Welcome to the Wine Geek of the Week
Where I ask my favorite wine geeks shitty questions!
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Where I ask my favorite wine geeks shitty questions!
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This week's guest is Cara Patricia @CaraPatriciaSF Advanced Sommelier & Co-Founder of DECANTsf
.Why are you a wine geek?
Wine is the only thing that understands me, and the only thing I think I really understand. I get lost in wine, and wine gets lost in me.
Extraterrestrials just landed on earth. What wine do you pour them?
Wine is the only thing that understands me, and the only thing I think I really understand. I get lost in wine, and wine gets lost in me.
Extraterrestrials just landed on earth. What wine do you pour them?
Rosé Champagne - specifically Dom Ruinart Rosé 2004. Then I dare them to beat THAT with all their advanced technologies.
What's your favorite scent you have ever smelled in a wine?
Dim Sum. Sometimes aged Riesling gives me dimsum feels. Like steamed chives, ginger, and soy.
Any favorite music or podcasts you like to listen to while you drink wine?
Depends on the wine, but I usually like to listen to Portishead or Aphex Twin with deep, late night wines.
If you could visit any wine region in the world right now what would it be and why?
Beaujolais and Northern Rhône. These are the two regions I drink from the most (besides Champagne) and I've never explored. It's time Cara gets her groove on out there.
What do you think is the most exciting thing going in the world of wine right now?
Small, newer, female, queer, and bipoc-led wine projects that are WELL MADE in California. I'm not talking about science experiments with runaway VA and shit refermenting in the bottle. I'm talking about producers like Birdhorse Wines and Desparada who have a ton of experience making wine for classic California estates, but experiment with forgotten vineyards and create phenomenal wines that, honestly, should be more expensive than they are.
What would you like to see in the future of wine?
I'd like to see less undereducated wine-fluencers hawking garbage wine or ultra-natty brands and more attention is given to non-problematic industry vets who value their craft and search out wines made with ethics and sustainability in mind (ethical sustainability in the vineyards, workforce, and through the chain of sales.)
What advice would you give yourself looking back to when you first started working in the wine industry?
Stop rushing. Keep learning. Speak up more loudly against bad behavior you're receiving or witnessing.
Who are some people that inspire you in the world of wine?
-- Tonya Pitts, a badass, humble, and hardworking woman who would probably cringe if she ever heard me call her a mentor.
-- Ousi Li, a Champagne fanatic who has let her passion for wine take her from city to city and country to country. I envy her life!
-- James Molesworth, one of the few classical wine writers whose opinion I actually want to hear.
-- Jason Wise, for pushing our industry into the spotlight and for continuing to try to lead from behind, finding new and interesting voices from wine professionals who don't look, sound, and have the same background as everyone else.
-- Jane Lopes, my former Chicago sister who I've been proud to watch on an incredible journey of success and recognition in this field.
Anything in the works you'd like to mention or promote?
Check out my shop - DECANTsf @DECANTsanfrancisco - we ship all over the US and have great bottle clubs!
What's your favorite scent you have ever smelled in a wine?
Dim Sum. Sometimes aged Riesling gives me dimsum feels. Like steamed chives, ginger, and soy.
Any favorite music or podcasts you like to listen to while you drink wine?
Depends on the wine, but I usually like to listen to Portishead or Aphex Twin with deep, late night wines.
If you could visit any wine region in the world right now what would it be and why?
Beaujolais and Northern Rhône. These are the two regions I drink from the most (besides Champagne) and I've never explored. It's time Cara gets her groove on out there.
What do you think is the most exciting thing going in the world of wine right now?
Small, newer, female, queer, and bipoc-led wine projects that are WELL MADE in California. I'm not talking about science experiments with runaway VA and shit refermenting in the bottle. I'm talking about producers like Birdhorse Wines and Desparada who have a ton of experience making wine for classic California estates, but experiment with forgotten vineyards and create phenomenal wines that, honestly, should be more expensive than they are.
What would you like to see in the future of wine?
I'd like to see less undereducated wine-fluencers hawking garbage wine or ultra-natty brands and more attention is given to non-problematic industry vets who value their craft and search out wines made with ethics and sustainability in mind (ethical sustainability in the vineyards, workforce, and through the chain of sales.)
What advice would you give yourself looking back to when you first started working in the wine industry?
Stop rushing. Keep learning. Speak up more loudly against bad behavior you're receiving or witnessing.
Who are some people that inspire you in the world of wine?
-- Tonya Pitts, a badass, humble, and hardworking woman who would probably cringe if she ever heard me call her a mentor.
-- Ousi Li, a Champagne fanatic who has let her passion for wine take her from city to city and country to country. I envy her life!
-- James Molesworth, one of the few classical wine writers whose opinion I actually want to hear.
-- Jason Wise, for pushing our industry into the spotlight and for continuing to try to lead from behind, finding new and interesting voices from wine professionals who don't look, sound, and have the same background as everyone else.
-- Jane Lopes, my former Chicago sister who I've been proud to watch on an incredible journey of success and recognition in this field.
Anything in the works you'd like to mention or promote?
Check out my shop - DECANTsf @DECANTsanfrancisco - we ship all over the US and have great bottle clubs!