I've Spent 36'200 Hours Being a WINE SOMMELIER. Here's What I Learned.
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- Опубликовано: 5 июн 2024
- With almost two decades of experience in the wine industry (as a sommelier, wine educator, etc.), along the way I have drawn certain conclusions and had many “revelations”. And whether you're a wine enthusiast or a professional in the industry, I am sharing 5 useful lessons I have learned during these years.
Certain parts of the video were filmed during the "Bubble Parade" organized by the @RigaWineChampagne .
Some of the WINE ACCESSORIES I use regularly:
🥂 Riedel Veritas Champagne Wine Glass: amzn.to/3qhMLRF
🍷 Riedel Veritas Old World Syrah Glass: amzn.to/3uC6zgW
🥂 Riedel Veritas New World Pinot Noir Glass: amzn.to/3uG8Nfc
🍾 Cork puller: amzn.to/3iBrFZZ
🍾 The Durand cork puller: amzn.to/3OYKdS1
🏳️ Riedel Polishing Cloth: amzn.to/3izWJcx
🧳 Wine travel protector: amzn.to/3s8WWs0
🗜️ CORAVIN and its accessories:
Coravin Timeless Six+ Wine Preservation System: amzn.to/3YtIxmj
Coravin Timeless 3-Needle Kit: amzn.to/3YtIxmj
Coravin Argon Gas Capsules: amzn.to/3IkuCJa
Coravin Screw Caps: amzn.to/3IkuYQ0
📚 Some of my favorite WINE BOOKS:
📓 Flawless: Understanding Faults in Wine by Jamie Goode: amzn.to/3eb7AYP
📒 Understanding Wine Technology: The Science of Wine Explained by David Bird: amzn.to/3e2qBNb
📕 Authentic Wine: Toward Natural and Sustainable Winemaking (by Jamie Goode): amzn.to/3ygtuAC
📘 The Oxford Companion to Wine (by Jancis Robinson): amzn.to/3ryy0H6
📙Wine Grapes: A Complete Guide to 1,368 Vine Varieties, Including Their Origins and Flavours (by Jancis Robinson, Julia Harding and Jose Vouillamoz): amzn.to/3RCAheM
📗 A Life Uncorked (by Hugh Johnson): amzn.to/3M5yeyQ
📓 Drinking with the Valkyries (by Andrew Jefford): amzn.to/45mGBOG
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
**CONTENTS OF THIS VIDEO:
0:00 Introduction
1:23 Lesson 1
2:43 Lesson 2
4:16 Lesson 3
5:23 Lesson 4
6:42 Lesson 5
7:34 What's next for me?
#wineeducation #wineindustry #wine
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This is an excellent take on wine experience. I find that the biggest service a wine professional can do to an amateur is to share their passion for wine, more even than their knowledge. Of course knowledge is very important but if the amateur doesn't have it, he can be left feeling clueless or overwhelmed. But anybody can "get" passion and enthusiasm, and it's the best feeling in the world when someone makes you appreciate something lovely in a deeper and fuller way. Thank you for doing this, Agnese!
Thank You. 🙏🏻 These thoughts of mine could be slightly ‘general’, but I wanted to once again highlight that everyone should feel free to enjoy whatever they like the best in terms of wine, as well as wine and food pairing. Cheers! 🥂✨
Thank you, Agnes. So much expertise and not an ounce of pretense. I'm still very new to wine and you make the information accessible and understandable. You have become my go-to. PS- I so love and appreciate the GnR t-shirts!
Thank You for such a great compliment and boosting my mood today! ☺️ It means a lot to me that information is easy to understand for You. 🙏🏻 Cheers and have a great day! 🍾🥂
Superb video Agnese. Your passion for wine is infectious and your philosophy is wonderful. It is refreshing to see someone encourage an ethos that allows for the less pretentious stereotypical view and ideology of wine. You make learning fun and that is fundamental. Good stuff.
Thank You, thank You, thank You! 🙏🏻 Your lovely comment made me blush, it was great to read and gave me a smile on my face. It means a lot to me. ✨
Thank you for sharing all your knowledge. Good luck on your masters of wine journey!!!
