My wife Susie is now deeply involved in the planning of our trip to the island of Crete this fall. The pieces are starting to fall into place and now I have to set up some winery visits. I will definitely bring along my equipment to shoot some YouTube content. Susie has a great voice for narrating, so it would be fun to shoot some scenes of the vineyards and countryside while she narrates in the background. Of course, I will also try to set up an interview with one or two of the winemakers. I understand the Greeks speak English quite well, which is good since most of my audience speaks English. Of course, I am personally challenged when it comes to learning foreign languages, so I know I will not be honing in my Greek any time soon.
I’ve finally hit one thousand followers on my YouTube channel! I am super excited about that. It’s been a goal of mine for quite a while. Although I feel good about the content on my channel, I know there is a lot of room for improvement. My recent content has been focusing on unusual grape varieties. In my last episode, I reviewed red wines made from Susumaniello, Liatiko and one from the country of Georgia made from a grape called Dzelshavi, one of the oldest varieties in Georgia, which is saying a lot since they are loaded with ancient grape varietals. I shot that episode this past Saturday and finished off the Georgian wine last night (Sunday) and I was very impressed with how it held up. Check out the episode, I think you will find it quite intriguing.
I am starting to put together some ideas for instructional classes this year. I’ve been talking about it for a while and I think it’s time to get going on the idea. I would love to conduct a Riesling class. I have a bunch of older Rieslings and it is such an intriguing subject. I have also been talking with Keith Johnsen from Elevens Imports. We would love to put on an instructional class on wines of the world made from rare or obscure grape varietals. Sort of a “Geek Fest.” I just have to work out the logistics and the cost of putting them together. I feel I would have no problem getting people to sign-up for these.
I think for an upcoming YouTube episode, I’ll call on my buddy Mike to join me in a blind tasting called… “Carmenere vs. Cabernet Franc.” The reason for this is that these two varieties are quite similar in flavor profile. It would be interesting to see if either Mike or I can tell the difference in a blind format. I am certainly willing to take the chance. Blind tastings are one of the most difficult challenges in the wine world. Master Sommeliers put a ton of time into honing their skills in this area and they are very good at it. I have not put a ton of time into this, but it is so interesting to me that I continue to practice and read to try and understand what to look for in each varietal to narrow down the possibilities. I am also willing to embarrass myself if necessary. The wine world is a fascinating place and there is so much to learn.
Cheers!
Stan The Wine Man
