09/10/09 - My life as a working Sommelier

Although Thursdays, for me, are the beginning of the work week, I look forward to the end of this official week earnestly. This is historically one of the slowest restaurant weeks of the year- parents spend money on back-to-school stuff, not dining out. The restaurant I work at doesn't feel the crunch of the economy the same way the rest of the restaurants do (more on reasons for this later), but this week is still dismal for us.
I closed the place down tonight and never once had more than 3 tables at a time. I still managed to showcase Willakenzie Estate. I really support this winery, I like that they're OCSW certified sustainable (oh, you didn't know I was green? I won't berate you for your views, just drink good wine and we'll be cool), I think their winemaker is really on top of his game, and they hit some great price points- fairly and accurately. There are so many products that they produce, it's hard to talk about them briefly, but I showcased their intro-level Pinots (both Noir and Gris) to different tables tonight.
Towards the end of the evening I had resigned myself to making no headway towards my deficit in the contest, but my last table asked for a juicy spicy red, and some Yangarra Estates McLaren Vale Shiraz '06 is on the list. Not a huge bottle, but a little bit here and there helps.
Oh yeah- why don't we feel the crunch of the economy? Well, it's not entirely fair to say we don't feel it, we just absorb it better than many. The place I work is a showcase restaurant- we're 30 stories up in the sky for craps sake! Now, for you big city readers, 30 floors might not seem like much. However, those of you here in Portland know that there's only 1 building in town taller than Big Pink, and it doesn't have a restaurant in it... So! We get anniversaries. We get birthdays. We get celebrations of any and all sorts. We get business meetings. We also get tourists- people from all over the world. We still do over 200 covers on a slow night, and that's darn respectable in my eyes.
As always, if you would like more info about any of the wines that I talk about, feel free to shoot me a line or comment, and I'll get back to you.

09/08/09 - My life as a working Sommelier

What a drastically slow evening at the restaurant! I took four tables, and was out of the place by 8:30! A little Sokol Blosser Evolution hit the spot for those seeking something bright and refreshing after the afternoon heat (really?), and a half bottle of the Panther Creek Shea Vnyd to show off Oregon to a visitor from San Diego.

Joy of getting out early was that I was able to stop by Vino Paradiso and talk with Timothy about accommodating the upcoming Wine Wednesday in the Pearl! Look for an evite by the end of the week, it's coming together!

09/06-07/09 - My life as a working Sommelier

Sunday/Monday on a Labor day weekend. Although the restaurant was slammed busy, it never felt overmuch for me. Take into consideration I was in a *tiny* section with a trainee who was taking all the tables. Sadly, I wasn't called upon to do much more than run food for other servers. Sold some juice both nights, made some minor additions to the contest. Beaux Freres Pinot hit hard on Monday- 3 bottles of the WV 06. Some Illahe and Capitello on Sunday, along with some rose of Pinot from Elk Cove and our last bottle of Beringer Private Reserve Chard.
Keeping it super brief, and I feel guilty about it.
I should wax poetical about the '06 Ferrari Carano Sienna we opened up last night. I won't thought- I'll merely say that it's young and tight, and oh so good. We stuffed a couple of NY strip steaks with about 1/2 a pound of blue cheese, seared them off and broiled them to med-rare. yeah.

09/04/09 - My life as a working Sommelier

Closing the restaurant is rarely my bag. Closing on a Friday or Saturday (when the restaurant is open until 1AM) is even less my bag. Closing on a Friday that happens to be my girlfriend's birthday? Uber lame.

So! Make the best of a bad situation, sling some vino, have a good time! Moved some beautiful bubbles (99 Brut Rose from Veuve Clicquot), a stunning Seven Springs vnyd Pinot from Penner-Ash, and a flinty Kabinett Riesling from Markus Molitor. THAT was a happy 6 top!

Our mini-competition gets more difficult as we sell out of bottles, and last night I only moved 1 (the Chalone 05 Estate Pinot). It's ok- the other guy only moved 1 as well, and I continue to gain ground on him.

09/01-03/09 - My life as a working Sommelier

Lazy lazy man. Tuesday the 1st was my Friday night, had Wednesday off, and Thursday was the beginning of my new week. A quick recap of sales: Tues night Yangarra Shiraz (was actually a very minor upsell, but FAR more suited to the menu for the couple) and King Estate Pinot Gris (when a table says it's their fave, you don't argue); Thurs lunch half bottle Willakenzie Pinot Gris, Thurs dinner Illahe Pinot (big upsell from Louis Jadot Beau Villages).