Thank You’ 🙏🏻
Great informative videos, very appealing visually. Really like your approach to cover any specific topic. The only thing I’m struggling with is the background music, you have a charming voice that’s a pleasure to listen to without any “topping” ;)
Thank You! 😊 The very first videos were filled with more rock music. We have toned it down. However, completely no music doesn’t sound good either. 🤨
Just stumbled on this channel as my wife and I are visiting France in April. Can’t help but notice the “Horror film” items behind you! Redrum/ & Jason🔪 🍷 Love it!
Huge fan of the classics! 😅
Your channel is so professional. I don't even care about wine and I am watching. Also I like your dog.
Thank You very much. 🙏🏻 Very sweet of You to say. 🥂✨ Cheers! 🍾
3:38 and in the last section: Wine is even better with such a nice doggo.
It indeed is! I love my dogo, he is my best friend! 🐕
Well done Agnese..! 🍷👏💞
Thank you for sharing gems of knowledge formed over your wine career..!!!
I pair wine with food... That's as detailed as I get... 😏
I wouldn't want to limit myself of new discoveries 😁
I can't believe you were nervous on competition stage... You're such a consummate professional... But it's a nice reflection on your character to be humble and have respect and reverence for your peers and mentors.
Keep up your great work, your beautiful journey, and love your new hair style too... 💗 🙂
Thank You! 🙏🏻 Well, getting on the stage means You are also getting judged. And that puts a pressure on me. One time I even forgot traditional Cava grapes - I simply couldn’t remember any of them, that is how stressful it was for me. 🥺🥺🥺
But, lately I am feeling more adventurous and could step on that stage again. 😅
@@NoSediment Haha... that's great... yes, you're a seasoned pro now..! 🎊🎉👏🍷
Bravo. I work with two Sommelier and they say the same things. The wine journey can be so many things.
Thank You! Great people You work with! ☺️😉
Enjoyable and informative. Nice you were able to share some bubbles with Peter best book on Champaign ever hope you own a copy. Love to see your take on Sherry another Fav.
Thank You’ 🙏🏻 Yes, I have been lucky enough to meet Peter Liam on several occasions, the nicest person. He also happens to be expert on Jerez! 🙌 I will go to Jerez again and will make new videos! Deal! 🍾🥂
Nicceee video... I missed out on the experience of working on the floor and respect all Somms that have done so. Totally agree with you on aroma vs the taste, I prefer to smell wines. There is also a BIG difference between tasting and drinking wine. In the beginning, when I transitioned from being a consumer to a wine professional, I was shocked what a big difference that point is.
I also feel like food and wine pairing is OVERRATED... Good call by you!
Thank You! It seems that we are on the same page! 🙌 hopefully we are soon to meet and taste/drink wine together! 🍷✨🥂 Cheers!
Great idea for a video, thanks for that. Oh and great haircut! Both long and short suit you
Thank You! 🙏🏻 Happy You enjoy both video and the new haircut! 😅😂🙌
I really start enjoying wine when I tasted one by chance with friends, it was an experience, up to that point wine was just a beverage. My point is, try good yet affordable wines, it is way more important than books for the average person, I am not saying for experts like Agnes. My simple opinion, if I may share......
I actually do think that books and reading on wine is equally important as tasting wines. It gives You better understanding of what is what and how to appreciate wine the best! 🍷
Love your videos. You're Awesome !!! And so is your Dog.
Daniel Bellino
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Thank You very much! :) 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 This is so sweet, and I will let my dog know, because he absolutely loves to be on the camera! 😅
When you mentioned subjectivity, I was reminded of a quote by author Ambrose Bierce that "enlightened souls " preferred dry wines to sweet. I'm not sure how "enlightened " I am, but I do appreciate a nice sweet wine! And a good dry wine too, but my taste does tend to sweet, mostly.
I enjoy both dry and sweet wines, and each of these styles can lift and enrich Your experience! I am sure You are very enlightened! ✨✨✨✨🍇
Recently found your channel, love you style, also great hairdo.
