How would you describe your personal tasting style or approach? Are there any specific tasting rituals or techniques you follow?
Michael: People are better tasters in the morning and so my days tend to start early with a gym session or run (weather dependent) and then a decent breakfast of cereal, fruit and yogurt washed down with a protein shake. On the weeks I have my kids it’s usually porridge with a dash of Canadian maple syrup (you can take the boy out of Canada . . . ). I prefer flights with fewer than 10 wines so I can compare as tastings are usually flighted by theme (grape, appellation, vintage, price, etc). More than 60 wines in a day is tough and I struggle to give them the attention they deserve. Blind tasting is key – one look at the label is worth 20 years in the trade!
Jacky: What has always fascinated me about wine tasting, is how it invokes all of your senses. The sound of a cork popping and wine pouring, the brilliant colour, the complex aromatics, the feeling of a wine on your palate, the way the flavours develop…
To do a wine justice, I really need to taste in a quiet, neutral space with good lighting and no strong odours. When the conditions are right, I can immerse myself completely in the process. It is sort of like my version of meditation.
Igor: People taste wines for different reasons – identification, quality assessment, age, maturity, style, fault assessment and more, or just for fun and pleasure. My tasting has always been a bit technical and from early on I appreciated the value of a systematic approach to tasting that is used by WSET. For most of my professional career I tasted the wine for purchase, or for compliance with the regulatory requirements. My tasting still centers around the assessment of the wine versus what it is supposed to be – quality, including its typicity, and value, by gauging its aromatic intensity and range, its structural components, length and fruit intensity and their inter-balance.
I always advise to take the first sniff without swirling and gently. Most of the faults are highly volatile, and one can see them clearer without agitating wine, and smelling gently ensures that you do not overload your senses with those strong compounds, with high elemental sulphur potentially delivering a chemical bite to your nostrils.
What has been the most rewarding or memorable experience in your career as a Master of Wine? Can you share a challenging or unique situation you’ve encountered in your wine journey and how you navigated it?
Michael: My life is blessed and no one knows that more than I. I’ve spent 30 years travelling around the world in premium cabins eating at Michelin-starred restos, drinking the world’s finest wines, and generally hanging out with an exceptionally interesting cohort. The MW title encourages producers to dust off their oldest and their rarest that they have been saving for a ‘special occasion’. They often believe that the MW at the table makes it so. Dinner at d’Yquem with the 1937, Lafite ’45 with suckling pig in a Tuscan castle, magnums of Monfortino back to the ‘50s with a menu I designed, verticals of vintage Krug, Roumier’s Musigny with Cristophe, Michel Laroche’s last double-magnums of Les Clos 1971 the year his father passed, and drinking Pavie 1953 with my Mom – she had no idea what it was but we sat talking for hours as 1953 was the year she went into nursing training. Welling up just thinking about it.
Jacky: I have yet to live a more incredible career moment than the Master of Wine ceremony. The event is held at Vintners’ Hall, one of London’s great historic landmarks for wine professionals. Walking up the aisle with my fellow new graduates, as the trumpeters heralded our induction, was a truly unforgettable moment.
My career path took some interesting twists and turns on my road to MW. In 2007, I took a winemaking internship in South Africa. It was a far cry from my cushy office jobs in France! On my walk to the winery one morning, I found myself face to face with a troop of baboons that, after a long staring match, thankfully grew bored of me. I suppose you could call that a unique situation!
Igor: It’s has been well over two decades, so yes, I have collected a few highlights. To name a few – attending a vertical tasting of Chateau d’Yquem in Toronto, led by its custodian Alexandre de Lur Saluces very early in my career. Acing a wine in a blind tasting – one instance stands out, where I was able to get not only the grape, the provenance and the quality level, but also the producer. A two-night stay at Veuve Clicquot’s house in Rheims on the winery grounds, now converted to receive special guests of the house. A couple of dinners in Chateau Margaux years apart, during the En Primeur and then Vinexpo – and it was super cool to visit all the first growths during the Futures tasting. Having my name announced at the MW ceremony, followed by “Master of Wine”. Hearing from a soon-to-be inducted new MW that my success inspired her to pursue her MW journey. When working in the two largest stores in Toronto and the province, meeting and helping some famous people – actors, musicians and sports figures: Tia Carrere, Pat Quinn, Renée Zellwegger, Donald Sutherland and many more. And – getting a round of applause when I returned to my store after my time off to go and receive my MW credentials. It was not really a roaring ovation – there is probably 10-15 people of the floor at a given time even on a busy day at a large store, but it was cool to realize what that noise was all about – a tip of a hat from those next to you in the trenches.
