Fringe Foodie
Wine Me, Dine Me, Teach Me Too
The ruby red of a glass of red, the smell of something citrus, the taste of crushed grapes swirling around in your mouth with earthy and floral accents that have you second-guessing your nose. Ah! the thrills and mystery of wines!
Enter sommelier Rachel Kerswell and you’d think you were sitting under the sun in a vineyard indulging in drink and food.
After a personal loss, Kerswell was left with an impressive wine collection. To better understand what was in her wine fridge, a friend started her out and suggested taking sommelier classes.
Kerswell was educated by wine journalist Nick Hamilton, who to this day remains a great mentor and friend. After quitting her day job in marketing, Kerswell decided to immerse herself in the world of wine, getting certified at the Court Masters Sommelier.
This guild was established in 1977 with 4 levels: introduction, certified, advanced and masters. The master’s class is the highest achievement for wine knowledge in the world with only 170 reaching the status, which Kerswell is looking forward too accomplish.
“The program itself is a lifetime commitment. I plan to go for my advance at the end of 2012 and my Masters before I’m 40. You have to be invited to take your Masters exam by the board of directors at the CMS,” said Kerswell. “It’s an invitation based on personal achievement and acknowledgement in the wine industry.”
After Kerswell became a certified sommelier, she started working at restaurant l’Orignal as head sommelier and began hosting her events in February.
Flash forward a few months and I’m sitting at one of these tasting events at Tavern on the Square, in Westmount. The tasting is blind, leaving the individual and the group to discover it and describe it as they know how.
But fear not, you aren’t left alone. The host has prepared a booklet, one page for each wine with descriptors and categories – fruit, evidence of oak, minerals, acidity and alcohol levels. She circulates around the room, indulging in peoples reactions, answering questions and revealing geographical indicators to stimulate discussion of the origins of the wine.
These events are as much about wine as they are about community and food. Each wine is paired with a tasting menu designed by the chef or a selection of cheeses chosen by our Sommelier, both made to enhance the wine and scintillate your taste buds.
Kerswell has organized her events by theme, personally choosing 4-5 wines and their accompaniments, which represent the concept of the night. There are places for no more than 25 people, creating an intimate and vibrant group of friends and strangers.
This particular event focused on Northern Italian wines with accompanying plates specially created by chef, Stephen Leslie. A white wine from Tuscany, another white from Abbruzzo and two reds from Piemonte. It is always a surprise to see what your nose reveals about a wine compared to your taste buds.
Our host is confident, professional and passionate about her work. She managed to create a career out of a passion, creating a fun environment to learn about wine. Salute!
Check out Kerswell’s blog, buy tickets to her events and read up about wine through the palette of a sommelier at: rachelkerswell.com
Her next wine event is hosted by Tuck Shop on Tuesday, June 21st. Click on the link for details on the famed restuarant: tuckshop.ca
To learn more about the CMS, check out: mastersommeliers.org