Thank You and I hope You will enjoy it and stick around! 🥂🍾 Cheers! ✨
Superb humility!! ❤
🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Great video, it's a refreshing view on the wine industry too. Let's stay sexy, humble and trying new wines. Cheers from Argentina!
Thank You! 🙏🏻 Absolutely! 🥂🍾 Cheers! Argentina is in my bucket list! 🤞🤞🤞
love your content, it truly is a joy to learn about wine through your videos. I have a question for you regarding the beautiful wine decanter, with glass handle and glass base, you use in some of your videos. Where can I purchase that wine decanter?
Ref: Video - What's So Special About SASSICAIA (Opening 2015 Vintage) Minute 3:15 - 3:32
Thank You, it was lovely to read Your comment. ☺️😊 To my knowledge that decanter is discontinued. 😬 But maybe some outlets still could have it -> Riedel Pomerol Decanter. Years ago I saw it Riedel store in Kufstein. 🤷♀️
Thank you for sharing this outstanding set of information. Stay sexy and humble… that’s what everyone tells me🤥, lol!
As for individual differences regarding perception, taste and smell of wines, having met with our wine club regularly for 25 years, we learned your lesson early on, and though we joke about differences, we respect them.
Thank You! 🙏🏻 I think You are being absolutely right, if everyone feels okay about it, we can joke about it, but we also need to be respectful. And that makes a lot of difference! 🙌🍷
It would be an interesting thought experiment to try to introduce the "Scientific Method" into wine tasting to come up with some "objective" standard based on, say, the exact chemical breakdown of "everything" in a particular wine and the interactions of those compounds (er, molecules) between each other. That would then lead to the requirement of understanding objectively the senses and the interactions with the compounds in the wine and with each other at a molecular level.
Then again, this is not something that AI will be able to readily replace (thankfully); it is truly (still) an analog process in an increasingly digital world.
Unfortunately, I don’t think it is a very good idea. We, ourselves not necessarily understand ALL the chemistry behind wine, let alone analyse it on that scale. And we also have our preferences, I do like wines with lively acidity and chalkier tannin structure, what not necessarily could be the case for You. Therefore, as far as quality goes - the only thing that could be introduced is testing for unwanted compounds and make sure that wine is clean. That I would like very much! 🫡
@@NoSediment Well, it was a thoght experiment. I do think humans can be trained to recognise certain chemicals (chlorine is an easy one), however, when getting in to complex chemistry, it "might be" diffficult tell at what oxidation state a particular compound is at and then how it reacts to one's saliva (and which valence electrons it decides to "borrow")...for example.
Another great video. Thank you. As I heard some wine people much smarter than me say, wines only purpose is to be enjoyed and you can tell the quality of the bottle by how fast it’s empty. Great points about personal preference. As someone who very much enjoys sweet wine, I’m always looking for the new bottle. Just had one from Jura, made like a Vin De Paille, that spent 6 1/2 years under flor. 200g/l RS. Chardonnay. Just amazing. Took me a lot longer to get into vin jaune and en rama sherry 😁. Cheers. Next step for me I think is D1 WSET….
Ooo, yes! I agree, I remember Hugh Johnson advised to forget all the 100p scaling and simply look at the bottles -> whichever was finished first is the best wine! 😂😂 I agree to the fullest! 🙌🙌🙌 Cheers and all the best to You in Your WSET journey! ✨
@@NoSediment thank you!
I am beginning my WSET Diploma in order to study for Master of Wine. This was so nice to hear your personal story and how you got t where you are and to learn about your passion for wine. P. S., I am obsessed with your new haircut and thinking about cutting my short dyed platinum hair in to a similar cut.
Wow, congratulations and all the best in Your journey! 🍾✨ I did enjoy that time and met a lot of great people! 😊 Thank You 🙏🏻 🙏🏻 TBH I was slightly worried how people would react, but overall it seems well! ☺️
Pairing blue cheese and botrytis-wine (Sauternes, TBA or Tokaji), is magical, it is where 2+2 equals 5. :D
I agree! I also do like sweet, botrytised wines with long aged blue cheeses! That truly elevates my taste buds, yes indeed! 🤤
I myself review wines and I do not believe that a wine score should be based upon the price of the wine. In my humble opinion, every varietal has its own flavor profile. I do understand that each growing region (or AVA) will add some different characteristics, in the end, a varietal should meet certain standards. I also fully understand that you can say that you like a wine without it coming close to those varietal characteristics but as far as a rating I think that should remain standard. I would be curious to know your opinion on what I just said.
