Yearly Archives: 2018

A sommelier is a knowledgeable and well-trained wine service expert. Most sommeliers work in the hospitality industry selling wine. But, they differ from a salesperson at a wine shop, since sommeliers go through rigorous training to make sure they;

• Have an in-depth knowledge of wine
• Able To describe wine flavors in both technical and layman’s terms
• Recommend wines to pair with meals
• Serve wine in an expert and elegant manner

Sommelier Training

Mastering the skill to be a sommelier is difficult. Hence, you need to commit time to study and practice hard. So, before you enroll for sommelier training, make sure you;

Improve your wine tasting skill

Not only is this the fun phase of your journey as a sommelier, but it’s also the most important. It improves your palate, allowing you to connect the dots between wine flavors in wine. Thus, you can make professional recommendations to customers.

Going for wine tasting events and taking wine appreciation classes are 2 actions you can take to improve your wine tasting skill.

Increase your knowledge of the wine regions of the world

Begin with the top four wine-producing regions in the world, i.e. Spain, France, Italy, and America. Then, work your way to the other wine-producing countries. Make sure you know the wines produced in each region and the specific location of the top wineries. Also, familiarize yourself with the brewing techniques, and unique features of each wine region.

Reading great wine books will help to broaden your knowledge of wine regions.

Learn about the Wine Tasting Basics today!

Decimation of European stock:

It is difficult to know what the wines of those Ancient Rome and Greece tasted like. The majority of vines used to make ancient roman wines no longer exist. Early European grape species died out from specific bugs, and environmental changes. During the Victorian era, the English developed a passion for botany that lead them to import some American vines for studying. Cuttings sent to England quickly corrupted local vineyards due to Phylloxera. Phylloxera spread quickly throughout the UK. It decimated the vineyards of the UK and Europe, attacking the roots of the grape vines; killing entire strains of ancient grape these cultures drank.

In an effort to save the vines, an American scientist came up with the idea of grafting the European vines to American root stock. This allowed a close proximity of the original European vines to be created, but unfortunately allowed even more non-native molds and fungi to spread which caused some classic varietals to go extinct.

Learn about historic wineries, utilizing tradition to produce some of the best wines on the planet!

You Are Not The Father!

As this years have gone by, technology has unlocked even more fascinating secrets about wine. For many years, Italians and Californians argued about which grape was better: Italy’s Primitivo or California’s Zinfandel. When scientists analyzed the DNA structure of each, they were amazed to find out that they were either the exact same grape or a strikingly similar clone. When grown side by side, the vines will produce grapes of slightly different sizes, but can create wine that is nearly identical. Although there is a lot more complexity to winemaking and growing grapes.

The next time you hold your favorite glass of wine, consider the amazing  wine history transpired to get there! It will improve the taste and your enjoyment of such a beautiful, historic and ancient product. I promise you!