – these two words:  Character and Competence seem to fulfill almost every answer in life.

How we got here… I, of course, was on a tirade today about the ’so called’ professionals in my industry.  You’ve seen the kind…they tell you that they are ’sommeliers’ but the second you ask them about their certification, they say “Well, there are the tests that I have to complete and well, I went through this and this and I’ve been drinking wine since…” Blah. Blah. Blah.  I’m over it, dude.  It seems almost everywhere I go, someone is trying to compete with you.  They completed the WSET course and now they think they’re a Somm.  Not true.  Again, if I could actually put everyone through the grueling processes that I’ve been through, along with paying all the ridiculous fees to sit, taste, test and more – then one would actually feel embarrassed to call themselves a Sommelier, unless they’d completed the real courses.  The International Sommelier Guild and the Advanced, level three course with a completed 18 hour test to pass is seriously, no joke.  Along with now, fulfilling the requirements to the Court of Master Sommelier and their last level of testing for the Master Sommelier certification, is beyond excruciating.  That, is what it takes to be a Sommelier.  But along with the actual testing requirements, I thought long and hard about my lunchtime discussion today and ended up tacking on three more stipulations to becoming a professional in any industry: CHARACTER, COMPETENCE, and CONSISTENCY.  (I’m tackin on a third C!)

Why I have been thinking so deeply about this is really mostly because I see so many folks ‘talking game’ more than they are actually ‘playing the game’.  Example, having a good business model.  There are a couple of ‘wine bars’, and I loosely say this in the Twin Cities, that have a good concept.  Business Plan=Solid.  Food=Cheap and Easy.  And, service=Given the Passing Mark.  But, the actual QUALITY of the product=No Bueno.  A perfect setting, (IE: right in the middle of Edina), not another ‘wine bar’ in the area, easy parking and cute spot from the street, lengthy wine list, and reasonably fair priced eats = Sounds like a good business plan, right?  But…totally MISSING THE MARK.  The stemware=like I’m sitting at Dennys.  The wines=served at about 80+ degrees as they lay open on the bar top.  The actual pics of wine…if you’re serving me a $10 glass of wine, make sure it tastes like you’d pay $10 a glass for it!!!  And if you’re going to ‘boast’ a great wine list, keep your wines fresh.  I went through three glasses before I found one that hadn’t been open for four days.  Again, great plan, but poor execution.  But because it’s the only ‘wine bar’ in site with a cute atmosphere, it works for the city of Edina.

I guess the point I’m trying to make out of all this rambling is this:  It’s hard to find a lot of things in life with ALL three C’s.  Character is a rare thing these days.  I feel like we’re all Droid’d out, we’re attached to our Twitters, our computers, our gadgets more than we are LIFE.  We don’t have to use our Character any more to sell ourselves.  We can make something up – IE: calling yourself something you’re not.  The computer is great way to sell yourself, but in the end picture, are you who you say you are?  And Competence…when was the last time you said, “I don’t know that answer?  Let me ask someone who is versed on the subject, or find someone who can give you the correct information.”  Everyone’s a freekin’ expert now due to BLOGS, Tweets, Facebook and more.  And, Consistency…how many people do you know that are consistent with their actions, their words and truly do live their lives with meaning – day after day?  Not many.

Don’t get me wrong, we’re in an era where anything flies.  I can write about Lindsay Lohan or I can write about wine, but whether you write, shovel c-r-a-p for a living or build skyscrapers – are you a professional with character, competence and consistency?  It’s hard to find most things that contain ALL THREE.  To bring it all back into plain view – it’s a wine thing, too.  Find a wine that was Character.  Does it tell a story for you?  Did it make you happy?  Did it make you see the stars or did it just make you smile?  Either or has character.  And what about Competence?  Is your wine there at $3.99 but delivered more of a $4.99 profile in your mouth?  That’s Competence…saying “I delivered what I told you I would.”  And last – are some of your more favorite wines Consistent?  Do they make you smile year after year?  I’m not saying pin point the exact vintage and tell me whether or not you liked the excess heat of the season (that’s uncontrollable) – I’m saying – If you bought the bottle at $30 and they raised it to $35, would you still buy it?  Are they consistent with their farming, their style, their employees, their goals as far as an end product?  Consistency, big word isn’t it?