The challenging situation was, paradoxically, also related to getting my MW title. Being the first and only is a rarefied position, but while it was clearly an achievement in the eyes of the trade and even my company, it was a bit of a challenge to find the right market, and place for this credential. For nearly three more years, I continued to work in retail, having explored an offer from within the company and one that would take me to Seattle, neither one of which worked out. I appreciated the support from the MW community during that time that got me into different roles, outside of my work space. I was asked to contribute to a pocket wine reference book, to do a technical edit of an upcoming edition of Wine for Dummies by Mary Ewing-Mulligan MW and Ed McCarthy, as well as to provide a technical edit of a Russian translation of WSET Level 3 (Advanced Certificate) texts. An opportunity to apply my credential more fully finally presented itself within the company and, for a number of years, I got to do what I was hoping to be able to do – buying wine for 14-15 million people marketplace that was Ontario at the time.
What advice would you give to someone who is just starting to explore the world of wine? Are there any misconceptions about wine that you would like to address?
Michael: Treat wine like any other industry. There’s a finance department, marketing, HR, NPD, sales, production and ops. Find out what you’re good at that is not wine-specific. Get the qualifications and experience that you need to be an accountant, marketeer, sales rep or winemaker. With that under your belt then look at how you can apply that to the world of wine and do the WSET, WSG, CMS or whatever takes your fancy. And don’t dismiss hospitality – it’s the industry that we missed most during the pandemic. Why? Because it remains at the very core of what it is to be human. We need pubs, not apps.
Jacky: Ask a lot of questions and taste widely. Don’t be afraid to pester wine retailer staff, sommeliers, and anyone else in the know. Also, don’t let other people’s opinions sway you or intimidate you. The beautiful thing about wine is that there is a style for every palate.
Igor: Be open-minded, do it for the right reasons, challenge the authority if there is a good reason for it. Trust your palate, but accept that there is always room to grow and get to know it too – your strengths and your weaknesses or your blind spots. Taste the classics, they are that for a reason. Enjoy the journey, and the people of the trade – they are one of the best parts of being in this industry. Get the basics right, focus on the core not the periphery, but do not block it out either. If someone claims that they know everything there is to know about wine and will promise you the same – keep looking for another mentor.
One of the misconceptions about the wine is that it is elitist, and as a result that the tasting is an intimidating and a confusing exercise. Wine is an inanimate object and cannot be elitist or confusing, it is the people’s attitudes that make it so. One needs to know nothing about the wine to be able to enjoy it, and you do not need anyone’s permission to either have to like it or not. Similarly, there is indeed more structure and, apparently, ritual, involved in tasting, so it comes across as a bunch of hocus-pocus to an uninitiated. Yet, tasting – and smelling – in itself is something that ensured the survival of human species, and we all are born with this ability. It is not as essential for our survival today, but the basics are still there. There is a reason for the “hocus-pocus” but everyone has the core skills to do it. And the more you learn about why things are done the way they are, the less it remains a ritual, and the more meaningful the process becomes. So, do not let the unfamiliarity with the process put you off, however little you know about wine, you’ve got the ability to smell and taste and enjoy the wine, so embrace it, and go with it as far you care to.
What current trends or developments in the wine industry are you particularly excited about? How do you see the future of the wine industry evolving?
Michael: Climate change is driving a coach and horses through viticulture. Hot climates may become untenable and cold climates may flourish. 1.5 C is a gargantuan change for a plant. Styles will change but acidity levels are plummeting so be sure you know what you want in your cellar. Natural wines are also very much in vogue but so were leg-warmers and mullets once upon a time. And the Spice Girls.
