Mt. St. Helena - Napa Valley © Brent Miller, WineCountry.com
The Chicago wine scene has grown so much over the past ten years. I remember the days when we only had Sam’s, Binny’s, and the dreaded grocery store selections to choose from. There are thousands of wines out there and we have warehouses filled with choices from all over the globe. How did we pick and choose what to bring home that night—a flip of the coin, a cute label, country of origin, or just price? It wasn’t until recently, when smaller boutique wine shops such as Just Grapes burst onto the scene, that wine education was promoted to consumers so they could make more informed decisions on their purchases. I have always believed that giving wine lovers even the most simple of tools (such as a broader vocabulary to describe the wine they like) can empower them. Let’s face it: the more informed we are as a society, the better decisions we’ll make and the happier we’ll be—even if that decision is just to have a great glass of wine after a hard day’s work.
Being a wine buyer and educator in Chicago was wonderful. It gave me the chance to get people excited about what they were learning, and inspire them to try things they may never have even glanced at or been able to pronounce. The old-school philosophy, that wine should remain a mystery that only the elite can appreciate, is dead. No one benefits from this attitude, and it has been my mission since entering the business to demystify wine in every aspect. With several great little wine shops offering tastings and classes every year, you can now see people who were once complete novices to wine talking about the intricacies of Burgundy and Bordeaux.
Although Chicago still has a long way to go, we’ve also come a long way as well. Chicago has a plethora of Michelin-rated restaurants, and supports grocers such as Fox & Obel and Whole Foods who carry a variety of finer wines. I’m very proud of how far we’ve come and will continue to grow as a culture and a city.
As of a few weeks ago I left my beloved city and moved to Napa Valley to further pursue my career and passion for wine knowledge by living and working among the vines. After a stint in Williamette Valley Oregon this past season working the wine harvest, my perspective changed. Seeing the entire operation and observing how the same varietals (I worked mainly with Pinot Noir) could have different colors, sizes, or tastes; and how they were treated differently depending on the clone, location in the vineyard, or the age of the vines made me truly realize I wanted to find out everything—and communicate it to you.
I hope you stay tuned! I will not only be writing about California wine country and my experiences here, but also about wine worldwide. I despise dry, technical articles about such an intriguing, complex, and seductive beverage…I’ll provide real-world, working knowledge to better prepare you when you’re tackling that 15-page wine list, or perusing the shelves of your favorite wine store. We might even be able to make you into the “wine snob” you’ve always wanted to be!
Wine writer Maggie Bernat Smith contributes to the Strongbox blog each Friday.