Whew!  A lot to think about.  And, maybe I’ve had a little bottled up for a while, but I had to get it out there, man.  Wine.  It’s life stuff.  It really is.  It’s something that always makes me think, feel and ultimately moves me.  And at the end of the day, it’s a libation for all.  Whether you’re an expert, a novice or just a beer drinker.  Almost everyone can relate to it.  Me, I end up relating almost everything I do in life to it.  May be good, and may be bad – but in the end, My life is a happy one!  Cheers to That and Cheers to You!

I have to say, at one point in my life I may have been a bigger basketball fan than most guys I knew.  For those of you who don’t know, I’ve played basketball pretty much my whole life.  I was always THE biggest nerd about playing.  Playing any time of day, for as long as I wanted and whereever and whenever anyone had a ball, I was there.  Whether I was travelling to Europe as youngster, or living in NYC for my short stint, I was always hanging around someone’s bball court.  Hooping it up with the best of them.  From Central Park to the courts I grew up on in Wisconsin, basketball was ‘my time’.  My time to play, let it all out and show those boys what I had.  I wasn’t afraid of anyone taller, faster or stronger than I was because I knew I had a wicked outside shot.

But today, after one back surgery later, knees that sound like crunched glass when I bend, and a career that keeps me working from morning to night – my days of hooping are limited to shooting a bucket when someone’s kids are around with a basketball in hand.  And my love for everything ‘basketball’ is a little less, let’s say, ‘obsessive’ than it was 10+ years ago.  I still love to watch the athleticism, ability and talent of the youngsters entering the league and support my fellow female ballers from college to the pro leagues, but there’s a little something that’s changed about ‘how’ and ‘why’ we watch basketball today.  It’s not as much about the fundamental talents of these athletes anymore, it seems to be more so about the ’show boatin’ personalities that come with the paycheck now more than ever. 

I remember, in fact, the day that LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony both signed their contracts out of high school.  It was such a big deal…Wow! kids out of high school straight into the NBA.  It was a big deal, along with the day on Michigan Ave in Chicago when they BOTH showed up at the Nike store signing their own shoes for the public.  I remember it being a huge deal, because I was there.  But it was then that I remember thinking, ‘Wow, which one of the boys will be the most successful?’ and ‘Where will these two guys go from here?”.   Funny thinking back, because now we know.  When an entire night of television is devoted to ONE guy’s decision as to where he’ll play ball, I now think – what is wrong with our priorities!  Not to mention, here we go again.  Could this have been any more BRETT FAVRE to anyone else besides me?  And P.S. – Does the decision have to come with 47 Mineral Water Commercials, or an actual ‘count-down’ box on my screen to tell me when LeBron was to announce his decision?!  But guess what, we were sucked in.  Just as everyone else in the sports world was, we too sat (shamelessly) in front of our television awaiting the facts.  And today we’re right back to where we thought we’d be, knowing that King James will suit up in a Miami Heat uni this fall. 

While basketball certainly wasn’t my first priority last nite, it seemed to take up a good chunk of my evening (thanks honey!).  So to add a bit more excitement to the night, I thought about today’s blog and its inevitable title:   What Wine Would Be Fit for a King?  King James that is… 

Rustling through the cellar, searching for just the right wine to hold court against the LeBron hype, I stumbled across a self labeled 2007 Korta Katarina Plavac Mali.  Nika, the winemaker for Korta Katarina, slipped me the bottle upon my visit to Croatia in March.  And since, have been holding on to it for the perfect time to drink it.  How could this have not been any more perfect?  With a 2006 Korta Katarina Plavac Mali already open, I thought…what a perfect chance for a side by side comparison tasting. 

Here’s what I found and I’m not really sure I should say more than this (but I will):  LOOK OUT SPECTATOR! 

A wine that could totally and single-handedly put Croatian wine on the map.  While most of you know that I am already a huge fan of Korta Katarina Winery and their current 06 Plavac Mali – this, my friends is true testament as to what our Eastern European friends are up to. 

