Well, it has been nearly a year since my last post, which was about a visit to Montoliva Winery in the Sierra Foothills of Northern California. Much has happened since then - for both wine and non-wine things. A year as Captain of the Blind Tasting Team has opened my eyes to new and exciting styles and varieties as well as led to tasting success at the Sciences Po International Tasting VI at Champagne Bollinger (3rd place for St Andrews) and putting up a valiant effort at the Left Bank Bordeaux Cup qualifier in London and our Pol Roger Varsity match against Edinburgh. My final year at university will hopefully yield a degree (results coming shortly); essay work certainly led to off-topic diversions into the history of wine and grape migration to California, South America and Australia... In between tasting and university has been the WSET Level 3 course, a British-based Wine and Spirit qualification that has laid good foundations for further wine study. But what next?
In September I shall be traveling half way around the world to Adelaide, South Australia. I have been lucky enough to secure an internship with Yalumba, a family-owned winery in the Barossa Valley, and will be working there for a month, trying to learn as much as possible about the production process. (Yalumba, interestingly, has been a star winery in Oz for me for a while. Their Viognier is amazing and was a staple on the restaurant wine list. Check out What To Do With Viognier.) In the meantime, I am splitting my week between Luvians Bottle Shop (sales) and The Seafood Restaurant (sommelier) in beautiful St Andrews, Scotland. I'll be starting to post more regularly - musings about the industry, pairings, memorable wines - so pop back for nuggets of knowledge about all things viniferous: though I can't guarantee you'll agree with it all. If you're hip enough to have a Twitter, follow me @ItsInTheSwirl for 140-character opinions, when the mood strikes. Above all enjoy the sun and crack a bottle of something tasty!
