Issue link: https://www.cominghomemag.com/i/1127311
Meet Dallas, TX-based sommeliers, Anna Englehart (AE), Priscilla Garcia (PG) and Roberto Kates (RK). These formally-trained wine experts recently sat down with us to shed light on the fascinating world of wine. What were the toughest things to master when becoming a sommelier? PG: Blind tasting. As a sommelier, you must train your senses to properly identify a wine's grape type, region, country, climate, vintage, etc. by only the color, smell, and taste of a wine. In addition, a sommelier must be able to dissect and correctly identify a mass number of characteristics attributed to a wine. For example, you must identify fruit forwardness, non-fruit characteristics, tastes of oak (if any), herbal characteristics, earth notes, tannins, acidity, body, texture, etc. This is a very challenging skill to master, and it takes a lot of work to feel confident in this area. AE: When it comes to blind tasting, the hardest part is learning to listen to your senses and silencing the urge to "guess the wine." It's about evaluating what's in the glass and not jumping to conclusions. The toughest part of the job is asking the right questions and listening to the answers when recommending a wine. It's not our job to sell what we like, it's to sell what we believe the guest would be comfortable with purchasing and enjoying! How do you recommend people get started in the world of wine? RK: From the professional side, it's all about research and learning something new every day. From a social perspective, it's always good to try new wines and learn from a dining experience. You can participate in wine tasting dinners at local restaurants and try new recommendations from servers or sommeliers. PG: The wine world is massive, and it can be overwhelming, so I recommend you start with the basics. Being able to comprehend viticulture and vinification can help you understand why a certain grape, and therefore wine, tastes the way it tastes. AE: Taste, taste, taste! Taste what you love, taste what you think you hate, and taste things you've never had before. If you are considering formal education, read "Windows on the World" by Kevin Zraly. How long does wine last? How can you tell if it has gone bad? PG: If a bottle of wine is stored properly, it will typically last anywhere from three to five days. A wine that has gone bad can start looking cloudy, may have bubbles, change color (to brown particularly), and might suddenly smell harsh and unpleasant with signs of oxidation or acetic acid. The longer the wine is kept open, the more noticeable these signs will be. AE: How long a wine lasts is a fully- loaded question. There are so many variables when it comes to the ageability of a wine—where it's from, who made it, when it was made, what it was made from, and what the vintage was like. Most white wines are made to be consumed within one to five years, reds average two to eight years. Again, this is a very vague generalization, only wines made from high-quality grapes and winemakers are built to last more than 10 years. The only way to tell if a wine has gone bad is to taste it. We all have different ideas of what "bad," tastes like. Typically, your wine will begin to really smell like vinegar or nail polish remover when it begins to turn. What's the biggest mistake people make when it comes to wine? RK: A lot of guests struggle to correctly express what they want. Even if I don't like a wine, I never describe it as "bad." Perhaps the wine wasn't stored correctly, or the cork was bad, but saying the wine is "bad" isn't the right way to put it. Winemakers work hard to create what's in the glass, so it's important to educate the palate, rather than neglect a wine. AE: Relying on awards, ratings, wine applications, and social media to tell you what a good wine is and what isn't. What's the most fulfilling part of being a sommelier? RK: Hearing the stories behind the wines you love is the most fulfilling part of being a sommelier. It's so great to meet the winemakers and learn about their hard work, not only agriculturally, but also what it takes to get their bottles around the globe and have people know their name. PG: I love talking to guests, learning about their preferences, and helping them find the perfect bottle of wine. It's extremely rewarding when people truly enjoy a wine you are knowledgeable about and thank you for making their experience much more memorable, particularly on special occasions. SOMMELIER 5 QUESTIONS WITH A 16