Sommelier, educator and owner of Red White and Bubbly wine shop.

About Me

I’m operating partner of Red White & Bubbly, a wine shop in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Instead of a corporate-speak "mission statement", we have a motto: Fine wines, great spirits, no attitude! I studied literature, history and philosophy in school, and worked as a bartender to put myself through. A good story like this needs a tall, dark haired beauty, right? I dated a ballet student/dentist who loved Bordeaux. I knew that wine with a cork cost more than wine with a screw-cap (not true, today!), and that was about it. I learned that I really liked wine, and that I had a good palate. I switched professions, and went to work at Windows on the World. I took wine classes, began going to tastings whenever I could and, in time, became Education Director for the Sommelier Society of America. I regularly offer classes for the public in my shop, in a room which we built as a tasting room/classroom. I love walking into a restaurant and seeing a former student working as a Sommelier, Manager or Wine Director. It’s a good feeling to know that you’ve given something back, and helped someone along in their career path.

Member Since

Jul 10, 2006

Sites

• Red White and Bubbly

What is the next...

Purchase you’ll make?

Another Calabash pipe. My grandfather was a pipe smoker, and I worked in a tobacconist shop when I was a boy. No pipe smokes smoother than a Calabash! These pipes are made from the South African calabash gourd, lined with a white, claylike material called Meerschaum, mined in Turkey. They take on a beautiful, dark patina over the years. Although they are often called “Sherlock Holmes” pipes, the books never mention Holmes smoking one. I’m building up a collection of them, even though I don’t smoke very often, having not touched a pipe for almost 20 years. I used to smoke Balkan Sobranie and, like many who loved that Oriental style blend of Balkan tobaccos mixed with smoky Syrian Latakia, I'm engaged in a grail quest, trying to find a blend as rich, flavorful and enchanting.

Trend in design?

I love George Nakashima’s furniture, and I see his influence growing. He proved that an object can be warm and natural while being modern, and I’d like to see more of that. Trained as an architect, he had a genius for understanding the natural beauty and potential of wood. His clean, understated designs accentuate this, and he didn’t try to disguise his material or hide the occasional “defect”: he found a way to celebrate its uniqueness. It’s quite a far cry for the plastic monotony of lesser “modernists”.

Car you’d like to own?

An Audi TT. There’s something about its lines that reminds me of the Karmann-Ghia I owned years ago, and it just looks like it’s pawing at the ground, growling, restless and eager to take off running.

Big step you’d like to make?

Creating an American school for Sommeliers. I was Education Director for the Sommelier Society of America, and I believe that there is a genuine need for a school to teach not only wine and wine service, but an in-depth understanding of the foods, history, and geography of wine making areas. There would also be a working vineyard and winery so the students would learn by doing what wine actually is and how it is made.

Fad that will fade?

The Pinot Noir frenzy. Now, I love Pinot Noir: it’s the red grape of Burgundy and is used in most Champagnes, but so many Americans, influenced by that pathetic character in “Sideways”, are drinking the “Parkerized” Californian versions and are missing out on what Pinot is really all about. The big, oaky, highly alcoholic Pinots are an abomination. Drinking them and thinking that now you know what Pinot Noir is, well it’s like seeing a paint spill and thinking you’ve experienced art.

Vacation you’ll take?

Paris. I keep going back because I feel so at home, as if I’ve always been there. People who I’ve spent time there with tell me that it gets spooky the way I seem to know where things are. The Parisians get even the simple things so right: a coffee, a croissant.

Thing you’re going to fight for?

More consumer acceptance of Beaujolais! There are plenty of reasons: it’s delicious, affordable and goes with almost everything. Why do you think that almost every bistro has a Beaujolais as its “house wine”? I’m a member of the Compagnons du Beaujolais, and I love it when I bring a guest to one our dinners and they tell me that they have more fun there than at any other wine dinners. Well, you can’t be a wine snob when you have a glass of Beaujolais in your hand!

Secret that’s going to leak?

Americans are drinking more wine than the French!

Hollywood blockbuster going to be about?

There hasn’t been a film I’ve liked that has been a “blockbuster” since the original “Rocky”.

Life you’ll lead?

Long, I hope. I come from an old, White Russian noble family. Very good, long-lived stock. My grandmother was 93, smoking unfiltered cigarettes every day. She quit when she was 91, because, she said, “Those things will kill you”. She taught me how to flavor Vodka, making a special bottle every year for Easter. She’s take it from the freezer, pour me a tiny drop and say: “Don’t tell your mother.”

Fountain of youth?

Beautiful women, Champagne and intelligent, challenging conversation.

Book you’ll read?

I’m a voracious reader, and I normally have four or five books going at any time. I’ve finally begun a five-year plan to read The Great Books, something I’ve wanted to do since discovering them in high school. I picked up a mint condition set on eBay for a song, and I set aside time to read them three times a week. I write my notes and observations as I read, and with the internet, there are so many scholarly commentaries by brilliant teachers available that it’s a wonderful learning experience.

Thing that will change the world?

The Internet and the $100 computer. It’s important that information is free and freely exchanged, and the Internet is the greatest tool developed for doing that. It’s like everyone having an eye and ear on the whole planet, as well as a microphone. Patrick Henry, champion of the free press, would have loved it! Still in its infancy, once the web becomes truly global and universal, the users in countries like China will find a way to get around the censorship: we have been doing that since we first became human.

Guilty-pleasure food in which you’ll indulge?

Cassoulet! Many have described this dish as “the soul of French Gastronomy”. I have terrific recipe that came from James Beard that I love to make for a big dinner party. My friends Master Sommelier Roger Dagorn, and wine importer Serge Doré like my cassoulet so much that they declared me an Honorary Frenchman, saying "No one who is not French can make a cassoulet as good as this." I know it’s considered a cold weather dish, but I enjoy it whenever I can. White beans, lamb, pork, sausages, garlic… ahhh!

Person to whom you’ll say, “I love you”?

She knows who she is. I’m a lucky man.