Sipping with Sommeliers

Francois Zelbat knows the ins and outs not only of the cocktail community but also of each of the very unique and distinguished potables he represents. Working for a powerhouse like Maison Ferrand is a lot of sales reps dreams but to continuously have such a high passion for the brands he represents is something I don't see very often in my line of work. It was great to be back behind the mic after taking nearly a year off and this interview was well worth the wait!

Do scores matter? -NO To prove this daring theory I asked three of my friends that are studying to be Master Somms to blind taste the same 4 wines from the comfort of their quarantine. The overlap was immense and there were some huge differences in their deductions as well. They easily displayed though that everyone tastes different things when they taste wines and since that is true, then a score cannot justly describe a wine's quality. Time to put the numbers to rest and have fun with wine again!

If I work non-stop for the next 20 years and hit only green lights the whole way, someday I might be as cool as Ed Rudisell. His podcast "Shift Drink" is the embodiment of liquid cool and his ability to navigate nerdy subjects in the cocktail realm and make them fun is a skill set nobody else has. I was honored to have his ear for a bit and to interview him.

What do you do when you want to put out content and are quarantined? You ask your wife! She has some wine tasting chops and provides some insight to what blind tasting sounds like to normal folk that only drink wine for fun and not to study. Dani Dean was a chef in a past life and is a pastry chef and kick ass mom currently. Wouldn't be able to do any of this without her support!

John Danley is tall, hunky, knows/ speaks more about New Zealand than most, is a great Somm and has a total Magnum P.I. stache. We recorded this as the news about Covid 19 was just coming out and at this point even though it is less than a month old it almost seems like it was a year ago that this thing broke, how different the times were!