I usually do take the price into consideration. And sometimes in the blind tasting You can see that more expensive wine shows the same quality level as 2x cheaper. And for that I want to give a value medal to the cheaper wine. 🏅 And also, at the luxury price category, it should be so, that all wines are really good, and if they are not, it also rises other questions… 😅
Love your video Agnes. However, i have a question. How would you/people define a person as a sommelier? Is he/she should have the knowledge, ability or a good selling skill then only could be define? Currently, I'm bar supervisor in the restaurant, I have a WSET Level 2 Certificate, I failed twice in Level 3. I hope to become a wine sommelier in the future, hopefully get some advice from you, thank you Cheers!
For me sommelier is someone who has practiced service at some point. It is not only knowledge, but also service (decanting, food & wine pairing), but it is also the commercial aspect - knowing Your inventory, selling wines, etc.
Don’t worry about the WSET lvl 3, I am sure You will get there! ✨ All the best in Your studies.
I have coined the phrase “Poly-Vinest” to describe my wine journey. I am as a happy with a 4$ San Simeon Chardonnay from Spain as I am with a $24 Oberon Cabernet Sauvignon. Question! If I may? Do you kick back with a Glass or two or would you be more like myself, once I open a bottle it rarely is not finished. 😅
Good for You and cheers to that’ 🙌🥂 when I was younger I would open a bottle with friends or family and it usually was finished. Nowadays, however, I prefer 1 or two glasses during the evening. It all changes with the age 😂🫣😅
Stay sexy and humble. Ooh yay. The best advice. Hungarian Vizsla - a very noble beast as your sidekick.
Hahaha, thank You’ 🙏🏻 Yes, he is a beast allright! 🫣🫣🫣🍷
Things I've learned in my less than 5 years of non-professional experience... I'm actually more interested in growing the fruit and making the wine than drinking it. (Too bad proper wine grapes tend to be expensive 👀) But I won't say no to drinking it. 🤪
I understand You, and I wish to also be able to grow wine grapes 🍇, however, In my climate zone it is not possible, at least for vitis vinifera. 🥹
Try making your own wine, at home. That will teach you a great deal, it has for me.
Unfortunately I live in a country where making wine from grapes is not really possible, because the vines don’t survive the harsh winters and growing season is too short. But I wish to do that one day! 🍷
Great videos and you are so pretty it is a plus
Thank You for the compliment! 🙏🏻🍾🥂 Cheers!
Nice dog😊👋
He is the best! 🤗
Your dog should be a MW.
Yes, he is very well educated in wine! 🍷😂
If you add up all the hours. Thats almost 3x more time than I have spent playing video games. lol. Probably the same if you count all the years there werent timers on them.
I am sure You are pro at gaming. One might not tell from the way I look and I keel quite usually about it, but I am also a gamer. I do try to keep it down, bet it is amongst my guilty pleasures. 🫣🫣
@@NoSediment These newer generation laptops are so much more powerful than even the newest gen console that I have been considering the investment with a wireless xbox controller. Yes, I am in my mid 30s. LOL 😝
Nope, I so much but respectfully disagree, but as I said, I am an
average guy who learned wines from the bottle not from a book, and dont think I ever opened a book about wines, all that i read are reviews provided they are short, 2 lines are already toooo much. So I dont see how one can learn about wines reading, but this is my respectful opinion 😅
Well, sometime next month I will publish a video (long version-podcast) about wine education. Hopefully that might change Your views, or at least give You a different perspective. 😉 Anyway, I still think it is an interesting topic and something where truth could be somewhere in the middle.
Remaining sexy & humble. Thank you.
Thank You! 😅
Really? You counted 36,200 hours of wine?
Yes, Yes! But not wine -> working with wine! 🍾🥂