A Wine Story

American Sommeliers

Slate.com just pubished an interesting article on American vs. European sommeliers. While the author mentions Andrea Immer Robinson and Richard Betts, he also speaks about the increasing multi-cultural background of today's sommeliers ...

"And it is not just in the realm of gender that America has changed the sommelier beat: Wine service in the United States is also multiethnic and multiracial. African-Americans, Chinese-Americans, Korean-Americans, and many other hyphenated Americans are now pouring Cabernets and Chardonnays professionally. One of the country's brightest young sommeliers is Indian-born Rajat Parr, who oversees wine for San Francisco chef Michael Mina's restaurant conglomerate. Parr, 35, says he didn't encounter any resistance when he was breaking into the sommelier trade and that the business is open to anyone with the knowledge and desire to hack it. "Just come and prove yourself," he says. Here, too, the contrast with France is vast. France may be a multicultural country, but wine service there is still a strictly Caucasian affair, and the few exceptions are made to feel their exceptionalness. Hideya Ishizuka, a Japanese sommelier who spent a decade working at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Bordeaux and who now owns a restaurant in Paris, recently told me that many French clients simply refused to accept the idea that he had wine advice worth heeding."

Italian wine academy ...

Here's some news if you love Italian food and wine. Accademia di Vino, a new enoteca, restaurant and pizzeria located at 1081 Third Avenue at 64^th Street, will introduce its first in a series of Italian wine classes on Tuesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. starting October 16.

What is even better is that these classes are taught by Tracy Ellen Kamens, certified specialist of wine (CSW) and co-founder and chief education officer for Grand Cru Classes.

I met Tracy first via email (she had asked about a wine program I participated in) and we found ourselves at many tables during wine related events after that. The classes sound fun and there is the opportunity for dinner after. Each class will explore the history of the featured region, its climate and topography, and will provide an overview of grape varieties and viticulture and tasting and discussion on 8 to 10 wines. A selection of antipasti will be served.

Classes are open to the public; reservations are required. Admission is $75 for a single class and $255 for the series of four. Accademia di Vino will offer attendees a 15% discount off dinner after the class (excludes tax and gratuity). Call 212-888-6333 to reserve. www.accademiadivino.com

Can Finger Lakes ever equal Napa?

Today in the Star-Gazette.com Jim Trezise, president of the New York Wine & Grape Foundation, talked about how in the fullness of time he can see the Finger Lakes turning into an East Coast version of the Napa Valley. Here's a clip:

"Thirty years ago, New York had 19 wineries; today 239. In the 1990s, 63 new wineries opened, as did 63 more in just the first half of this decade -- basically doubling the growth rate. In the past 20 years, tourist visits to wineries multiplied 12-fold to more than 4.1 million, with wine-related tourism expenditures now topping $312 million annually. A study by a Napa Valley wine economics firm shows that our industry -- in danger of extinction just 25 years ago -- now contributes more than $3.4 billion to the state economy each year.

What explains this dramatic turnaround? Partnerships, synergies and cooperation."

Of course, he's right. But I'm thinking about something I read in Sante magazine recently, in which the author tacitly posed the question if the North Fork was receiving more media attention because it was closer to Manhattan. As a media person myself and the author of Building Buzz: How To Reach And Impress Your Target Audience, I suspect he may be right.

It's easier for North Fork wineries and establishments to organize events and get journalists up there for a day. Do you think that distance from Manhattan is a challenge for the Finger Lakes? Love to hear your thoughts ...