My notes:  The wine is deep with back notes of depthy dirt, minerality, smoked cedar, licorice, dried prunes and dried herbs.  The fruit is not as overt as the 2006, even as the alcohol levels exceed its previous vintage.  The alcohol is masked by this intense dried herbal element, mashed in with supple pruned fruit, delicious dirt and earth smells along with amazing lifted notes of vanilla.  And the palate, just like you were drinking the stars…sorry Dom, Croatian Stars that is.  Lush on the palate, yet dry and perfectly balanced with silky interwoven tannins, supple fruit as was on the nose and mouth-watering goodness.  Oh my.  Could be one of my favorite wines this summer.

And as I sat savoring, oohhing and ahhhing over my new love – alas King James’s announcement came… 

And I thought, finally a wine… perfectly fit for a King, even a King James (that is).  Yum.   Can’t wait for you all to try it (next vintage)!

Looking for all the inside gossip and juicy news in Chanhassen, MN?  

Chanhaven.com  should be your only inside source to all the hot happs in Chanhassen, MN. 

Check out the latest Chanhassen WINE news and gossip … right here! 

Ever spend a day just cruising Twin Cities Wine Shops?  Well okay, maybe not the whole day – but really, just take some time and check out some of the little shops in our area that receive a lot of ‘wine’ buzz?  It’s a ‘must do’ and something you should put on your list one Saturday afternoon. 

Because I am in front of hundreds of people a week, teaching classes or in home parties nightly, I have so many folks telling me their favorite places to shop, new wines they’ve had or new places they’ve read about.  I keep a list of the places that I haven’t been to, and when I get the time, I cruise around for the day scoping them all out.

Last week, I managed to hit up just two.  Sinful Wines in Bloomington and the Cork Dork Wine Co. in South Minneapolis.   Both places came highly recommended by either write ups or people in classes that use the shops as their local neighborhood shop.

First stop – Sinful Wines.  Supposedly the shop had been written up when it first opened a few months back as having ‘hand-selected, boutique’ wines focused on small family owned wineries.  Being that it is the only shop in the Twin Cities owned and operated by a female, the shop received some great press upon its opening.  Thinking, “Wow, I’d love to support a fellow chica in the wine world”, I headed over.  And I must say, I never really truly ‘dog’ out shops, because everyone has their own gig.  But, wow, this shop was truly truly misrepresented by its press.  Hand-selected wines, boutique?  Not a chance.  If a free standing rack of BITCH Wines from Australia is your ’boutiquey’, dude you’re in trouble.  From displays of Gallo magnums, ‘Mommy’s Little Helper’ to racks of over the hill whites, the shop was cold and again, highly misrepresented.  A ‘close out’ table in the middle of store with white wines that are clearly over their prime was probably my last straw.  One wine I know well – Ceretto Arneis – sat in the middle of the table.  The vintage on the bottle was dead 2 years ago.  Bummer, you know why?  Because someone is going to pick it up off the table and take it home thinking that they got a great deal, drink it, hate it because it’s so over the hill and never buy Ceretto wines again.  And Ceretto, is ONE of my FAVORITE Italian wineries!  And their Arneis, get out…is delish.  But, not at Sinful Wines.   My overall experience is Boo + Hoo.  No bueno.  In fact, it’s a better liquor store with rows and rows of cheap liquor gracing its shelves including its anything but cool wine.  Sorry, not a fan.

Next stop, Cork Dork Wine Co.  After my first stop, I was thinking that maybe ‘today wasn’t my day’ for wine shopping.  Wrong.  Mr. Russell Fay, owner of Cork Dork Wine Co., changed my mind.  After spending a few minutes in the shop, quietly perusing the cool, eclectic wines pushed up against the cubical sized walls in his shop, I asked “So what’s the method to your madness of choosing these cool wines in your shop?”.  He gave me an answer that I enjoyed.  He said he had spent years in the restaurant industry within the Twin Cities, got to know a lot of wine portfolios, loved to taste wine and picked wines that he thought were kinda of unique.  “I like it”, is what I said. 

