The date was January 28, 1990. The San Francisco 49ers were blowing out the Denver Broncos with a final score of 55-10. At the same time a small band of fanatics – some might say maniacs – gathered in the cold and snow of a suburban back yard in Columbus, Ohio. Their purpose was not to watch Super Bowl XXIV, but to engage in one of America’s other great traditions, the back yard barbecue, cooking and eating in the out of doors. That was the birth of Polar Q, a mid-winter barbecue held every year on Super Bowl Sunday. There…
Wine, wine everywhere. That could well be the story of the year for the New Orleans hospitality industry. It is not just wine bars that have been springing up around the city, including, I have learned, a brand new wine bar under construction in the old Bouche space at 840 Tchoupitoulas near La Boca. The last 16 months have witnessed a veritable explosion of retail wine options offering thousands of by-the-bottle choices to build your cellars or entertain friends. I recently visited six New Orleans retail wine shops that opened since January 2014, and together, they offer a real boon…
On April 13, I sat for the Introductory Sommelier Exam provided by the Court of Master Sommeliers (more about this august body below!). The course was a two-day intensive instruction administered by five certified Master Sommeliers, followed by a written exam that surveys the entire world of beer, wine and spirits. The exam consists of 70 questions, so the survey is brief and selective, meaning that if you do not have a fairly comprehensive knowledge of wine, beer, sake and spirits, it would be very difficult to excel on the examination. There were 80 students in my class, and I…
As I noted in my very first post to this blog, one potential direction for my budding wine career is to develop an import portfolio featuring wines that one does not often see in the United States. The world of wine is wide and varied, and I am excited by opportunities to broaden the experience of the unique. These can be uncommon wines because they are made from varietals little known here, or are wines from better-known grapes that are grown in regions of the world that are not well represented in the American marketplace. A few weeks ago, Julie and…
Having a true affection for, and being a part time resident of the city of New Orleans, I have always planned for the New Orleans wine scene to be a part of this blog. In this and coming weeks I will be exploring the growing wine scene in New Orleans’ Warehouse District and Central Business District. In the past couple of years there has been a veritable explosion in wine retail options in downtown New Orleans, but this week I will be looking at the Wine Institute New Orleans (W.I.N.O.) the first of the wine shops in downtown New Orleans,…
Relative to many of the people I know in the wine trade I was a latecomer to Riesling, a white wine often thought of as sweet and best known as coming from Germany. Even today, Riesling, mostly from Germany, comprises a very small part of my cellar, and it is a shame because Riesling is produced in many parts of the world, can come in many styles and can provide a truly profound wine experience. Several weeks ago, Julie and I went to the Twisted Vine, a very interesting wine shop in the Grandview neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio. The Twisted Vine…
Often when I serve wine to friends, they ask where they might be able to buy it. Much of the wine I serve at home has been purchased direct from the winery or elsewhere and shipped or was purchased locally but in previous vintages and aged in my cellar. Most times, the wines I serve are not readily available here in central Ohio. That is why I was excited to write about a wine I had at a local restaurant here in Columbus. Harvest Bar and Kitchen in Clintonville does not, according to the bartender, have a substantial wine trade. It does,…
Hi. My name is Mark Wayda, and I am bringing you this new blog called Wayda on Wine. Through this blog I intend to share with you my personal journey from enthusiastic consumer of fine wines to wine professional, engaged in import, distribution and sales. More than that, this blog is a resource. Whether you want to learn more about wine, how it is made and who makes it, or if you just want help finding something to drink this weekend, Wayda on Wine will be for you. I will also tell you about what I am drinking, from the…