The Wine List of My Life Volume 1: My First 10 Years in New York
Last week, I celebrated my 32nd birthday. I also celebrated the biggest milestone of my life so far–the 10-year anniversary of when I moved to New York City.
Left photo: My first week in New York City, which was marked by a meet and greet with Jennifer Morrison of Once Upon A Time. Right photo: A rooftop party for the film Asian Persuasion featuring Tanduay Rum.
You know how some people create soundtracks for their life? I figured I’d do a wine list of my life, specifically on the beautiful yet challenging tenure here. Each wine is either associated with something I drank that year or associated with a style of wine that I feel exemplifies what I went through that year. Let’s take a deep dive into what happened in those 10 years.
2012: The Year I Moved to New York for a Masters in Publishing at NYC
The wine: 2009 Castello di Amorosa, Gewurztraminer, Anderson Valley, California, USA
Photo Credit: WineBid
Like many college kids, I was guzzled Barefoot Moscato and then $2 Chuck. It wasn’t until I went on a Northern California wine tour before the big move that I had my first wine epiphany. I tasted an Alsatian-style Gewurztraminer from Castello di Amorosa. It was dry. It had a ripeness of fruit (specifically peaches, mango, lychee, and lime). It had a floral (but not overly perfumey), ginger spice complexity. It had a refreshing acidity similar to drinking lemonade. I felt like I could drink it all day. Gewurztraminer, in general, was a great gateway wine for me. When I moved to New York and wanted to buy a bottle, I hunted for this grape because it reminded me of this trip and it wouldn’t do me wrong while I was getting accustomed to a new city.
2013: The Year I Felt Like an Adult
The wine: 2018 Cucao Cabernet Sauvignon, Central Valley, Chile
Photo Credit: Zula Wine Shop
I had not only survived my first year in the Big Apple but also did really well in school, got a decent apartment with sane roommates, and got a good job as a Sales Assistant at SAVEUR. Like many bigwigs in a variety of industries, I drank a lot of full-bodied red wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon.
But like many naive twenty-somethings, I drank the more affordable Cab Sauvs from regions such as Chile and Argentina. The jammy fruit and noticeable tannins of Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon such as the Cucao were great for everything from celebrations to everyday solo dinners.
2014: The Year I Truly Experienced Hubris
The wine: 2015 Chateau Montelena, Chardonnay, Napa Valley, California, USA
Photo Credit: K&L Wines
Graduating grad school with good grades and getting another job that had a better title inflated my pride. I thought I could do no wrong. But I did. I didn’t know how to establish boundaries with strong personalities. I didn’t know how to ask for help. I didn’t know how to admit I was wrong.
This personal downfall reminds me of how California Chardonnay’s popularity skyrocketed after Chateau Montelena’s 1973 Chardonnay won the Judgement of Paris and then experienced backlash in the past 10-15 years. I blame Robert Parker for inspiring California producers to make oaked butter bombs of such a noble grape. Fortunately, a new wave of California producers are making more balanced Chardonnays so the pride was probably necessary right?
2015: The Year I Had My First Reset
The wine: 2021 Chateau Peyrassol, Cuveé Des Commandeurs, Rosé Côtes de Provence, France
Photo Credit: K&L Wines
The pride from the year before got the best of me, and I quit my job. It took about a month (maybe two) to reset and reassess before I started a new role. And then I was on the up and up again.
This kind of “Renaissance” in my media marketing career reminds me of rosé’s rebirth around this time. People took the pink wine seriously again so it’s very fitting to compare my own resurgence with the uptick in rosé drinking.
2016: The Year My Whole Life Pivoted
The wine: 1990 J.B. Becker Riesling Spätlese Trocken Wallufer Berg Bildstock Rheingau, Germany
Just when I thought all I could do was go up, I came crashing down. I had multiple nervous breakdowns of feeling self-conscious, feeling not good enough to be promoted, and feeling uninspired. At the same time, I got solace from cooking and cocktail making. Through that solace, I decided to change careers. I wanted a career in food and beverage. I just didn’t know how to pursue that. I talked to people in the restaurant industry. I started blogging. I took a job as a kitchen server at what is formerly Studio Cafe at the Whitney Museum. I was scared of changing careers at first. I mean, I didn’t know what my family would think or feel about this move. But it doesn’t matter anymore. This transformation reminds me of Riesling.
Riesling is a grape that shows me how wine can evolve over time. It has so much acid that whether you drink it right away or in 10 years, it has the perfect balance of quenching citrus and lemonade sweetness. And whether you drink bone-dry Riesling or Icewine Riesling, there is still that same balance. Riesling’s ageability shows me that growth is necessary for something spectacular to happen.