While the room itself (yep, its a room) is tiny, the choices of wine are anything from boring.  From some of my favorite wine portfolios in the city, I found some super fun, out of the way, cool storied wines.  Wines that he had all ‘written up’ with black marker on each of their propped up poster boards that sat behind each wine.  Whether it was his words or blurbs from the winery itself, they were good snippets of info.  And I, walked out of the joint with TWO cases of wine.  Super cool approach, so NOT pretentious and really helpful.  A guy with a dream that made it happen.  My only complaint, his signage out front.  I want more peeps to know about his spot and it’s a little hard to see off of Cedar Ave, where he’s located.  Snuggled in between a pizza joint and an alterations shop – he’s the guy in the middle selling wine.  Two Thumbs Up!

There you have it…The Life of a Sommelier.  Cruising the streets looking for some cool peeps to promote and in the meantime, adding more wine to a cellar that exceeded its limit over two years ago.  Where are these two cases going to live?!  Happy shopping to you all and go over and check out my new pal in south Minnie.  Salut!

Oh boy, if you missed the Sunday Funday at Solo Vino this past weekend, you may be a wee bummed out.  Let me tell you, with all things to throw in: the weather, the place, the peeps and the wine – my friend, The Chucker of Solo Vino, hit a home run with The Twin Cities BEST Rosé Tent Tasting!

Truly, it could be listed in years to come as, The Best Wine Tasting of the Season!  With only two years under his belt for the tasting, this was certainly one you did not want to miss.  Over 100 rosés from around the world were shown, from bag, box and bottle – the delicious list of gorgeous pink-hued beauties showed their skins.  The folks in attendance were draped in some of the hottest summer shades and the folks pouring were more than enthusiastic to show off their portfolios.  Truly, a big big hit!

Wines from around the globe wooed the likes of every wine drinker, but none more than the ‘Best in Show’ talk of the tent newbie!  That’s right, Croatia.  Croatia – I know, I know,  if you read my blog you’re wondering if I’m ever going to get off my soap box…  But, I just have to just show off some proud peacock feathers here for a second.  And, I have to tell you why I cannot shut up about these wines!

Sunday was why.  With over 265 people in attendance, the excitement built around a four foot table of three Croatian wines from Korta Katarina Winery.  Katharine Anderson Groethe, daughter of winery founder and sole importer and distributor of the Korta Katarina Wines here in the Twin Cities, along with myself, Sommelier for the winery – poured the winery’s Plavac Mali Rosé, Posip and Plavac Mali red.  And to be honest, we couldn’t get folks to leave our table!  It was so exciting and contagious.  By mid way thru the event, the word of the Croatians had spread all the way around the tent creating a line for folks to try these Dalmatian beauties.

With a Rosé of Plavac Mali, the wine was round with lush, strawberry field, watermelon pulp and dark bing cherry fruit.  Great, as we said, from everything in your salad, goat cheese, to a lovely fish on the grill.  Next, the winery’s white wine, Posip (pronouned POSHIP), was truly the hit of the party.  The Posip grape only grown on one spot in Croatia, the island of Korcula, is a lovely floral, aromatic, ripe melon fruited goodie.  Down to the last drop, it’s a backyard sipper and an elegant first course, through and through.  Lastly, Korta Katarina’s Plavac Mali.  If you’ve been following my bits, you know that the grape has been traced back to having one parent of Zinfandel.  It has a spicy, dark, meaty first impression that leads you into a palate filled with lovely notes of ripe raspberry, cherry and blackberry.  So good with meat on the grill to an aged Pecorino cheese.  And let me tell you, all agreed! 

Korta Katarina, ‘Best in Show’ again!  Stay tuned for more Summer Tastings listed on Amusee’s Event Page ~ you never know where these fun new wines will pop up again, stay tuned!

Today, as I sat in a ten hour lecture with four Master Sommeliers thru the Court of Master Sommeliers preparing for what seems like the hardest tests known to man of ANY subject, this question came up.  And its answer…HUMILITY.

Humility, here’s what Dictionary.com has to say:

hu·mil·i·ty:  the quality or condition of being humble; modest opinion or estimate of one’s own importance, rank, etc.