Both (ok, all three) shifts at work were frustrating to me. We'll leave it at that, with a serious undertone.

Other server has pulled ahead by a buck-60 in our mini contest. We go til the end of the month, and that's a pretty piddly-wink lead.

08/31/09 - My life as a working Sommelier

End of the month! I ended August on a high note, went to a great tasting at the Gerding Theater- Yamhill/Carlton AVA wineries, and had a really nice (mellow) evening at the restaurant.

I attended the trade portion of the tasting, earlier in the day than the public event. I read a really great piece on trade tastings not too long ago: http://vindulge.typepad.com/vindulge/2009/07/zap-tasting-and-my-thoughts-on-trade-events.html {sorry, I'm not nearly as saavy at this blogging thing as I might hope, so you must [I command you] copy and paste into a new browser tab, thank you}

My feelings are very similar- I, personally, am not a buyer, but I sell an awful lot of these wines on the dining room floor, and it's important that I know what the heck is in the bottle. Having said that, there were some really standout wines showcased!

There were 24 wineries showing over 50 different bottlings. Having to work after the tasting, I had to decline a few here and there- I only tasted through 16 of the wineries. Quick shout-out to the GIII Gewurzt blend from Resonance; Soter's 05 Brut Rose; Bishop Creek's 06 Pinot and Reserve Pinot; and the 08 Pinot Gris Roots Vineyard from Roots. These were just a *few* of the standouts for me, just about everything I tasted I enjoyed for some purpose or another.

The restaurant was a little slow; I only waited on two tables for the night. Both of the tables were having a great time, out enjoying the evening, and well inclined to "dine." Both tables ended up leaving wine selection to me- pairing against 3 different dishes for each table. I went with Pinot for both- Willakenzie's 06 Kiana and Chalone Estate's 05. I know it's heresy to sell California Pinot here in Oregon, but (contrary to previous catcalls from the peanut gallery) I'm pretty evenhanded in my recommendations globally. The table that had the Chalone were all locals, and didn't need to be wowed by what we all know we have here at home. They were interested in seeing something from afar, but not too different. Oh yeah, stellar deal was offered too.

Both of those Pinots counted towards the recently begun sell-off contest between me and another server at the restaurant. Good thing too: after two nights of $0 in wine sales, those two (and him having the night off) allowed me to gain a little ground. He's still got the lead, but within striking distance with one fine bottle...

08/24/09 - My life as a working Sommelier

I always wonder how I'm supposed to start these posts. Most of the time I just plow right in, but some days it doesn't feel right. I mean, this is basically a journal, but there are some people who periodically read it too, so some context might be appropriate, no?
Well, plow right in then- basically how I felt when I walked into the tasting Monday afternoon. I pride myself on punctuality; I'm almost never late, and I'm usually at least 15 minutes early for any appointment I might have. An oddity for me to be late, but bursting in mid-tasting, what poor form! Further made an ass of myself later on during the tasting, divulging cost of a wine in front of a customer. Thhhpppbbbbtttt....
The tasting(s) were nice, some great Pinot Blanc, nice big Paso reds, and a rare treat- a '00 Mendocino Cab- really well cellar-ed and well developed. Classic Mendo notes make me think Alexander Valley/Cab Franc/red leaf lettuce. Great leather and tobacco notes too. Drinking really well right now, but probably won't last another year or two, I hope we hop on it.

Most of my tables were in and out eaters- one course and run sort of folk. I did have a larger party celebrating a birthday (supposedly {supposably?} on the sly). Moved the birthday into some Beaux Freres WV Pinot '06, and some '06 Ridge Santa Cruz Estate Chard. This party was one of those that could easily start a whole new blog post ranting about diners not allowing the restaurant to do it's job for you in creating a dining experience, but I digress here.
The Beaux Freres is always a crowd pleaser, and it did not fail here either. Ridge is one of my favorite wineries, and it's always a pleasure to show off their products, red or white. Both of these wines are products that are leaving our list. I love that I get to play with the prices on these wines, I love offering great deals on wines I love to people who appreciate it. It's a bummer that all these wines I love are leaving the list. It's not that the wines that are staying on the list are wines I'm unhappy with- much to the contrary; Many of the wines that have recently been brought in are wines that I've had a hand in selecting, and are products that I can really stand behind (and do!).

