Community Building in the Washington, DC area!!

SFP Editor: Why did you become a sommelier? Robert Cavanaugh: I began my career right out of college at Bally’s Park Place in Atlantic City as an Assistant Manager in the Food and Beverage Department. After an ambitious study of the city’s competing management I realized that few people actually knew anything about wine, and that might be a good way to make a name for myself. My personal knowledge of the subject was that it usually came in bottles, it was sometimes red and sometimes white, and mostly had corks…the same corks that became horribly mangled and shredded after my hackneyed attempt to dislodge them from the bottle with my clunky corkscrew, often breaking the cork off in the process. I searched around for a good wine institute, talked my supervisors into letting me take the bus up to Windows on The World at the World Trade Center in New York every week for several months to study with the highly regarded Kevin Zraly, and found my passion was less in the casino business and turning more towards wine.

SFP Editor: What is a Sommelier?

Robert Cavanaugh: Sommelier is French term for Wine Steward. The purpose of the Sommelier in a fine dining establishment is to offer insight into the wine offerings (voluminous lists rivaling many urban phonebooks in terms of entries and pages, of which I too am guilty of proffering at one point in my career!) Historically, it required at least one member of the restaurant staff to wear a tasting bib over a tuxedo, dangle a silver tastevin from a long chain across the chest and have holstered on their hip like an Old West gunslinger a key ring larger than most janitors will ever aspire to carry. They were also encouraged to jealously clutch the single copy of the restaurant’s wine list tightly to their bosom and walk through the restaurant with head tilted slightly to one side, thus enabling them to sneer at others in an appropriately intimidating manner.

OK, I am exaggerating. The image of the Sommelier is changing from the intimidating and rather condescending attitude to one of helpful, courteous, polite and even more knowledgeable…a true asset to the restaurant industry. Sommeliers have to study very hard if they wish to distinguish themselves professionally. The depth and breadth of wines, regions, changing vintages and producers available is stunning. Management and upkeep of even a small cellar can sometimes be daunting.

SFP Editor: Why did you become a sommelier?

Robert Cavanaugh:I began my career right out of college at Ballys Park Place in Atlantic City as an Assistant Manager in the Food and Beverage Department. After an ambitious study of the city’s competing management I realized that few people actually knew anything about wine, and that might be a good way to make a name for myself. My personal knowledge of the subject was that it usually came in bottles, it was sometimes red and sometimes white, and mostly had corks…the same corks that became horribly mangled and shredded after my hackneyed attempt to dislodge them from the bottle with my clunky corkscrew, often breaking the cork off in the process. I searched around for a good wine institute, talked my supervisors into letting me take the bus up to Windows on The World at the World Trade Center in New York every week for several months to study with the highly regarded Kevin Zraly, and found my passion was less in the casino business and turning more towards wine.

SFP Editor: What training is required to become a sommelier?

Robert Cavanaugh: Actual training or certification? None, per se. However, the more one takes advantage of classes, trainings, tastings, tours, books, professional conclaves and basically anything else that deepens the cup of personal knowledge, the more opportunities one will find. When I began managing wine service and cellars for Ritz-Carlton Hotels in New York City and Palm Beach, I abandoned the tux & tastevin in favor of a suit, hired and trained other wine enthusiasts who first and foremost displayed a sense of quality service and knew that the experience of the guest was of paramount importance. From that group, the sommeliers emerged for the respective restaurants, allowing me to concentrate on training, management and building the wine selection into the award-winning list. SFP Editor: What led you to begin hosting seminars?

Robert Cavanaugh: During the early years of my study, I would attend tastings, lectures and professional classes, too often walking out at the end of the session more confused then when I went in! I became convinced that many of these wine experts, though incredibly well-versed, were more interested in hearing themselves talk and impressing the audience than with actually teaching the subject. The audience was suitably impressed with the speaker’s knowledge, but were we actually learning much? So, I began to teach my co-workers what I was slowly learning, and found I enjoyed teaching. As I learned more, I taught more, and occasionally did the odd spot on radio talk shows, doing my best to take the pompous, elitistic (and albeit dwindling) segment of the wine industry down a notch or two. I enjoyed the enthusiastic approach of my first instructor Kevin Zraly, and mixed fun, humor and industrial deprecation into the subject and found if wine were presented in a fun and logical manner, the information would hold the attention of the listener and everyone walked away with a smile, secure that they were every bit as qualified to discuss wine as the “Fraiser and Niles” segment.