Important, don’t ya think?  While there are many folks that think they know a lot about wine, and I think I know quite a bit, you haven’t held a candle to the guts of wine until you’ve taken these lectures.  Seriously.  While today was a great review for my first two tests, I realize that I will be ‘bleeding’ the names of every single village, chateau, plot of wine, grape specie and style of wine known to man before I am threw.

While Humility is certainly important, and it most definitely is in a profession like mine when you are in front of zillions of people a day teaching them about a subject that can be very intimidating to some, there are many things that one should know about becoming a HUMBLE SOMMELIER.  Plus, I’ve truly been wanting to answer this ‘WHAT IS A SOMMELIER?’ question on my website for a very long time.  So, I suppose here’s my chance as it came up today in class.

A Sommelier is someone (now) that is CERTIFIED as a wine expert.  A Sommelier is not only someone that knows the every inside and out of wine, but also of cocktails, liquors, cigars, sake and beer.  Becoming a CERTIFIED SOMMELIER is not something that you can do online, like some of the now certified positions of the beer world, or even say that you are one just because you’ve spent X amount of years ‘in the industry’.  It is a full process.  And, it will make you NOT want to drink wine for fun, while in the process of becoming.  Trust me.

When I went through the process and became CERTIFIED, I took some of THE greatest wine courses that I could – through the International Sommelier Guild.  I took the full three level ordeal, which was almost a two years sitting in classroom, drinking eight hours a day, and passing three major tests.  The percentage of passing is low and the rigorous activity of testing is crazy.  My final was two days and a full 18 hours of…(something that ends in double LL).  But, gave me an appreciation of wine that cannot replaced.

What I have brought to my career, however, is much more than just passing some tests.  I have worked in all levels of restaurant service.  From the beginnings as a restaurateur’s child bar backing, tending, cleaning grease traps to managing bars, banquet halls, and four and five star restaurants.  In addition, I’ve put my time in from a winery perspective.  Managing and operating on all levels of a winery’s floor, I have worked the vineyard, played in the lab, sorted, punched down and rolled a few barrels or two – not to mention managed all levels of hospitality including:  tasting rooms, wine clubs, marketing and sales.  And last, ah yes, the wonderful and most glamorous position in the wine industry  - Distribution.  While it’s a ‘humbling’ job, it is one that was probably some of the crucial experience that I’ve had in this industry.  You grow a very thick skin, a snappy tongue and a ferocious attitude.  It’s tough, fast, furious and an incredible experience.

With practically a life built around ‘what I wanted to be when I grew up’, my experience in this industry has really been a wonderful, life-changing book full of adventure.  And now, as a full time educator, wine consultant, and dabbling in Eastern European wine branding with various filming and writing positions involving media – my life, I can say is (and I always say this) never boring!  Thank goodness for a wonderful spouse, family and network of supportive friends that pardon my absence with my work around the clock.  It’s always a whirlwind.

So I thought I’d share.  It’s been on my ‘to do’ list for quite a while now to write this ‘What is a Sommelier?’ bit.  I think it’s important that people know because there are so many folks out there that SELF PROCLAIM or speak on behalf of wine or even educate in personal settings, when they do not have the credentials to do so.  I’m not saying that you need to be a Sommelier to ‘talk’ about wine, but I feel like I needed to say something on behalf of us who have worked our tails off to get to where we are.  There are too many folks that talk disrespectfully about the world of wine, saying you shouldn’t drink this or that.  Or even that think that they are above what’s being poured.  Are you kidding?  If it wasn’t for the Two Buck Chucks of the world or even White Zin, man…none of us would even had a job.  Besides, what was the first wine you ever drank?  Bet it wasn’t Chateau Petrus.  So, as I sweat this Master Sommelier degree, I thought there probabaly wasn’t a more appropriate time to write about the FACTS.

But truly, all us real wine dorks out there want…is for you to drink what you like and drink more of it.  That way we’ll ALL have jobs.  I mean, that’s really what it’s all about.  We’re just here to give you the tools to understand a wee bit more, know what to look for on a retail shelf and every once in a while (if you care), impress your friends with your ability to pick out the best darn bottle for under $15.  That’s what this crazy world of wine is all about.

So pick up a glass + Cheers, from your favorite Certified Sommelier!