I was recently interviewed for an article in another organization’s newsletter on the topic of wine. With so many gatherings involving family, friends and frenemies this time of year, I thought this would be a timely topic for this month’s blog. Cheers!
The name of your company is the Leadership Difference and you speak on a variety of leadership topics all over the world. Do you find that there is a correlation between leadership style and the type of wine someone drinks?
Well, I think being in a leadership role can certainly drive someone to drink! I actually do a seminar called What is Your Wine Personality that compares a person’s leadership style to a type of wine. The program was inspired by the content of my new book, The Power of Understanding People. In the book, I refer to four types of leaders: Romantic, Warriors, Experts, and Masterminds. For example, emotionally sensitive leaders – Romantics — tend to be quite attuned to the morale of their team and work hard to make the organization’s culture fun to be in and for the group to have a comfortable unity. I think a sparkling wine, with its effervescence and inherit celebratory nature, is a nice reflection of this style. On the other hand, analytical leaders – Warriors – are direct and results-oriented; sometimes even perceived as brusque. A big Cabernet Sauvignon perfectly captures their style with the bold flavor profile and substantial tannins. Having said that, one of the most aggressive leaders I know drinks White Zinfandel. Go figure.
You travel the world doing keynote speeches and seminars. What is your favorite wine region?
Oh my! That’s like asking a music lover to pick their favorite band (Radiohead, by the way, but that will change tomorrow). Several wine regions have left me with amazing memories. My lovely bride and I were lucky enough to visit Valpolicella and tasted some amazing Amarone de Valpolicella at Le Salette Winery. It was just us and the winemaker. It was incredible. We visited a charming winery outside Madrid, Spain. Unbelievable! We love the Willamette Valley in Oregon and the Columbia Valley region in Washington, too. However, based on the number of visits we make there, I would have to say the Dry Creek AVA in Sonoma is our favorite. They have a huge range of varietals and it is not as crowded as the rest of Sonoma and Napa. It is a beautiful area, lovely people, and a real foodie vibe to boot.
During the holidays, do you have specific wine recommendations that pair with the traditional foods?
While I have some favorite pairings (Pinot Noir and salmon makes me giddy as does Salice Salentino with a Bolognese sauce), I have found that everyone’s palette is unique. My motto is, “if you like it, drink it. If you don’t like it, drink it fast!” Here are the four wines I recommended in my November newsletter for Thanksgiving and I would feel comfortable serving them all through the holidays. Again, I broke the selections down to reflect the style of the person and I focused on my favorite region (with a bow to the Willamette Valley).
No celebration can begin without popping the cork on some sparkling wine. A lovely brut rose works great for the holidays. I love J Brut Rosé for its floral and raspberry flavors and elegant bottle. At $38, it’s at a moderate price point for high end sparkly and worth it to start the party off with class. It is wine in the style of the Romantics: fun and effervescent!
For the Experts, I recommend one of the great food wines in the world; Riesling. The combination of acidity and full mouth feel makes it perfect as an insurance policy against overcooked white meat. The best version I tasted this year was the Trisaetum 2013 Estates Reserve Dry Riesling at $32 (Trisaetum also offers less expensive Rieslings that are wonderful, too). It is the Experts’ version of wine; traditional, safe and exceptional quality.
For those Masterminds out there, I found an exceptionally unique wine in the Dry Creek appellation of Sonoma County at Preston Vineyards. It is the Preston Vineyard 2012 Marsanne. Marsanne is rarely made into a varietal wine and even more unusual to find in this wine region. It is definitely unusual on the palate, but the first time I tasted it I was overwhelmed with holiday flavors. This one is a love/hate wine. You will have an opinion, but you won’t be bored; much like talking to a Mastermind. $30 and probably only available through the winery: www.prestonvineyards.com.
Finally, for those Warriors, we need a red wine. I don’t like big reds like Cabernet Sauvignon with the traditional holiday fare. For my money, I pick Zinfandel. Zinfandel is made in a variety of styles ranging from huge fruit bombs to delicate food wines. Porter Creek makes an old vine version that strikes just the right balance. The Porter Creek 2011 Zinfandel Old Vine Sonoma County is priced at $34 and is bold enough to satisfy any red wine fan while not overpowering the food.
What is your favorite wine and why?
You’re killing me. I almost said, “Whatever is open,” but you are probably looking for a more thoughtful answer. Well, I am fond of saying that the appreciation of wine is 90% context. It is more about who you are with, what you are doing, where you drink it and how you feel at that moment. So, given that, my favorite wine right now is the Red Car 2009 Sonoma County Syrah. We bought a case of it and got a crazy, great deal at the winery. When we tasted it in Sonoma we were having a great day in wine country and now it is our Friday night pizza wine. Friday night pizza and wine is my favorite thing, so the current wine pairing would stand to reason as being my favorite wine. I reserve the right to change that answer on Saturday.
Are there any life lessons you have learned that relate to your training as a sommelier?
I really wish I could provide a pithy remark to go out with, but the truth is that my love and appreciation for wine has taught me to pay more attention to the simple joys that surround us all the time. I think it is easy to keep looking forward to something big in our lives while missing the fantastic details that are happening now. Is there anything so amazing in life than a glass of wine and a moment in time? Oh, wow; that was pretty pithy.
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