Photo Courtesy of Jonathon Alsop
Jonathon Alsop, founder and executive director of the Boston Wine School recently published his first book, “The Wine Lover’s Devotional: 365 Days of Knowledge, Advice & Lore for the Ardent Aficionado.”
Now I love wine just as much as the next foodie and a fair share of “wine books” have arrived in my WBUR mailbox. I must say, this is one of the best and most manageable I’ve seen. It’s easy to navigate, providing a fantastic amount of information in small tidbits. I caught up with Jonathon recently to ask about the book–and about his own wine history.
*****PRK: How did you get into wine in the first place?
JA: I started life as a corporate speechwriter and out of nowhere, in the midst of sales meetings and trade shows, I was doing a job where the Australian and New Zealand wing of the company decided to host a wine tasting. I was writing everything else to do with this conference and they told me they needed hand-outs and information on “how to taste wine.” I loved food, I enjoyed wine but I had never approached it in any technical way.
PRK: So I’m assuming the project was a success?
JA: Indeed. That was the first time that I really tasted these wines and thought to myself “what is going on here?” There is no grapefruit in this wine but it tastes just like grapefruit–so how does that happen? I became interested in the agriculture, history, and people behind the final product.
Sonoma vines along the back road to Rodney Strong Vineyards, Photo: Jonathon Alsop
PRK: Flashback to the beginning of your career. Were there any early epiphanies?
JA: I’ll never forget the first time I really tasted chardonnay. First of all, I needed to know what “chardonnay” meant and eventually learned that it is the name of a grape. So then I started tasting various chardonnay wines and I could not believe these wines were made from the same grape. They were utterly different wines. My passion was born in that moment and I began to write a wine column and proceeded to educate myself as much as possible.
PRK: So fast forward to present day: you have a wine school, you write extensively, and now you’ve written your first book. Obviously, you’ve spent a lot of time with people in the act of tasting wine. What do you think is the largest misconception about wine?
JA: Easy. That wine is something special outside the orbit of normal life. Many people think: “I’m down here and wine is up there; it’s something I have to attain.” People buy wine based on multiple factors: price, flavor, and emotional quality (to name just a few). Emotional quality is what the wine feels like or what it makes you feel like. I’ve found that most wine books allege to teach you what you need to know to be into wine. I wanted this book to teach you what you need to love to be into wine.
Sekt -- sparkling German Riesling -- from the Rheingau, western Germany, Photo: Jonathon Alsop
PRK: What are the most overlooked wines?
JA: Quite a few $40.00 bottles. Good news and bad news about this bottle. A $40.00 bottle of wine is only really $8.00 a glass (that’s the bad news). The good news is that $40.00 is the new $75.00. No joke. California is hurting now and bringing down their price point. I recommend the California Cabernet from Hidden Ridge (2005 or 2006). It’s $40.00 but it’s worth $75.
PRK: And in the lower price point?
JA: Beaujolais. Now don’t run. I’m not talking about the Beaujolais Nouveau, I’m talking about Beaujolais 2009. It’s the best I’ve ever tasted. It starts at $8.99 but if you spend just five dollars more, it’s that much better.
Extras: