A Day in the Life of a Sommelier 5-4-2011

I thought a fun new series to start would be a a chronicle of events every now and again when applicable.  Think of this as a page out of a daily diary.  Hopefully this is the window into the mythical world of Sommeliers and over time will make the profession more understood.  It's like I say, tasting good wine is but a minor part of my job; don't let this blog fool you. 
Wednesday, May 4th, 2011.  I got the day off as a trade for working 4 Sundays in a row.  Nice trade no big deal.  2 trade events in San Francisco, perfect!

9AM:  Wake up and get out of bed.  Start compiling the list of things I need to do today, including getting the keys to my new place.  So far so good.

10AM:  Daily Jamba Juice, Red Gummie, and pick up my new set of keys, this time they work.  ALmost on the road.

My New Kitchen

10:30AM:  On the road, filtering facebook requests to join me, more so people just not wanting to be at work.  Traffic is light and the road is well travelled, Fort Mason here I come.

12:15PM:  Parked and ready to begin, it's warm in SF, but I still wear a jacket.  I was close to, but did not melt.  Arrive at the pre-event VIP tasting and start the day with a taste of Louis Roederer 'Cristal' 2004, let the games begin. 

1:30PM:  Pre-event is wrapping up, some great wines pourd for sure.  2000 Valandraud out of a magnum was great, as was the 2005 Cos d'Estournel and 2005 Leoville Las Cases, some fun Italian Barolo and Brunello di Montalcino, and the Ladera Howell Mountain out of a magnum was pleasant.  Oh yeah, and Grand Cru Burgundies are never bad

2:30PM:  Let the Italian session begin.  I have found a couple fun wines so far, definitely think I have found some new stuff for the restaurant.  This picture covers about 30% of the Empson table, covered with a lot of Italian bottlings, lots of Barolo!  The 1999 Cannubi was ripping, as was the Marcarini 'La Serra' 2004 and the Lisini Brunello's.  I also tried their premixed Blood Orange Mimosa, not bad actually, and some othe fun imports.  There was a Chilean Pedro Ximenez that was really fun for the price.

4PM:  Beer Garden time.  Wine Warehouse has a great beer selection as well, and they had a beer garden to show it all off.  Had to be 100 beers open for sampling!

5PM:  Leaving the 1st tasting, headed to the second, Southern Wines at the Hyatt Regency.  Great location, beautiful setting.  Arrive, not registered, but sign right up and get right in.  Less impressive glassware, confusing lay-out for the event.

6PM: Gettinng into the tasting, have found some fun stuff I am happy to have tasted, including the Chateau d'Esclans Rose.  Expensive juice that is very delicate.  Nothing really jumped out to me so far though...

7PM:  Getting ready to wrap up here, decent tasting, some great labels, nothing over impressed.  Gaja Barbaresco 2007 was good, as was the 2004 Jordan Cab, Cheval Andes blend, Rubicon, BV Latour.  I was really happy to get to taste the Lapostelle 'Clos Apalta' which was a former Wine Spectator Wine of the Year, and it was good.  Ran into a wine rep I met a few weeks ago in Napa, great guy.  Asks me where my 'wife' is, humorous...not really.  It's time to run for the hills...

8PM:  Settle in at Quince Restaurant with a couple friends and enjoy some cocktails and wine, Steak Tartare and Foie Gras.  Not bad to get to meet Sommelier David Lynch and Chef Michael Tusk.  I will be back soon.

9PM:  Time to hit the road, you have to work tomorrow, don't g crazy.

11PM:  Get home, grab a quick easy bite to eat and crash out.  All in all a fun day, back to work tomorrow.  San Francisco I will be back on Monday!

Salute!