Sommeliers and wine tastings

Im wondering what you guys' experiences have been with traditional wine tasting events that are chaired/led by Sommeliers. Im asking this from the perspective of a retailer that doesn't have a Sommelier on the payroll, and has no formal wine credentials... my experience is not academic, rather its measured in liters.

Thoughts?

Im asking this from the perspective of a retailer that doesnt have a Sommelier on the payroll, and has no formal wine credentials... my experience is not academic, rather its measured in liters.

Thoughts?

Alejandro
Experience, encouragement and enthusiasm would be the talents I'd go for in someone to lead a tasting. Being down to earth about the whole thing is also a very good idea. Acting 'superior' is probably the biggest failing possible.
I suspect you're ideal for the role, and if you also listen to and learn from your customers, then even better.
regards
Ian

[Jenise]

Ian put it better than I was going to. All you need to have to lead a tasting is a love and enthusiasm for wine. I'll add that I've been to two sommelier-led tastings, and I was just unlucky to get the same kind of guy twice--condescending and rather elitist. It's my impression that people show up for the wine, or to meet winemakers and even importers, but that sommeliers--just on the basis of that credential--are a much lesser draw.

Thanks for your insights. I like to think that my objective with the tastings I lead is to help people know a little history & information about the wines, and try to allow them to better enjoy what they are drinking.

Back when I was a collector and customer rather than ITB, I found that many professionals overpower you with technical data and vocabulary... the usual reaction from most folks was lack of participation... Ive always thought that people very quickly think they are "not good at wine" if they dont immediatetly find the exact descriptors that a preaching Sommelier will announce are found in a given glass.

Im of the theory that if you ask peope to brainstorm about what they find in a glass... and encourage them to find their mothers pasta sauce, raw meat from their dads BBQ, or the smell of leather from a new pair of shoes the day of their first big job interview it makes for a much more enjoyable wine experience for all...

I would be very interested in hearing everybody's opinion on this, as Im trying to constantly change and update the formats & contents of my tastings and would love to get your feedback.

Im of the theory that if you ask peope to brainstorm about what they find in a glass... and encourage them to find their mothers pasta sauce, raw meat from their dads BBQ, or the smell of leather from a new pair of shoes the day of their first big job interview it makes for a much more enjoyable wine experience for all...

There is one caveat to this -- what someone's pasta sauce smells like is meaningful to them but meaningless to me. I would take that comment and ask others to expand on it -- does it smell like cooked tomatoes; does it have an earthy/mushroom scent; is it spicy/herbal? When leading a tasting, you need to make sense to everyone. We all understand green apple aromas -- many will not understand if you say it has a Newtown Pippin perfume.

Alejandro,
From my experiences with wine tastings is that from a teaching perspective.
It matters most that the person leading the wine tasting is a good teacher - knows their audience and is able to explain things to the class (either one on one or to a large group) in a way that they can understand.

A Master of Wine (MW) or a Sommelier may be thinking at a level that is much higher than the audience. In many cases, they may be over qualified. Think of a PhD teaching elementary school kids - they are certainly qualified in some manner, but often cannot relate to their audience.

I, on occasion, teach a one night introductory class at one of the local adult education centers. The people taking the class are looking for some basic information in a setting that's informative and fun. I try to use analogies that the students can relate to. The courses and certifications I've taken (WSET Intermediate and Advanced) have certainly helped in acquiring a body of knowledge required to teach these level of courses. However it, most importantly, is how I connect to the students, and in your case, how you or your staff communicate with your customers.

Hope this helps,

There is one caveat to this -- what someone's pasta sauce smells like is meaningful to them but meaningless to me. I would take that comment and ask others to expand on it -- does it smell like cooked tomatoes; does it have an earthy/mushroom scent; is it spicy/herbal? When leading a tasting, you need to make sense to everyone. We all understand green apple aromas -- many will not understand if you say it has a Newtown Pippin perfume.

Randy-- you are spot on... I see my role as translating each persons very individual recollection into something others may be able to relate to. Alas, I find that once people open up enough to throw out concepts like that, its usually the beginning of a very good tasting session.

John-- thanks for your comments. Connection between lead taster and audience... thats another key issue. One thing that I dread is a very quiet (silent) crowd... those are the hardest to work with but somehow I always seem to find a way to get folks to interact and open up in the end. Of course, the alcohol does help...

John-- thanks for your comments. Connection between lead taster and audience... thats another key issue. One thing that I dread is a very quiet (silent) crowd... those are the hardest to work with but somehow I always seem to find a way to get folks to interact and open up in the end. Of course, the alcohol does help...

Alejandro,

I am a classical singer and voice teacher in Philadelphia. My master's degree was in voice performance and pedagogy, that is, not only was I trained to perform, I was trained to teach others how to develop their voice. I have been teaching for 20 years and a professional singer for 25. Because of my love for wines, I now include a wine class at a choral program I have founded in Italy. I now have the opportunity to share my enthusiasm for wine with others in a class setting. Singing is just as subjective as wine tasting, so I am enjoying helping others get the most out of wine and learn to taste and most of all truly enjoy wine. I agree that connecting with your tasters is very important, as is making sure they are with you when you talk about wine. This applies to a lot of bad classical voice teachers out there who force a technique onto a student, instead of focusing on listening to the student's own unique voice and most of all listening to the student's perspective. I have learned that my enthusiasm for the human voice and the repertoire is contagious, as is my love for wines, and particularly Italian wines. If I see a blank look from a student when I ask to articulate their sensations, I know they are lost, and more time learning to be aware of singing (or tasting) sensations is needed. Eventually they catch on and then they take off because they are in more of an active role, and learn to trust their palate (or their singing sensations). I find this terribly important as is fascinating. I've been in tastings or classes where the leader did not connect with the class - and there was no learning going on. My very first wine class I took was with someone who was like that, who was a snob, pretentious, and who put down certain wines that I loved. I have to say that Andrea Immer and Jancis Robinson were the people who were the most inspirational to me personally - they are excellent teachers of wine, in my opinion.

Paulo, thanks for your thoughful post. I think the analogy you use is an excellent one.

Alejandro,
For the audiences that are shy, I try to simplify things by asking questions that have a yes or no answer. This gives your audience something to start with. Often the follow up questions become easier. In a tasting, I will often ask the class - do you like this wine? For those who say yes, I'll ask why. Then I'll ask who doesn't like a wine. Then will follow up with a why. This usually gets the conversation started.

Thanks John.