| Not a wine expert? Food & Wine Affair provides enlightenment! | | | | By: Kim Tyndall |  Page 1 of 2 next >> |
Whether you consider yourself a novel wine taster or knowledgeable enthusiast with a discerning palette, you are sure to find more than a little something to enjoy—and learn—at this year’s Columbus Food & Wine Affair, set for 7 to 10 p.m., Friday, September 29 at the Franklin Park Conservatory, Columbus, Ohio. Now in its fourth year, the event is drawing praise as a Mecca for culinary industry professionals as well for wine lovers. The event showcases some of the world’s most recognized vintners. But are you wondering if you can hold your own at such a function? Never fear. Matt Citriglia is here.
Citriglia has 22 years of experience in the wine industry including retail ownership and restaurant and wholesale management. Currently, he is General Sales Manager for a local wine wholesaler and Vice Chairman for the Court of Master Sommeliers. He lectures nationally on a variety of wine-related topics. He’s also the first to say that wine shouldn’t be intimidating.
He likens learning about wine to learning about music. “Usually, you are not intimidated by walking into a music store,” he says. “That’s because you’ve been listening to music since you were a baby. You grow to learn what you like, so venturing into a music store to buy a CD is something we don’t think about twice. With wine, however,” he shares, “many of us didn’t start to think about what we like until later in our lives—after we started families and careers. Now it’s new to us, and because wine is so diverse it seems complicated.” Citriglia says that’s just not so. “Anyone who can understand a diverse selection of music can also understand wines.”
Where to begin? Citriglia says to ease into the experience. Start simple. For example, learn about a grape and its growing region. When you taste a wine, keep in mind what grape it was made with and where it was produced. “If you just start there,” he says, “tasting wine becomes far less complicated. You’ll start to learn what grapes you like and don’t like, what regions you like and don’t like.” Again, he adds the music analogy. “If you know you like classical musical, you don’t go the rap section.”
Citriglia also suggests starting domestically. “You can jump into European wines, but you’ve got other factors to consider there: foreign languages, foreign regions. By starting with domestic wines, you have a lot more understanding from the start.” Citriglia says as you begin to know your grapes, try various wines from different regions that were made with that grape. For example, buy a chardonnay from Napa Valley, one from Monterey and one from Russian River. “They are all the same type of wine but you will notice they don’t all taste the same because Mother Nature has her fingerprint on it.”
Citriglia will share his wine expertise and tips at this year’s Columbus Food & Wine Affair—and he encourages others to join him. “It’s the best exposure to wine,” he says. “It’s full immersion, head first! It’s a great chance to sample a lot of grape varieties and growing regions. As you go through the tasting, you’ll get acclimated to trying different wines and taking note of the growing regions and grape varieties.”
The public is invited to attend the Columbus Food & Wine Affair that features over 200 wineries pouring more than 450 wines, food tastings from over 25 of Central Ohio’s best restaurants and a “delectable” silent auction. All proceeds benefit local charities including the Central Ohio Restaurant Association (CORA), 10TV Family Fund, United Way of Central Ohio, Adventures For Wish Kids, and the Ian Adams Van Heyde Memorial Scholarship Fund. This fund provides scholarships to Central Ohio high school graduates pursuing advanced education in restaurant management, culinary arts or food service.
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