Vinoculation

Starting out strong here is likely a good way to introduce myself to the Vinoculation hordes.  So much pressure for such a new writer, how does one avoid buckling under the pressure?  I think it might be a good idea to start with a brief self portrait, so that you, oh faithful readers, have some idea of who happens to be going on and on about this or that gorgeous nuance in his glass.  Oh, the terroir.  I can smell it now.

If we want to put forward professional, or at least paper credentials, to a name, I am the proud recipient/owner/experiencer of the following: WSET Advanced Diploma, Spanish Wine Educator certification through the Spanish Wine Institute, and have spent the past 4 years as a wine merchant in Vancouver, Canada. I have built store inventory from nil to 2000+ labels, with options from lowly bulk wine to back vintages from classic wine regions. I’ve managed and served in fine restaurants before that, and before that still I apprenticed under a few talented chefs. If you take nothing else from this history, I hope it’s obvious that I love wine and food.

Perhaps that’s enough, but what are you looking for from a wine writer?

I suppose what I’m getting at is that, despite all of the above, you have few guarantees when it comes to the quality of my writing and palate. Gladly, such a statement applies just as readily to an unopened bottle of wine. There is no way to guarantee the quality of an item by seeing it from the outside; one needs to get in to it, get it inside, and gain direct experiential knowledge of the thing. When it comes to my writing, as with wine, everyone can judge for themselves through reading and comparing against experience. If good wine never shows poorly, likewise with writing.

So to wrap up, I look forward to sharing my experiences with you, faithful readers. I look forward to hearing of your experiences, and comparing them to my own as I explore this beautiful country and its wines. The quest for interesting, good wine is a thirsty one; may it never be quenched!