Jacky: Wine regions around the world are facing a dramatic shift in their growing conditions due to climate change. Milder winters in certain regions are pushing bud break forward, leaving tender new vine growth at risk of spring frost damage. Episodes of extreme heat, drought, and wildfires are more prevalent. As are other severe and erratic weather patterns. Vine pests and disease pressure is evolving and intensifying, and the situation is just getting worse.
Despite this gloomy forecast, viticulturists are showing incredible resilience. Collaborative efforts are skyrocketing, focused on long term, sustainable solutions, regenerative agriculture, carbon footprint mapping, and an overall holistic approach to wine production. There is still a long way to go, but the will to stop dominating nature and start respecting its bounty is inspiring to see.
Igor: The so-called “natural” movement, No-Low, orange, etc, are not something that gets me overly excited. But I am glad to see that the awareness of climate change is not a debatable item in wine trade, but something that a lot of principals are looking for answers to. I hope that return of the near-extinct local varieties or greater clone diversity proves to be one of the more successful directions to deal with it.
I’d like to see that wine as an investment becomes less of a thing, and the growing number of millionaires and billionaires find another asset class to invest into or another status symbol to pursue, however unlikely. Much of the evolution is cyclical and signs seems to be pointing to a correction around the corner, a contraction of the wine universe. If that happens, hopefully we get to a point that a small producer can still make a decent living off his or her land and a decent margin, but that some of the “can-be-from-anywhere” bottles disappear. Also unlikely, but it would be nice if the unattainables, while still topping the price charts, become again affordable to a wider audience. There is little doubt that the AI, automation and faster and faster networks will play a larger role in wine, as in the rest of our lives.
Can you share a memorable experience related to wine, either a special tasting or a significant moment in your career? Is there a specific wine that holds sentimental value for you?
Michael: I’ve shared a few above – passing the MW was obviously pretty special and the years haven’t dimmed that ‘pinch me’ moment but now it’s just what I do. It’s the people and the relationships that are enduring.
Jacky: The oldest wine I have ever tasted was over 150 years of age. It was a very rare cask aged port sourced by Taylor-Fladgate from a small local producer. A friend at the port house poured us each a thimbleful at the end of a great dinner. We each had just one sip, but the flavours were so alive and so persistent, that the experience has stuck with me ever since.
Igor: That Chateau d’Yquem tasting mentioned earlier qualifies. The dinner at Chateau Margaux during an En Primeur campaign with Corinne Menzelopoulous herself and her daughter and Paul Pontalliier for our small group, and having a chance to visit the chateau’s boudoir – in this instance the word describes exactly what it’s meant to. A visit to Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, when we were received with a small group of somms from the US, and besides tasting several Grand Crus from the barrel, including La Tache and DRC, being treated to a bottle of their Batard-Montrachet, which is made in such small quantity that is not even offered for sale. A barrel tasting at Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé on the same trip. A personal visit to Gaja winery, hosted by Angelo himself, and our conversation over a late lunch. A visit and dinner with Gianfranco Soldera, with his wine accompanying the food. Meeting the wizard of Veneto Guiseppe Quintarelli at his winery, however briefly.
There have been many wines that made an impression – a couple of mid-1800s wines – Port and Madeira – at the Instructors’ dinner at the MW Seminar in Napa in early 2000s. A 1800 Joubert family Muscat tasted with a small group in Cape Town in 2012. 1988 Petrus that a handful of us pooled the money to buy, showing what a challenge it is to try and analyze the wine that defies analysis. A 1988 Marquis de Laguiche Montrachet sourced the same way, for showing a power a wine can have. A number of my birth year wines, among them d’Yquem, Ch. Latour, Ch, Palmer, a few German Rieslings, and a Banuyls or two. The very first Condrieu I bought, which intrigued me immensely and was so rich that finishing the bottle was like drinking rendered lard, but that set the bar for what a top viognier from the region should be. There are dozens more, but this is a good cross-section.
Can you suggest a unique and unexpected wine and food pairing that our members might enjoy trying? Are there any specific cuisines that you believe complement certain types of wine exceptionally well?
