The top 10 things that really annoy Sommeliers
10) Having to send your commis home at 10pm because they have done 8 hours work.
9) Wine merchants who telephone at 12.30, 1.30, 2.30 or 7.30 (?)
8) Wine deliveries at 12.15
7) Staff not charging for bottles of water
6) Managers over-pouring champagne
5) Managers taking wine orders (!!!)
The Importance of Terroir
I recently sat down with the Academy of Food and Wine Service for an interview on the importance of ‘terroir‘, that is the importance of geography, geology, climate and environmental factors in the quality of wine.
Q. Ronan, why is terroir important to the character of a wine and why is an appreciation of it necessary for a top sommelier?
Ronan Sayburn [above]: Terroir is vital to making good wine as it’s a combination of a lot of small things that add up to an overall level of perfection – like making great food it’s a combination of ingredients, technique and seasoning.
Becoming a Sommelier
In the UK we do not have any formal exams for Sommeliers to take provided by catering colleges. Unlike France, Italy or Spain where students will spend an extra year specialising in wines and wine service.
Although in the UK the Wine and Spirit Education Trust do a range of excellent courses that focus more on wine styles and regions and less on service or food considerations. They are the industry standard for anyone pursuing careers in the drinks industry. Read More
Ronan Sayburn talks about the new Bistro du Vin
Ronan Sayburn talks to Robert Giorgione about the new Bistro du Vin in Clerkenwell, London.
Ecole du Vin in Harrogate
Not all wine schools are for the academic and critic. Ronan Sayburn talks about the informal and insightful Ecole du Vin meetings.
Ronan Sayburn MS – talks wine at Bistro du Vin
Ronan Sayburn Master Sommelier talks about the exciting new wine list soon to be available at the first ever Bistro du Vin in Clerkenwell.
Champagne Murders
I was asked to do a video showing the technique of Sabrage (opening champagne with a sabre) - but there are hundreds of very good videos out there anyway. So we did this instead, which I think is more fun.Danielle Meenagh our scholarship winner from Michel Roux’s Service
It was such a rewarding experience being involved in the recent BBC2 series Michel Roux’s Service. To see 7 youngsters develop both personally and professionally before your eyes in such a short-time frame was something extremely special.
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Running the Marathon du Médoc 2009
The annual Marathon du Médoc is always on the second Saturday of September about 10-12 days before the harvest begins. So as all the picking and triage machinery is brought out and washed down, chaos descends on the normally sleepy town of Pauillac. 6,000 runners with friends and family from all over the world arrive – the roads are packed, the hotels full and the restaurants booming.
I have run the marathon here 5 times before and its quite an unique event that keeps me coming back for more. Usually done in fancy dress, this years theme is the Circus so I am running as a clown. I have done it previously as a bunch of grapes; running 26 miles as a bunch of grapes is not easy.
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