I remained a beer guy for many years after that. The question “Wine or beer?” was not really the right question it seemed to me, it was more like “Which beer?”. I just didn’t have much of an interest or palate for wine. In fact on a few occasions while living in San Francisco in the 1990s I declined to join groups of friends heading off to Napa for the day to taste wine. It seems so sacrilegious now. Then one time I found myself at a Christmas party with a bunch of wine snobs. There wasn’t a beer in sight. These people were all talking and raving about the recent Wine Spectator “Wine of the Year” for 1994. It was the 1990 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon ‘Special Selection’ and our host, Adrian, just happened to have a bottle that he was going to share with us. This was one of those wines that made you go “Wow!”, and so yet another unsuspecting person began his journey seeking the next great wine.

I spent the next few years tasting as many different varietals, styles and regions as I could manage. I became a sponge for wine knowledge. In the course of this immersion process Pinot Noir soon became my preference. This grape, when done right made wines that were so subtle, smooth, and delicate that they became a true joy to savor and explore. Soon thereafter the thought became implanted in my brain that I must seek the Holy Grail! I must go to Burgundy!.

Next: The French Connection