Tough Work, But Rewarding

With Proper Preparation

It’s a tough job being a wine writer.

The day is spent tasting and evaluating new wines, so that only the best wines are recommended. Later, attendance at a wine dinner may be required to taste the food and wine pairings recommended by the chef and sommelier at a gourmet restaurant.

Of course our tastings are often interrupted by trips to important wine regions in Spain, California, Chile and Australia. One also should not forget the major trade shows in New York, France and Italy, where hundreds of wineries gather to introduce their newest vintages and we are again required to taste more fine wines. How does one qualify for such a demanding position?

Well, in my case a degree in accounting followed by an MBA in finance perfectly prepared me for a career in wine. I can actually calculate how much a wine is being marked up from its wholesale price or how much of a tip to leave that hardworking sommelier.

The acclaimed wine writer Robert Parker found it necessary to earn a law degree to help establish his wine credentials. For those recent graduates with degrees in liberal arts, you are eminently qualified to pursue a career in the wine business.

Don’t forget the many winery owners who actually earned the money to buy their wineries by becoming successful in totally unrelated fields. They are following the theory that the best way to make a small fortune in the wine business is to start with a large fortune. 

As training and education opportunities in the wine business continue to grow, it is interesting to note that most professionals in the field acquired much of their training on their own. In the wine business, there is no substitute for experience.

Tasting wine is still the preferred method for educating wine professionals. So you will have to excuse me while I prepare to attend another tasting in New York City.

It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it.

*Recently Tasted and Enjoyed: 2003 Kangarilla Road Shiraz.

this colorfully named Australian red delivers the big fruit and oak flavors that have made Australian wine so popular.

(Newtown resident and wine enthusiast Steve Small is the general manager at Yankee Wine & Spirits on Queen Street.)