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.

Wine Facts: Warm & Cool Climates

Red berry fruits like raspberry predominate in wines from cooler areas, whereas blackberry, anise and pepper notes are more common in wines made in warmer areas.

Loire Valley Wines Class - NYC

 
Loire Valley Wines Class
75 Ninth Avenue at 16th Street

Inside Chelsea Market 

Thursday, June 30th — 6:30pm-8pm
$45 per person
Most French wine regions are known more for their red varietals, but the Loire Valley stands out by focusing on incredible white wines and lighter reds. With their crisp, clean, and fruity flavors, the wines of the Loire Valley are ideal for summer. We’ll cover the region’s native Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, and Melon de Bourgogne grapes as well as appelations like Sancerre, Touraine, Chinon, and Pouilly-Fumé.
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Pacific Northwest Wines Class (NYC)

Pacific Northwest Wines Class

75 Ninth Avenue at 16th Street
Inside Chelsea Market

Thursday, June 23rd — 6:30pm-8pm
$35 per person
Some of the best wines in the world are being made in Washington and Oregon. Have you tried them yet? Classic European cool-weather grapes like Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling, and Chardonnay thrive in the river valleys of these states. Join us to taste and talk about wines of the Pacific Northwest, and we’ll cover the effect of climate and soil on the grapes as well as some of the region’s prevalent winemaking styles.
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How Dry Is Your Wine?

Dry, in theory, means that there is no sugar left in a wine after fermentation, and none has been added. 

But don't forget, when talking about dry we are back to discussing the perception of a wine.

Many dry wines contain a bit of residual sugar, which is left in a wine to help balance high acidity or tannins. But most likely it is left there because it makes a wine taste fruitier and richer -- attributes many people tend to like.

What Temperature Should I Serve Wine At?

Many  recommend serving red wines at "room temperature," but that ambiguity has led to many a poor showing.  Before central heating become the norm, room temperature might have been closer to about 60-65°F or 16-18°C. This is in fact an ideal rule-of-thumb temperature for the service of red wines.

For white wines, the range is large, primarily because the range of styles is broad as well. The fridge is too cool for white wines to really express themselves.

Applying the  20-minute rule will help you serve your wine at the correct temperature. For a red wine, put it in the fridge for 20 minutes before service. Conversely, for a white wine, take the bottle out of the fridge 20 minutes before service to take the icy edge off.

Five Steps To Tasting Wine, Step 5

Step 5 - Testing the concentration and aftertaste of a wine.

Fine red wines have a deep fruit expression just prior to swallowing. For this reason, you should always swallow a bit of the wine at wine tastings. The most effective wines will display a lingering, pleasant finish.

If wine tastings seem like a mysterious ritual art form take comfort in knowing that behind all of the show, wine tasting is a fairly uncomplicated procedure. Just follow these five steps and you'll be able to keep up with the so-called connoisseurs in no time.

Five Steps To Tasting Wine, Step 4

Step 4- Testing a wine’s sweetness, acidity and tannin.

Take a tiny amount of wine into your mouth and begin by rolling it around on your tongue. Then, hold the wine inside the center of the tongue and gargle by slowly sucking in air to vaporize the wine and release its flavor.

A sweet wine will trigger a tingling at the tip of the tongue, while a acidic wine will produce a sensation of pins and needles on the sides of the tongue. A wine which is high in tannin will generate a feeling of dryness throughout the mouth.

Five Steps To Tasting Wine, Step 3

Step 3- Testing the aroma of a wine.

Swirl the wine within your glass to release its vapours and then sniff deeply.

Assessing the smell is an artful skill that develops over time but, in general, a young red wine will smell heavily of berries and will from time to time also smell sightly of mint, spice, licorice, or chocolate.

As a red wine ages it will smell much more of raisins or prunes and, finally, when it can be past its prime, it’ll take on the aroma of vinegar. White wines follow a similar pattern.

Five Steps To Tasting Wine, Step 2

Step 2 - Testing the body of a wine.

Swirl the wine vigorously around the glass and then observe the wine on the bowl of the glass once the glass is held still.

In some instances the wine will appear to adhere to the bowl of glass, in other circumstances there is little if any sign of the wine on the bowl.

The far more a wine adheres to the sides of the glass, the greater its body.

Five Steps To Tasting Wine, Step 1

Have you have ever wondered why people at wine tastings ritualistically tilt their glass, swirl the wine around the bowl, sniff the wine and then gargle the wine before spitting it out?

No, they are not wasting their wine. Besides insuring you will be able to drive home, this method will help you assess, the quality of a wine.

Step 1- Testing the color and clarity of a wine.

For red wines, tilt the glass against a white background. Examine the edge, or lip, of the wine against the glass. If you see a dark color that runs clear to the edge this indicates a young wine. A slightly lighter color that holds to the center of the glass with a wide clear lip is indicative of an older wine.

For white wines, clarity is assessed by searching straight down into the wine. The higher the clarity, the wine will appear to sparkle, rather like diamonds.