February 7, 2006

Off The Vine

Get more wine into your life

Lorn Razzano

One of the most asked questions I receive by e-mail, in the shop or at my wine class at the university is, “How do I get more serious about wine?”

I really don’t know what the word “serious” means in the wine world, but my guess is that there are groups of folks out there who wish to know more about wine and really do not know how to go about doing so. Let me give you a few good, basic ways to get more comfortable with the world of wine and a few more advanced ways as well.

Attend a wine class. My wine classes at the university are always filled with people of all ages interested in furthering their understanding of wine. There are wine classes offered in just about every community on the West Coast that are affordable, informative and well attended.

A good, basic wine course offers a text, tastings and of course, wine people who know their way around the wine world. Be prepared to taste a large variety of wines and keep an open mind on different winemaking styles as you attend the classes.

These classes are about exposure and information. If you are becoming “serious” about wine I urge you to grab a class and have fun.

Visit wineries. There are three kinds of people who visit wineries. The first group of folks just wants to drink wine, socialize and hang out. The second type of winery visitor is the more serious taster who is there to taste the new releases, taste from the barrel and purchase wines. This person asks penetrating questions about the winery and about the wines as well as asks to visit with the winemaker. The third type of winery visitor is the person in the trade who will set up “futures” buying (buying from the barrel tasting), private labeling for a shop or restaurant or purchasing wine for a distributorship.

The best time to visit a winery is when they are not busy with crush. Try to call ahead and make an appointment if you are with a group of four or more and are in a serious mood to take up their time and energy. Keep the visits timely and try not to do too much in one day. A designated driver is essential in all cases.

Form a wine or gourmet group. These groups can be a lot of fun and can give great amounts of information concerning wine and food pairings. These kinds of groups, if they are structured with semiformal talks at the beginning of each dinner, can be a gold mine of information.

Most successful groups are centered on a theme, either wine or food related. Some themes can be about certain wines, regions of wine growing or cultural dishes with wine as the focus.

An example would be the food of Tuscany, with Chianti as the wine focus of the evening. A short talk about Chianti, where it is grown and what the best vintages are, would be fun and rewarding. The themes would be endless and great at every level.

Literature. Of course there is the Internet, as well as many pretty informative wine periodicals and wine writers out there to choose from. The Wine Spectator is the best known of the wine periodicals to choose from. This chatty magazine is filled with glossy photographs, wine articles and a section of “Best Buys” with numbered ratings on various wines from around the globe that have been tasted by the staff of the magazine.

For the more serious wine lover: My suggestion to you is to find a way to work at a local winery or wine shop. Every high season there are openings at wineries to help with the harvest or in the tasting room. Peak season for retail is at the holiday season, when the wine world kicks into high gear.

Some people start with working in the vineyard at harvest, as well as working in the cellar.

Many wineries have volunteer positions, part-time paid positions and vacation relief work available throughout the year. These are great jobs to get to learn about wine with folks within the system and can be very rewarding on a short- or long-term basis.

Many times, in fact most times, no previous winery work is necessary for this type of work. This is a great way to integrate wine into your daily life.

Well, there you have it. Have fun and see you next time!