It’s been quite the ride on Somm School Insider so far. Host and sommelier-in-training Carole Mac has learned the components of wine, how to blind taste, and how to identify wines from France and Italy. Now on Episode 6, we round out the rest of the wine world with Dylan York, Principle at the Sommelier Society of America and VP of sales at Revana Vineyard with New World Wines.
New World wines are produced outside of the traditional wine growing areas of Europe. “We’re about to see what happens when we take all that history and experience [from the Old World] and we apply it to all of these regions outside of that,” says Dylan.
First stop: New Zealand. New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is one of the most popular wines in the world right now. It’s full of tropical notes of passion fruit, grapefruit, and zesty citrus. Across the globe in Chile, the Sauvignon Blanc has more of a natural feel – think grassy notes, bell pepper, and citrus aromas. (Fun fact: cat pee might sound gross, but it’s a common aroma that can be found in wine, especially Sauvignon Blanc from Australia and New Zealand.)
Next we dig into New World reds: Oregon Pinot Noirs from the Willamette Valley, California Cabernets, Argentina Malbec, and Shiraz from Southern Australia. Can Carole tell them apart? Can you? It’s (really!) not easy.
Next up, Carole tackles the dreaded somm school exam, which includes a dizzying array of information including geography, geology, climate, and grape varietals, plus a blind tasting of three wines.
Will Carole pass the test and become a sommelier? Sign up here to get notified when our finale comes out to find out!
Series glassware provided by Stölzle USA.
