Episode 47: Master Sommelier David Glancy: From the Origins of Wine Civilization to the Cork That Got Away
Master Sommelier David Glancy is the founder and CEO of the San Francisco Wine School and one of 12 people in the world to hold both the MS and Certified Wine Educator (CWE) credentials. He believes wine education should be edu-tainment and most certainly brings it to this week’s episode. Not only does David share great information about fabulous upcoming events and classes, but he also regales us with stories from his time in Macau to sabering a bottle of bubbly … and … a premature popped cork. Pour a glass, learn, and laugh along!
Steph: “Welcome Wine-Two-Five listeners! Thank you so much for joining us for Episode 47! I’m Steph, and today Val and I are chatting with our special guest David Glancy, Master Sommelier.”
Val: “Hello Steph and welcome David! We’re actually recording this on Super Tuesday, although after this election season the only thing that’s ‘super’ about it is a super spectacle that rivals reality TV and we get to drink in the middle of the afternoon – which, to us, is pretty darned super! We’d also like to remind our listeners that ‘drinking and caucusing’ can be dangerous. Wait, some states have already appeared to have done this. Speaking of drinking … Steph? David? What are you all sipping?”
Drinking:
Steph: 2013 Veni Vidi Vici Chardonnay from Thracian Valley, Bulgaria
David: Gülor Öküzgözü–Bogazkere from Turkey. A little homework for the quickly approaching Origins of Wine Civilization event!
Val: 2011 Chehalem Pinot Gris from their Ridgecrest Vineyards from the Ribbon Ridge appellation of Oregon’s Willamette Valley.
Discussion: Interview with Master Sommelier David Glancy
Steph: “Let’s introduce our guest! David Glancy is one of only twelve people in the world to hold both the revered Master Sommelier diploma and a Certified Wine Educator credential. A certified French Wine Scholar, Italian Wine Professional, and Certified Specialist of Spirits, Glancy has earned the credential for every program he teaches, and more. He taught wine and business management at Le Cordon Bleu’s California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, and served on the editorial board of Sommelier Journal. He currently sits on the board of directors for the Society of Wine Educators and is the founder of the San Francisco Wine School.”
David talked with us about his philosophy that wine education should be, first and foremost,edu-tainment and that is what students can expect from the myriad of classes offered at San Francisco Wine school. Along with solid, up-to-date theory and carefully selected wine samples that accurately represent the region or subject, David and his team of instructors are finding that good stories are key to bringing wine topics to life and enhance learning.
We could not wait to hear the genesis for the upcoming program The Origins of Wine Civilization. It turns out this event has been almost 10 years in the making. The interest sparked when writer and wine marketer David Furer was inspired by a visit to Lebanon wine regions in 2001. Then, over a beer in a London pub in 2005, he met up with internationally acclaimed scientist and archaeologist of fermented beverages Dr. Patrick McGovern. It was here the conversation began. You may have heard or Dr. McGovern or read his work, as he is popularly known as “The Indiana Jones of Ancient Ales, Wines, and Extreme Beverages.” This gathering is of interest not only to wine or alcoholic beverage lovers, but is drawing the attention of historians and people from many disciplines for a full day of esteemed speakers, seminars, a multi-ethnic lunch, and wines from the Republic of Georgia, Turkey, Palestine, Aremenia, Jordan, and Israel. There is also the option of just attending the walk-around grand tasting (only $45!), and the event will conclude with an Ancient Brews happy hour that evening.
Again, here is the link for the event, which is selling out! http://sanfranciscowineschool.com/products/the-cradle-of-wine-civilization
Hopefully Val’s intermittent whining about how she cannot beam herself to this event did not preclude your enjoyment of this interview segment. Read more about this in David’s guest post on the Society of Wine Educators blog!
David also regaled us with stories of his time in Macau where he stood up and ran a restaurant for about a year. And then? You’ll just have to listen to his story about sabering a bottle of Iron Horse sparkling wine in front of the winery’s attractive CEO. Yes, we left it in. Believe it. That’s how we roll.
Bottom line, San Francisco Wine School offers one of the most impressive arrays of courses, certifications, and workshops, and the level of professionalism you can expect from David and his team is most certainly of the highest caliber. As you listen to David’s enthusiasm coupled with congenial humor when he talks about the school he started in a hotel five years ago, you’ll want to high-tail it San Francisco to experience how wine learning can also be an edu-taining and valuable asset to your own personal or professional aspirations. They recently moved to a new 4,000 square foot facility and have a focused vision about wine education which has expanded into their online offerings!
Factoid:
Val: “OK, so we have a little factoid for you this week about vocabulary! Boy, Val, you know how to whoop it up, don’t you?
“Variety vs. Varietal. When we talk about wine grapes, we are actually talking about varieties, as opposed to varietals. To put it simply, variety is a nounand also described as a subspecies in biology – it means the grape or cultivar.
“Varietal is an adjective and refers to the wine, as in, “This is a varietal wine, it is made with Chardonnay.” According to Miriam Webster was first known to be used in 1866; this was about the time the US wine industry was just starting to expand in the west, but the word varietal was first used as with respect to the wine industry in 1950 as “…a wine bearing the name of the principal grape from which it is made” (Miriam Webster).
“Now, let’s use these words in a sentence: “This is a varietal wine made with the grape variety Syrah.” Or, “The Pinot Noir is a fussy variety, but makes beautiful single-varietal wines.”
Yes, it’s anal. This is Val’s equivalent of watching someone use “Your funny” on Facebook instead of “You’re funny.” Just sayin’.
Winoradar:
Steph: “I think we covered this earlier when we heard about David’s event The Origins of Wine Civilization.”
“I also wanted to mention that I noticed Chianti getting some press recently – in the SOMM Journal and in the Wall Street Journal. Reminds me of some of our previous episodes – 41 about Sangiovese and 5 the Cock Fight episode. We will post links to all these articles and previous W25 episodes in the show notes if you are currently studying Chianti or want a refresher.”
Shoutout:
Val: Thank you for our latest review on iTunes entitled “Education and fun – Wine-To-Five” These gals are the bomb! Highly knowledgeable and professional, they make wine (learning about it or not) fun. Love the guest component. My wine world is expanded with tidbits, factoids, serious wine education and lots of laughs each week.” (from Einvidjfnvi)
“Well that’s all we have for this week. Thank you for listening and supporting our show! Next week we haveLeanne Laine, the woman and wine artist, joining us. We are very excited to have her tell her story and talk about her beautiful wine art.”
