​#1.  I’ve been a Sommelier/Beverage Director since 1985 when I was employed in Washington DC with Capitol Management District of Columbia, I’ve yearly been involved working for and consulting with Michelin starred hotels or James Beard Awarded  independent restaurants.

#2.  How to maintain wines consistent continuity with your suppliers, quickly affected are independent smaller distributors facing increasing competition, and rapidly growing demand outside existing delivering channels.

 

#3.  I’m a product of newly emerging AVA’s since 1970 in California along Sonoma’s Coastal influenced regions, especially the Fort Ross AVA above the Jenner village. The ridiculously cool climate and Pacific Ocean gives dramatic diurnal anomalies with fog delivering fresh dewey humidity hydrating to the vines early morning. The sinewy grape skins of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are chilled naturally, encouraging grapes balanced bright acidity. Of course, grapes grown along the California coastline further seeking the grape varieties planted refinement or a premier / grand cru status. 

The Santa Rita Hills are a prime example first exploited by Richard Sanford in 1973, planted to vineyards in 1975. The first harvested grapes were in 1980. Who knew, at the time conventional California harvest wisdom was everything in California grapes growing is uniform - “There’s no variation in grape harvest yield or taste” prior to 1980? 

The explosion of new AVA’s in existing Sonoma’s Highway 101 corridor Petaluma Gap and established Dry Creek Valley higher elevations of Lake Sonoma refining Zinfandels heightened “Ground Zero” planted vineyards called The Rockpile AVA.  

Every choice made is decades in experiments revealing if this decision was a better situation than across the paddock field or down the street?!

 

#4.  I awake at 4 in the morning, I shower then cursory mirror glance how badly I require a haircut. I recall my last haircut was in San Francisco in Polk Gulch and was eight dollars plus gratuity. It was then I decided I’d buy an electric shaver and generally lasting me 10 years before needing replacement from constant fussing shaving my head and beard four days weekly. I do my research under review or do my best proof reading previous work due. I prefer to have a solid eight hours sleep and a week to forget my own mistakes previously written and seen through fresh eyes. Most often I am not given this opportunity though! I respond to previous stacked emails by 10am or tending to pressing (emergency Emails) I must respect the clients timeline!  I then do limbering stretches, calisthenics, go for a walk on the treacherous surface streets of East Texas.  They are usually swollen by recent storms, cracking sidewalks unevenly. By eleven I’m back reviewing answers unread to my previous responses.  

I then consider my appointments I’ve already RSVP’d attending and if no conflicts I then decide whether to go to lunch or if I’ll avoid lunchtime, fasting until dinner. As the years add up I now require only 1 nourishing meal daily. 

I fast twice weekly for twenty four hours, to keep the fattening wolves at bay.  Usually I am completed with my tasks by 4 o’clock afternoon. 

 

#5.  I truly enjoy exploring the world of wine.  I’m quite fond of the cooler climates of Patagonia Pinot Noir, and Syrah, but I’m thoroughly impressed with any newly emerging cool district: in Tuscany a high elevation Montecuocco district growing Sangiovese to positive success blended with estate Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot. 

 

#6.  I prefer the honest hiring process consulting with a frank discussion with the Culinary team focusing on the menus direction, either static or seasonal, and how the beverages should apply. Are there any prejudices or preferences the company has for directing the selections. The management team should be seeking generous genuine hospitality as paramount for the company’s employees success. 

   As a consultant, either full time retainer, or a temporary employee position I wish to apply my training inventory skills for accurately coding and dating invoices, updating newly priced products on accurate inventory reflecting for profitability. All in the name of accurate staffing training.

   Things I find disagreeable are mixed messages that I sense a foreboding business misdirection.  Inventory management must be accurately completed every 28 days, 13 periods an economic year and done with snapshot cursory inventory accomplished weekly every Sunday night to prepare orders Monday, checks ready for delivers Tuesday! The business must be able to pivot reacting quickly and honestly to market conditions.

 

#7.  Yes it is potentially effortless to craft artisanal wines that are available at a reasonable wholesale prices.  This requires research into the estate wineries vineyards ownership and the restaurant’s commitment to long term pouring utilizing the restaurant’s successful business marketing and strategic cross promotion with the winery; a fiduciary relationship of your success is beneficially reliant upon our success!

 

#8.  Mateus Rose that was easily digested in 1975, effortless distributed, my friends found it went with favorite foods.  I drank a bottle last November at Thanksgiving and the wine was hollow middle palate deficient fruit. Surprised, as I think the best values are sophisticated Portuguese wines like Bairrada, Porto dry table wines (not to discount fantastic Ports the updated and cleaner mutage alcohol as of 1994 is revealing the brilliant fruit in tawnies, and vintage LBV’s the fruit formerly absent) I find I can happily ingest half a bottle of tawny port, and serve the white port as an aperitif or mix with tonic .+ lemon, most guests are unfamiliar and delighted with the chance encounter, too!

 

#9.  My favorite varietal is Aligote getting a delicious lookalike white Burgundy, or Salamino varietal for red Emilia-Romagna Lambrusco handled correctly in the right hands with deft oak casks with long term culinary potential that requires very little pairing preparation.

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#10.  Overrated aspects of wine events? I’m fond of culinary wine pairing taking into consideration wine vintage deficiencies and how to process spice flavoring to bridge culinary gaps between food and wine, matching the sum of its parts is greater than the whole. 

However, the cavalier attitude of some sommeliers reflect their lack of training or understanding of asking for advice from more experienced professionals.

 

#11.  Keep a rectal thermometer close by to take your own temperature, and regularly monitor your attitude! If you’re worried about staffing consistency, examine your own performance training metrics. 

 

#12.  Changing climates: In 1984 I discovered the best deflection for newly ripening wines, formerly green in past vintages ripening once every five years, I sold on the benefits of a warmer planet. I witnessed the most dramatic example of newly planted grape vines in too temperature cool spots that were a decade later fully commercially ripe!

 

#13.  Relaxing I read now easier than ever with an entire library in your hands! iPads and personal phone devices have eliminated the excuse I don’t have time or I can’t pack that many books traveling, I still recall carrying 4 volumes of Hugh Johnson’s Wine Atlas, and

Michael Broadbent’s wine books in 1975 on a first trip to EU vineyards. I took two less pair shoes and socks, but I couldn’t reduce underpants!

 

#14.  The finest grape wine values in the world is Portugal or Greece’s offerings. My goodness how both of those countries have improved so much in just my hospitality career. I used to say in 1982 from one winery in Italy could supply a three option white, rose, red wine list completely; no need for additional sku’s! 

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#15.  What would you do to promote additional wine drinking with your guest customers?  Run dynamic wine markup graduated lists that accurately change seasonally, purchasing fewer SKU’s, with wine prices only one half markup for top tier end expensive to twice or less to generate interest and perceived value.  Finally weekly have an open 1  & 1/2 ounce wine tasting session with tasty tidbits provided either for a discount or gratis. Many times if appropriately presented to the guest wineries as a uniform front for promotional regional expression, they will provide a solid foundation support through wine sales marketing generating attendance, Or additional wine.