The SOMM Journal

April / May 2017

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12 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } APRIL/MAY 2017 { editor's notebook } { the reading room } THERE'S A NEW RESTAURANT in New York City that has profoundly changed the traditional wine service ritual. When a wine is ordered, the chosen bottle is dutifully brought to the table and shown to the customer. Here's the change: It is then whisked off to a secret corner of the restaurant where it is opened and sampled by the sommelier. If the wine is judged to be devoid of flaws, it is returned to the table and poured for the guests. What happened to the traditional taste given to the cus - tomer who ordered the wine? That practice has been aban- doned in this restaurant. The wine columnist of the New York Times thinks this is a fine idea. "That moment can be fraught for all concerned," he points out. "Those unsure of what to do or lacking confidence may simply go through the motions to avoid potential humiliation. Sheepishness abounds." That certainly was true in 1965, but does it obtain today? Most people ordering off a large, well-chosen list these days are fairly well educated on wines. If they are not, that's what the sommelier is there for—to offer suggestions and advice. There's a large measure of arrogance involved in denying the customer the opportunity to taste the wine that has been ordered, especially when the bottle's cost runs to three figures. This also provides the potential for some hanky-panky. There was a famous restaurant in Italy that was accused of taking the wine out of sight to be opened and then substitut - ing a lesser, cheaper wine. Do you, like our New York Times friend, think that many diners are intimidated and befuddled by having to pass judge- ment over a wine, or is being offered a taste a proper, courte- ous and respectful part of the dining experience? I would opt for the latter scenario. The somm—especially if he or she has had some input in putting the wine list together—should have an intimate knowledge of what to expect from each offering on the list. Tasting at the same time as the customer is perfectly accept - able, but denying the diner the occasion to sample the wine before it is poured is condescending and rude. —Anthony Dias Blue A Bad Idea Hugh Johnson is widely considered the world's pre-eminent wine writer, and certainly none is more stylishly literate. Johnson's On Wine: Good Bits from 55 Years of Scribbling (Mitchell Beazley, $24.99) has just appeared—taken from his stories for Decanter, The Sunday Times, and The World of Fine Wine, among other sources—and it is hopelessly addictive for anyone who loves great wine and great writing. Great travel is often the occasion for these pieces—roaming Bordeaux's Left Bank, eating kaiseki in Osaka, tracking down Morellino di Scansano in the Maremma or sailing the Mediterranean on a tall ship with an excellent cellar stocked with mature claret. Always highly amusing, Johnson's writing also reflects developments in the wine trade over the course of the past six decades. Essential reading—but be sure you have a nice bottle or two on hand. For many "ordinary" people, wine is a mys - tery wrapped in an enigma—a topic only the elite cognoscenti (including somms, of course) feel comfortable discussing. Bianca Bosker gave up her job as Executive Tech Editor at the Huffington Post to embark on a wine discovery adventure–from New York's most exclusive restaurants to chem - istry labs—in order to educate herself and find out what all the fuss is about. Filled with equal parts skepticism and amaze- ment, Bosker's new book Cork Dork (Penguin, $17) is a fun look at today's world of wine from an outsider's perspective. London-based Michael Schuster's Essential Winetasting: The Complete Practical Winetasting Course (Mitchell Beasley, $24.99) has been called "the most effect winetasting manual ever writ - ten." This new edition—structured as a hands-on course in tasting methodology and loaded with factual information, many helpful photos, clearly readable maps and a thorough index—would make an excellent and very practical ancillary way to prepare for the Certified or Advanced somm levels. Professionals and amateurs not on a certification path will find it equally engaging. —David Gadd

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