Don't Overthink It, It's Just Grape Juice
Breaking down wine barriers with a Level III Sommelier
Hi! We’re going to try something new interspersed over the next few weeks.
Regular interviews, as seen since our launch, will still be the meat of the newsletter, but I’m also going to throw out some podcasts. Last year, I recorded a bunch to get off the ground for a Grand Rapids-centric project. That might still come to be, but there were a lot of beverage people and I don’t want those to go unused because they were fascinating conversations!
So, per a normal Saturday Sips, I’ll pick some interesting quotes from the guest, and later in the week, I’ll send out a subscriber email with the actual podcast. (Good news, Substack will be paying for a free 1-month trial if you opt-in, so please do so! As a result, I’ll put out more paid subscriber content.)
This week I’m rolling out Tristan Walczewski, who you might recognize because he’s been a guest contributor here — and likely will be again!
He’s the chief operating officer at Essence Restaurant Group and an Advanced Sommelier, the third level at the Court of Master of Master Sommeliers - and he’s working to potentially hit the fourth and final level. He has some really cool takes on wine.
A lot of people view the wine world as snobby, but Tristan’s approach is so refreshing, like my favorite quote he’s said several times around me:
“Don’t overthink it, it’s just grape juice at the end of the day.”
Here are some great takeaways from the interview.
Breaking Down Wine Barriers
Talking to Tristan Walczewski can be a fun path of interesting conversation topics.
Last year, my brother Tory and I sat down with him to discuss the world of wine and how to break down its rather high barriers.
In our conversation, we went from how Tristan got a bottle of wine into Pearl Jam lead singer Eddie Vedder’s hands while on stage to breaking down the various levels of Sommelier exams and the studying it takes on how global warming is affecting the industry.
On studying for the third Sommelier exam:
When I was prepping for the Master exams this past year and opted not to sit, we were on about a nine-month study plan that was rigorous to say the least; it was brutal. It was four or five hours a day, seven days a week for nine months.
It’s kind of like the Dunning Krueger effect, where you feel like you’re an expert and then you realize just how much you don’t know anything. Or like Ted Lasso says, ‘You fill two Internets with what I don’t know.’
It’s like an athlete. There’s exercising your senses and there might be a few people in the world who are just gifted with great olfactory senses, but for the rest of us, you have to exercise it and then there’s a method to learn to assess the wine, which is fortunately just drinking wine all the time.
Tory asked a question about tasting through vintages and the changing environment and tasting climate change:
100%, yeah, absolutely. And you really see it more as a stylistic shift now. It really is warmth in a bottle and you see some of the regions that are classic established regions … I’d use Barolo as a great example, that and the Rhone Valley, as two wines I really enjoy but in terms of alcohol percentage were producers are struggling to balance ripeness of grapes and what would be the potential alcohol because the climate is hotter.
You can taste some vintages from 20-plus years ago, and see alcohol at maybe 12%, 12.5%, 13% and now we’re at 14.5% to 15%. That difference, while only 1.5% in what you can taste and how you feel it, there is a sensitivity there.
Champange is definitely a region where you’re seeing the impact of more, just less predictable weather. You’re seeing that in Napa and Sonoma, Willamette Valley, and the fires and the influence of that where producers are out three or four years.
Advice for someone who wants to know more about wine:
Dive in. It’s really about assessing what you want out of wine. The biggest part is acknowledging where you start and I remember when I started at Bistro Bella Vita, I didn’t know what tannin meant.
Do you want to be able to speak intellectually about wine? Do you want to feel empowered when you’re at a table and entertaining guests and want to make a confident selection? Or do I just want some lifelong knowledge that I take some facts? Those questions help guide how deep you want to go.
Books like Windows on the World and the Wine Atlas are very academic. The Wine Bible is great and a little more broken up to pick it up and flip to a page and learn a little tidbit. Some of these other books, you realize how much geology, climate and chemistry come into wine and play into it beyond just alcohol and a glass.
Don’t overthink it, it’s just grape juice at the end of the day.
The full episode will be released next week. It’s fun as he breaks down more into what it takes to study for the Somm exams, the Eddie Vedder story, how dining has changed, reminiscing about old restaurants like Mountain Jack’s, Cheddar’s and Chi-Chi’s, why Tristan stays in West Michigan and more.
Literary Libations
Exciting news on the Literary Libations front this week! We have launched a Bookshop.org page where you can find all the books I’ve profiled in the newsletter. If you aren’t familiar with Bookshop.org, every purchase on the site financially supports independent bookstores. Right now, Amazon sells over 60% of all books in the US and growing, which poses a threat to bookstores across the country. If you are like me, you view bookshops as sources of community, learning, education, and diversity — pillars that are becoming ever more important in our country. By purchasing through the Literary Libations Bookshop.org link, you are supporting local bookstores AND us!
Now onto my weekly book-and-cocktail pairing. My love for beach reads in the summer is given a run for its money by my spooky books in fall love. I’m currently reading The Sequel by Jean Hanff Korelitz, a… well, sequel… to The Plot. This book picks up where The Plot left off, except through the point-of-view of another character. You could read this as a standalone, though I highly recommend picking up The Plot first. It was one of my favorite books of 2022. I can’t say much without spoiling the plot of The Plot (ugh), but trust me. It keeps you on your toes, and I promise you won’t expect the ending.
I’m pairing the book with one of my favorite fall cocktails, which I’m sipping as writing this! It truly tastes like fall.
Bonner’s Boozy Fall Cocktail
2 oz bourbon or whiskey (I’ve made this with salted caramel and peanut butter whiskey… chef’s kiss!)
Apple cider
Leelenau Witches Brew wine
Pour bourbon or whiskey over ice. Add about 4-5 oz of apple cider. Give it a stir, then top with wine. Enjoy!
Interesting reads of the week
Coming back from the Caribbean, I have a renewed interest in the world of rum. For so many, the spirit is either white rum or spiced rum. But it’s actually so much more! Aged rums can drink like incredible whiskies. And what’s more fun is the types of rum vary so much from island to island. The Takeout has a great breakdown here.
Had a great lunch with my old WZZM Beer Beat with Pat buddy Jennifer Pascua at a great little Mexican restaurant here in Grand Rapids. And because I had just read this NY Times article about hard shell tacos deserving respect… that’s exactly what I got.
More NY Times, as the Magazine breaks down where the obsession with hot pepper comes from.
What We’re Drinking
I got a fun care package from the West Coast from some pioneer breweries, so I’ve been sipping on some Widmer ESB and Red Hook Brrr Hoppy Red.
I also stopped into the Mitten Brewing Company for chats with old friends. The Grand Rapids brewery produces some of the most consistently stellar beer I’ve had in a long time. Country Strong IPA remains one of my all-time favorites.
Last Whiskey Friday (a household tradition), a buddy brought High West Campfire. The whiskey from Utah combines Scotch, bourbon and rye, and it's a very nice mixture of the trio with a slight Scotchy smokiness while not overpowering the other components.