I got home and helped the lady make a wonderful steak salad for dinner. Deeply considered opening up the 05 Chappellet Mountain Cuvee, but I really do want to let that age a bit more. Ended up leaving the vino in the bottle, some days it happens :(

08/22/09 - My life as a working Sommelier

I spent much of the day outlining courses for future trainings. Once upon a time I had all this stuff outlined, .pdfs ready. Once upon a time I'd done all this before- the basic principles don't change. Sadly, it's been a number of years since I have done any professional wine training, and I've lost a computer, an external hard drive, and many many discs in the past two years. So, the day was spent planning out (from memory and resources I still have) classes for the service industry. I still have several classes to outline- not just for servers though. I also have several management classes, a few classes for consumers, and even a class for retail specific portions of the industry!

I've been so focused on Wine Wednesday in the Pearl events, on working at the Grill, and on developing client relationships that I've really dropped the ball on further web-site development over the last week or two.

The restaurant was full for the evening, but with 15 servers on the floor, it doesn't feel too slammed if your tables aren't needy. I had a two table section, so I moseyed around the floor at a quite leisurely pace. My own tables ordered some wine from me, unquestionably "ordered" wine. Well, the Columbia Crest Merlot and the Torii Mor Pinot were orders. The Elk Cove Rose of Pinot was my recommendation from our list of *2* roses. I was also able to get over to the bar and sell a bottle of BV Tapestry.
I actually quite enjoy having a slightly slower section, having the ability to roam the floor and help out selling wine. Naturally, if the restaurant offered a position as a steward or somm, I'd seriously consider it. That doesn't quite show signs of happening, but my manager did come to me the other day to ask my thoughts about supervising the floor once in a while...

08/21/09 -My life as a working Sommelier

I've had the distinct pleasure of waiting on people from all over the world in my career, especially since beginning last year as a waiter at the Portland City Grill. In the last week I've found myself in front of people from all over the U.S., for business trips, family reunions, weddings, etc. I really get a kick out of showing off Oregon Pinots to people, especially people who are interested in learning more.

A wedding rehearsal dinner came in last night, I showed them a new offering from a renowned wine maker- Dukes Family Vnyd "Alyssa" Pinot 2006, Willamette Valley (Gary Andrus, Winemaker). I also showed off the Ribbon Ridge (probably the favorite region amongst my co-workers) in the form of Beaux Freres' Estate Pinot 2006. White? Yes! King Estate's Domain Pinot Gris 2007.

I wish that I could show people what these reds will taste like in 10 or even 15 years, but I'm happy to get the ooh's and ahh's over the youthful examples as well.

Some discussion with the wine buyer at the restaurant. He's instituted a *ton* of changes this year, with *many* more planned. It's a huge and onerous task, and he's done an admirable job of it. I look forward to seeing what's in store for PCG.

The evening ended with beer for me. There's something magical about a cold beer at the end of the day, and my "every-day" sort of beer props go to Henry Weinhard's Private Reserve. Dirt cheap, and by far more palatable than the other stuff in the price range. Keep a six in the fridge, you never know when company'll stop by, and you don't have to be embarrassed of it ;)

08/20/09 -My life as a working Sommelier

Tedium rings true in any profession, even one where you deal with different people everyday. I ended last work week in a lull, selling nothing. I started this work week in a better place- the section I was in tonight and will be again tomorrow is almost exclusively for larger parties- groups of 5 to 16.

I didn't by any means "rock it" tonight. I had one table enjoy some wine- sold them into a bottle of Ridge 06 Santa Cruz Estate Chardonnay and a bottle of Illahe 07 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. Part of the table was from Florida, and it's always nice to show off something from Oregon that is new and up-coming. I really dig on Illahe's entry level Pinot- big cherry cheesecake on the nose, soft and easy. The acids are bright, the finish is firm, the price is great.

The Chard brought an interesting point up- one which I have pondered greatly in my life. The taster noted that it was "very oak-y," which is not how I described the wine, having never found it to have tasted in that manner myself. The point is this- what one person tastes is almost never the exact same as what another might taste. And how do I know what you taste is the same even if it's an agreed upon thing like an avocado or a tomato?

People ask me frequently how they can learn more about wine, and my usual answer is to drink as much as possible. I think it's really important to pick up a mag or two on wine also- not for scores or even the opinions of wine writers, but just to have the descriptions there. I think it's great to "train" your mouth to associate what you taste with descriptors that people will understand. Buy a bottle that's been reviewed in your magazine, and taste that wine properly. Then read through what the reviewer wrote, and see if you can align what you taste with what the reviewer says they tasted. Frequently you will not taste the exact same thing as the reviewer, but if you understand what the reviewer means when they say any given flavor, then you'll have a much better ability to buy wines that will please your face!

That was my day in wine.