Michael: The high acid and touch of sweetness in many German wines makes them far more versatile than many somms give credit. 80% of matches are just fine and the key is to avoid the 20% that are hideous. Nothing goes with hot spice so don’t bother trying. The wine always needs to be sweeter than the dish so factor that in when pairing non-European cuisine. The sauce is often more important than the protein vehicle – think of steamed chicken breast v. one with a Teriyaki glaze. Finally, eat what you want and drink what you want, with whom you want, when you want. Life’s too short to be held hostage to someone else’s view of what you should enjoy.
Jacky: There is a bit of an obsession with bone-dry wines at the moment. I often see people’s eyes widen in alarm when told that a wine is off-dry. This is a real shame. In high acid sparkling and white wines, a touch of residual sugar provides balance, improves mouthfeel, and makes for highly versatile food pairings. And, let’s not forget that a glass of orange juice has over 20 grams/ litre of sugar…while the off-dry wines I am referring to have 10 – 20 grams per bottle.
I love spicy Indian food with off-dry Riesling. The high acidity cuts through the richness of the sauces and the hint of sweetness tempers the heat. Off-dry Pinot Gris are also a great match for all kinds of sweet and sour, or lightly spiced dishes.
Igor: Food and wine pairing is far from a precise science. Your chances of success would improve if you pair the dominant flavor of the dish with that of the wine, and sometimes it is not the meat but the sauce that matters. Also, while the common adage suggests pairing the intensity with intensity – the more intense is the flavor of the food, the more intense should be the flavor of the wine, at the certain point it get too “loud”, and the wine that serves as a foil to the show off the food may be a better pick. I also suggest that the more complex the flavor of the food is, the less complex should be the wine, and the other way around. It is fun to try “complex on complex” match, and I have seen it work, but it is just as likely to end up being a cacophony as a beautiful symphony. That said, as I mention, use the pairing wisdoms as a starting point, but play with it, if you have a chance and no pressure to hit the bull’s eye.
In my retail days, I, at times, suggested pairing a white Pessac-Leognan with red meats, lamb in particular, if one is disinclined to go with a red. The wine needs to be of good quality, with a nice fruit and oak, and a little time in the cellar would benefit one’s chances. Mind the temperature – serve it slightly chilled, at cool room temperature, similar to what you’d do with a red, but not cold. I thoroughly enjoyed a Brachetto d’Aqui with a nice beef carpaccio and grilled calamari on more than one occasion at an Italian restaurant I frequented in Toronto at one time. German off-dry Riesling, young or aged, is a superb food partner for most savory course. Nothing pairs better with bloomy cheeses like Brie or Camembert than a good off-dry or tendre style Vouvray, or a good Alsatian Gewutz with real, ripe, stinky Munster – Munster is also from Alsace. And a dry or slightly off-dry Alsatian Pinot Gris is nearly a Swiss-knife of white wines. I once had several of them with a 5-course dinner and they all worked great, but of course you need the sweet version to go with a dessert. Asian cuisines, such as Thai, Vietnamese, Lao, Cantonese or Szechuan are a good canvas to play off the pairing ability of off-dry styles, so German Rieslings and dry to off-dry Alsatian expression are a go-to for those. Burgundies, white and red are excellent food partners – a picnic of ripe Epoisses cheese, duck rillettes and different pâtés set up in the trunk of a car in the vineyards in the hills of hamlet of Gamay in Cote d’Or was our version of tailgating, that definitely proved that point. A rare cut of beef with Pauillac and braised lamb shank with a Pomerol are no-brainers, and got an additional stamp of approval of a Bordeaulais guest at my friend’s place. Barolo and steak tartare, especially with the Piedmontese beef, are absolutely lovely. Red suppler and more modern style of Rioja was gorgeous with a range of simple and more elaborate local tapas at a lunch in the region.
What role do you believe education plays in fostering a greater appreciation for wine? Are there any resources or books you would recommend for someone looking to deepen their knowledge of wine?
