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My introduction to wine came three years ago through a fantastic Italian Restaurant
in Ft. Collins named Pulcinella's, which has since relocated to downtown Denver.
The restaurant at one point, had almost 1,100 different bottles on the list, including
800 Italian wines from all twenty regions. All of the servers were required to write
wine papers every week on subjects ranging from Italian wine laws, each region's
major wine styles, varietals, producers, gastronomy, etc... The staff was also
required to attend weekly wine tastings, so during the two years I worked there, I had
the opportunity to taste hundreds of amazing bottles under the guidance of a number
of tremendous mentors. After the restaurant moved, I decided to continue learning
about the world of wine outside of Italy through wine courses at the International
Wine Guild. I have also been involved with some dedicated tasting groups over the
past year and continue to read and study everything I can on my own. The education
is obviously a never-ending process.
What I enjoy about wine, (aside from the way it can taste) is how it involves such a
complex combination of intellectual and artistic components. The science behind
winemaking is rich enough to consume a lifetime of study. But, it is also important to
realize that winemaking is also first and foremost, an artistic pursuit in the eyes of
many of the world's great producers. The way that wine is involved with so many
seemingly unrelated aspects of different cultures (especially European), is also very
interesting to me. The relationship between wine and food is something that I have
just begun to scratch the surface of, and I am always eager to learn more. My favorite
food and wine pairing is one assembled by an especially talented local sommelier.
Her pairing consisted of a sweet custard, with fresh cranberries and orange zest,
complimented by a demi-sec champagne. This pairing highlighted all of the best
attributes of both the food and the wine, and combined to create a third layer of
flavors, what a great pairing is supposed to do. I love the more I learn about wine, the
more I realize how little I actually know. Finding a passion with that much depth
keeps me going day after day, because the world of wine is always evolving, and all I
can do is try my best to keep up.
Choosing a favorite wine is really an impossible task. There are so many exceptional
wines out there, and the choice of a "favorite" has as much to do with the context it is
being enjoyed in as almost anything else. That being said, if I had to choose a couple
of "desert island" picks I would probably include the Terre di Lavoro from Fontana
Galardi in Campania. The first time I tasted that wine, I was very inexperienced, but
the endless number of layers of flavors and smells put me into a whole different
mindset as to just how amazing wine can be. A couple of runner-ups might include the
Clos Erasmus from Priorat and a dry, late-harvest sylvaner from Kuenhof in
Alto-Adige I had recently at a wonderful restaurant in Boulder...Too many to choose
from!
At the Incredible Wine Store I will be primarily responsible for the wines from Italy,
Austria, and Germany. All three of these countries share one common thread which I
am excited to learn and share with anyone who comes into the store. This common
thread, is a dizzying array of extraordinary white wines. Although most people who
enjoy international wine would probably include Germany and possibly even Austria
in their lists of places for world-class white wine, Italy is usually not included in that
list. However, some of the most interesting and food-friendly white, sparkling, and
dessert wines are being produced in the northern Italian regions of Friuli,
Trentino/Alto Adige, and Lombardia. But of course the great red wines of Italy (as
well as Germany and Austria) will be a major theme at the Incredible Wine store.
in Ft. Collins named Pulcinella's, which has since relocated to downtown Denver.
The restaurant at one point, had almost 1,100 different bottles on the list, including
800 Italian wines from all twenty regions. All of the servers were required to write
wine papers every week on subjects ranging from Italian wine laws, each region's
major wine styles, varietals, producers, gastronomy, etc... The staff was also
required to attend weekly wine tastings, so during the two years I worked there, I had
the opportunity to taste hundreds of amazing bottles under the guidance of a number
of tremendous mentors. After the restaurant moved, I decided to continue learning
about the world of wine outside of Italy through wine courses at the International
Wine Guild. I have also been involved with some dedicated tasting groups over the
past year and continue to read and study everything I can on my own. The education
is obviously a never-ending process.
What I enjoy about wine, (aside from the way it can taste) is how it involves such a
complex combination of intellectual and artistic components. The science behind
winemaking is rich enough to consume a lifetime of study. But, it is also important to
realize that winemaking is also first and foremost, an artistic pursuit in the eyes of
many of the world's great producers. The way that wine is involved with so many
seemingly unrelated aspects of different cultures (especially European), is also very
interesting to me. The relationship between wine and food is something that I have
just begun to scratch the surface of, and I am always eager to learn more. My favorite
food and wine pairing is one assembled by an especially talented local sommelier.
Her pairing consisted of a sweet custard, with fresh cranberries and orange zest,
complimented by a demi-sec champagne. This pairing highlighted all of the best
attributes of both the food and the wine, and combined to create a third layer of
flavors, what a great pairing is supposed to do. I love the more I learn about wine, the
more I realize how little I actually know. Finding a passion with that much depth
keeps me going day after day, because the world of wine is always evolving, and all I
can do is try my best to keep up.
Choosing a favorite wine is really an impossible task. There are so many exceptional
wines out there, and the choice of a "favorite" has as much to do with the context it is
being enjoyed in as almost anything else. That being said, if I had to choose a couple
of "desert island" picks I would probably include the Terre di Lavoro from Fontana
Galardi in Campania. The first time I tasted that wine, I was very inexperienced, but
the endless number of layers of flavors and smells put me into a whole different
mindset as to just how amazing wine can be. A couple of runner-ups might include the
Clos Erasmus from Priorat and a dry, late-harvest sylvaner from Kuenhof in
Alto-Adige I had recently at a wonderful restaurant in Boulder...Too many to choose
from!
At the Incredible Wine Store I will be primarily responsible for the wines from Italy,
Austria, and Germany. All three of these countries share one common thread which I
am excited to learn and share with anyone who comes into the store. This common
thread, is a dizzying array of extraordinary white wines. Although most people who
enjoy international wine would probably include Germany and possibly even Austria
in their lists of places for world-class white wine, Italy is usually not included in that
list. However, some of the most interesting and food-friendly white, sparkling, and
dessert wines are being produced in the northern Italian regions of Friuli,
Trentino/Alto Adige, and Lombardia. But of course the great red wines of Italy (as
well as Germany and Austria) will be a major theme at the Incredible Wine store.
REGIONS
| GERMANY |
| ITALY |
| AUSTRIA |
Portugal
Spain
 | |  | |  | |  |