2017: The Year of Revolution and Focus
The wine: 2013 Gagnard-Delagrange Chassagne-Montrachet Rouge Premier Cru
One of my first #FareandPair's: Red Burgundy with enhanced Annie's Mac and Cheese
The wine bug bit me early on in my restaurant career. I wanted a career in wine, whether that be a wine director of a small restaurant, owner of a wine shop, or a contributing writer for a food magazine. So I studied. I tasted wines alongside passages in wine books. I took a part-time job at a wine store to taste and practice wine sales. I took advantage of every educational opportunity my job offered. Spoiler alert: the hard work paid off.
The best grape to emulate this hard work than Pinot Noir–specifically Burgundy. Pinot Noir is generally a finicky grape, and Burgundy doesn’t always have the most consistent climate. So when it’s made well, you know it. It takes discipline and finesse to make exquisite Red Burgundy, like the way Marc-Antonin Blain of Gagnard-Delagrange does. And it took disciple and finesse to help me establish my wine career.
2018: The Year I Strove for Perfection
The wine: 2010 Dom Perignon Champagne
This was the year I not only took the Court of Master Sommeliers Level 1 and Level 2 Certified exams but also the year I started at The NoMad. Both entities pushed me to my limits. Studying for the Court of Master Sommeliers exams pushed me to expand my knowledge (and even think about how I sell wine to people like me). The NoMad pushed me to be a more empathetic, forgiving person while expecting the best of myself. I definitely grew up this year.
Champagne symbolizes perfection. However, it’s ironic that a style of wine that nowadays represents luxury and perfection was first seen as imperfect. But that “imperfection” drove wine producers such as Madame Clicquot Ponsardin and English glass bottle producers to perfect it. So, I guess it’s no wonder I chose Champagne as the wine that represents the year I passed both Court of Master Sommeliers exams.
2019: The Year of Bitter Heartbreak, Hard Work, and The Light at the End of a Very Long Tunnel
The wine: 2000 Giacomo Conterno Monfortino Barolo
I started the year in a relationship and a promotion. Six months later, that person and I broke up. It was bad. My anxiety, depression, and paranoia got the best of me in those six months we were together and after the breakup. My friends and co-workers pulled me through, but I I needed to work on myself. It was tough with multiple therapy sessions, mediative mornings, full journals, SoulCycle sessions, and starting medication. At the end of the year, I started to feel better. I got my first Sommelier job at Wallsé. Oh, and I also met my fiance at the end of that year too.
When things get tough for me, I always turn to Barolo. Barolo when drunk young and just released has Warhead-like acid and “rip your face off” tannin. You feel like you hate Nebbiolo in general. Barolo when drunk at about 10 years of age has a more palatable acidity and noticeable yet velvety tannins. Barolo when drunk at about 15+ years of age is supple and smooth. Barolo, like the 2000 Giacamo Conterno Monfortino Barolo, needs time to work out the kinks. Time and work make things and people better. Barolo and I are evidence of that.
2020: The Year the World Pivoted
The wine: 2021 Lackner-Tinnacher, Ried Gamlitz, Sauvignon Blanc, Steiermark, Austria
Photo Credit: Vivino
The world hit the pause button with Covid-19. Like many people, I was laid off. I found work in wine retail to continue my sales, wine theory, and tasting skills. I found activities to help me enhance my wine career while I was off the restaurant floor. All of these makeshift ways of trying to use my skill set is like finding a specific wine that is now scarce. It just so happens, Sauvignon Blanc from Sancerre, France is that wine.
Sancerre has gotten very expensive for both a wine by the glass option (averaging about $18-$20) and a wine by the bottle option ($85 is the lowest I’ve seen). Recently, I’ve seen restaurants sell Sancerre-adjacent Sauvignon Blancs from other regions in France and Germany. I used to sell the Lackner-Tinnacher Ried Gamlitz Sauvignon Blanc by the glass at Wallsé when guests specifically wanted Sauvignon Blanc. Guests were always surprised by how good the wine tasted even though it wasn’t their usual Sancerre. Pivoting is necessary to find something really cool.
2021: The Year the World and I Continued to Pivot
The wine: 2019 Graillot and Perez, Encinas, Mencía, Biezero DO, Castella di Leon, Spain
Photo Credit: Saratoga Wine Shop
It seemed the world was getting “back to normal” when restaurants were allowed to slowly reopen and sommeliers came back on the floor. But of course, it never truly got “back to normal” with Covid variations roaming around. During this time, people wanted to enjoy wines that were as delicious as Napa Cabernet, White Burgundy, or even old Barolo without paying the high price tag.
I think that’s why I like to sell and drink wines like Mencía. Mencía’s medium body, juicy red and black fruit with herbaceaous complexity, and silky tannins make it versatile for all kinds of cuisines and palates without breaking the bank. It’s a gateway not only to the valuable wines of Spain but also other lesser known grapes that rival the classics.
The Next 10 Years
On a "Summer of Riesling" Cruise hosted by Terroir Wine Bar
The new decade in The Big Apple has gone off to a great start. I can’t wait to see what it has in store for me. But for now, I might be drinking off the things on this list. Come back in 2032 to see what happened and what I added.
