Our knowledge of the intriguing world of wines and pairing the appropriate wine with the food we serve is woefully limited. One needs to learn about the nuances of choosing the right wine to go with the food we cook and the aspects to look for when tasting a wine. People usually rely on the sommelier in a restaurant to guide them or choose the most expensive wine on the list, convinced that they can’t go wrong if they opted for the best wine in the house. Often times, as sommelier David Gemmell explained to us, expensive does not really mean quality nor does it mean that it will go well with the dish ordered. Friends told us that they follow the popular thumb rule that red wine is to be served with red meat and white wine, with white meat, seafood and poultry but we know there is much more to choosing the right wine than that..

When we were in Bermuda at Elbow Beach Hotel, we learnt about the wine tasting classes conducted by sommelier David Gemmel of the Seahorse Grill and registered for a “World of Wine” session on a Saturday afternoon. Apparently, they have sessions every month on various topics related to wines from around the world. The one we attended was about the properties of wine. Sommelier David Gemmel has a wealth of knowledge to share with his guests and he encourages the participants to taste the wines featured in the tasting and formulate their own opinions and articulate their findings using the appropriate vocabulary. At first, it is easy to spot a scent when you know what aroma to look for. With each tasting, your brain builds up the data base of colors, bouquet, touch and taste of different wines Sommelier David Gemmel talks also about wine making techniques in Europe and in places like Australia and South Africa where he was raised. Wish we could go every month to Bermuda just to attend his sessions !.

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