Monday, September 12, 2011

Drinking Wine Is Like Drinking History: Meet Daniel Kelada


Meet Daniel Kelada of GUSTOTastings, a wine consultancy in Austin/Houston.
In addition to his expertise in cellar management, staff training, menu development and wine buying, Daniel provides one-on-one consulting services for people who want advice and help on how to navigate their favorite wine shop so they can feel confident that they a purchasing a wine that they like without having to guess.


How did you first fall in love with wine?
On a consumer level, I fell in love pretty quickly with wine just because it is so DANG delicious! As a wine professional I re-fell in love with wine when I could connect the dots between what was in the glass with how/where the wine was made in addition to the history involved with any particular wine or region. Now when I drink wine, I feel like I'm drinking history. Every glass of wine has a story and it is a story of the human condition. Wine is a bridge that connects people and creates a since of community and friendship; that reason alone is why I created GUSTO and is still the biggest reason why my love affair with the sauce will never end.

Do Millenials have different wine palates than their elders?
I don't necessarily think that Generation Y (Millennials) have a different palate that their elders but I do think that Millennials have a more sophisticated palate at a younger age compared to older generations. In the Unites States our wine culture really didn't start until after 1964, which means after WWI, WWII and Prohibition. It really wasn't until the 80's & 90's that the wine industry started to grow in leaps and bounds not only from a production point of view but also from the public's awareness of wine in general terms and in more recent years the affects that wine has on our health. I think the combination of increased production volumes and the marketing push for the wine industry in the last 25 years in combination with the health benefits has caused younger drinkers to choose wine before other libations and as result they begin the process of diversifying their palates a lot earlier than people born prior to 1980.

What do you think is the best value wine priced under $15?
For me there isn't just one wine priced under $15 that is a great value, there are tons. That being said if your looking for value the regions you should be looking at are Loire Valley, Rioja, Germany, SW France, Southern Italy (South of Naples) including Sardinia and Sicily and South America.

What wines would you suggest for BBQ? Jerk Chicken? Sushi?
BBQ-
Zinfandel or Rieslings
Jerk Chicken-
Chenin Blanc, Viognier, Syrah from the Rhone Valley, Grenache from Spain
Sushi-
Depends on the actual fish but for red wines Beaujolais and Cabernet Franc. For white wines Sparkling wines, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Rieslings and Dry Rose'


Get in touch with Daniel on Twitter.