Michael: Learning about any subject enhances our ability to interact with it. Although what one enjoys is highly personal, quality is not. And whilst we can’t drink a 100-point score, only the wine, (and Lafite does not go with smoked salmon), even a couple of courses will enormously increase one’s ability to engage with the subject material. If you want to start a cellar and taste with more authority then take the time to learn how to taste, read about key regions and grapes and make sure you have a sound understanding of the journey from grape to glass. The WSET L2 or equivalent (available widely on-line) is plenty to get you going and comprises about 30 hours’ study. Of course, if you just enjoy tasting the stuff then crack on – I’m not here to preach – but my experience is that a bit of study does wonders for opening the doors fully to the world of wine.
Jacky: A deeper understanding of any topic makes you appreciate its subject matter more. If you know what compelled a musician to write a powerful song, you will likely be stirred more by its words. If you understand the intricacies that went into creating a piece of fine art, you will see the canvas with new eyes.
The same can be said for wine. The more you know, the more you want to know, and the greater your enjoyment of each glass. For beginners, you really cannot beat Karen MacNeil’s The Wine Bible. This was my first wine book and I still treasure it.
Igor: You don’t need to know anything about wine to be able to enjoy it. The wine is there for you to engage at any level that you are ready to, I say that it is democratic that way. If that is your level, there is nothing wrong with that. However, knowing even a little is likely to enhance that enjoyment for you. I also found that the more you learn about wine, the more you want to learn – it happened to me – to understand what makes the wine the way it is and understand what it is that you like about it.
There is a number of good resources, my starting point was Kevin Zraly’s Window on the World Wine Course book, a gift from a friend, that has a current edition out there. It is a really good primer, and then you could branch out – WSET has good materials, and I think you could even buy them without enrolling into a course. Jancis’ Oxford Companion to Wine is a heavy tome, but works as a quick reference for most things wine, and Infinite Ideas publishing house has a catalogue of a specialist titles by country or region. Be careful with the online content – use reputable sources and sites to get your information from, ideally as close to the source as possible such as the AOP/C generic bodies-run site and pages. And taste, taste and taste, with all kinds of people, and as often as you can, people with more experience than you.
Outside of the wine world, do you have any other hobbies or interests that might surprise our members? If you could enjoy a glass of wine with any historical figure, who would it be and why?
Michael: Sport is a big part of my life. life. I’ve passed my Yachtmaster theory and have sailed across the Atlantic. I’ve summited some decent peaks (Kili and been on Denali and Elbrus), run a dozen marathons and completed LeJog in 7 days. I’m currently writing a recipe book. My kids, however, are my proudest achievement.
Jacky: Sadly, nothing terribly original. I love to cook and can spend hours in the kitchen, singing along to a multitude of playlists while concocting warming stews, roast vegetable dishes, pastas, breads, and cakes. I like a long day out walking or hiking, preferably with a cold craft beer at the end. I am also perfectly happy curled up on the couch reading Harry Potter to my sons.
There are so many trailblazing women in history that I would like to raise my glass to. If not for their efforts, I wouldn’t enjoy the rights and career freedom I have today. Looking back in Canadian history, I think I would like to share a bottle of top vintage Champagne with the Famous Five – a group of intrepid Albertan women who dared to suggest that the word “person” in the British North America Act should include women.
Igor: For the first part – I enjoy a swim when I get a chance – I am a pretty good swimmer, competed in meets in my youth. I like spending time out of town, closer to nature – but not too close. I have a few years of schooling on acoustic guitar and used to play in a band in college and just before, and still practice regularly, but now on a bass. I have composed some original pieces and I was, at one point many years ago, accepted in the Berkley College of Music of Boston, with a partial scholarship. But I was not able to go – the “partial” part made it pretty impossible.
I answered the 2nd part of the question before for my Decanter Judge profile years ago – it still can be found online – but it still works. It would be great to share some wine with the characters of Bulgakov’s “Master and Margarita” book – the title characters and the Woland’s gang, as well as Pontius Pilate, and Yeshua Ha-Nozri. It’d be cool to enjoy something contemporary – something from the 1930-ies with the Master, Behemoth and the crew, and something anciently classic with the other two.
By Jacky Blisson MW, Michael Palij MW and Igor Ryjenkov MW