SFP Editor: Where is the most interesting place you have led a wine tasting?

Robert Cavanaugh: Setting aside the tasting I led at the age of eleven for other altar servers with non-consecrated wine found in the rectory of St. Michaels parish, I would have to vote for either Marrakech, Morocco at the famed Yacout restaurant, known throughout the continent of Africa for their native wine selection. I never would have believed the arid North Africa region capable of producing wines as interesting as they were, proving my theory that pre-judgment in any form is a poor substitution for experiencing the wines yourself. A close second and certainly memorable seminar occurred in St. Petersburg, Russia in the Throne Room of the Royal Palace on July 6, 2001, and also marked the occasion of my 34th birthday! I think at one point even Mr. Putin dropped by…but then my new comrades had plied this Irish Italian lad with two large shots of their domestic vodka…and since I have little practice with imbibing spirits, the evening got a bit fuzzy!

SFP Editor: How important is the age of a wine?

Robert Cavanaugh: Often more than you might imagine, but usually not for the reasons you think! Yes, some wines improve with age…but a very small percentage of what is available at your local wine store. Most Bordeaux, many Burgundies, Rhone red wines for sure, and a large percentage of Barolo, California Cabernet and Zinfandel will benefit from a few years in properly stored conditions to smooth out the tannins and mature the fruit, but the larger percentage of wines in the market are ready to drink upon release, at their optimum peak and will begin to slowly decline in quality over the years, or even months, that follow. In the case of fresh and fruity white wines such as Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc and even Chardonnay, the current vintage will display a sharper acidity, higher fruit content and a lively drinkability than the same wine from a few vintages earlier will show.

SFP Editor: How does the location of a vineyard impact the wine grape?

Robert Cavanaugh: If it’s in France they charge more. Just kidding. The vineyard site is controlled by three conditions that influence other factors. The macroclimate is the overall climatic conditions of wind, rain, sun, frost, dew and fog of a generalized area, for instance, Napa Valley in Northern California. The mesoclimate focuses those factors more intensely to a limited area, such as the Rutherford region of the Napa Valley of Northern California, or the vineyard of Rutherford region within the Napa Valley found in Northern California. Microclimate actually focus on a single planted vine within the vineyard in the region in the valley of the section in the state! The shaded influence of the vine, the angle towards the sun, the leaves within the canopy of the vine plot, the drainage of the land…all have an effect on the growth of that vine’s grapes. The French have a wonderful term that encompasses this, as well as other factors such as soil, mineral content, drainage, and every other mitigating factor of growth…Terroir. All-encompassin and very conveniently untranslatable!

SFP Editor:What is your favorite wine and why?

Robert Cavanaugh: Hmm, a tough question! I am often asked this in seminars, and I usually grab the nearest and fullest glass of wine and announce, This one!

SFP Editor: How does red wine differ from white wine?

Robert Cavanaugh: In some cases yes, in others, no! Some white wines come from grapes that are actually closer to grey! And Champagne (or Sparkling Wine if it comes from a region other than Champagne, France) is often made from the juice of two red grapes blended with one white grape! Look for the Blanc de Noirs designation on the label…White from Darks (Blacks). They are made from Pinot Noir grapes (red) Pinot Meunier (also red) and Chardonnay (white). They tend to have a hint of raspberry flavor and a dash of cherry on the finish. The Blanc de Blanc labels (White from White) are pure french Chardonnay grapes, and tend to exhibit the creamy, yeasty flavor of a full-bodied Chardonnay.

SFP Editor: What tips would you give a novice wine drinker?

Robert Cavanaugh:In all seriousness, if there is one bit of advice I could pass on to those just entering the exciting world of wine discovery, it would be to trust their own palate, drink what they like and constantly experiment, ever evolving your experiences until you know what you like in the glass. Awards, ratings, feature articles and price tags are all very subjective and while often useful as a guide, they are by no means the path to perfect wines for you. Wine is subjective, in the exact manner that food is. I would no sooner let a food critic tell me lima beans are the Greatest Food in the World then I would allow a wine writer tell me I must love this wine simply because he or she does! Taste and evaluate, discuss, preferably with friends or family who share your passion if not your palate, and eventually you will feel the comfort level that your opinion matters every bit as much as those of a wine writer or critic, because you alone are the true expert with regards to your particular likes and dislikes. Tasting and experimentation, along with an open mind and an operating sense of smell are all the tools you’ll ever need to embark on the exciting journey of wine discovery.

ABout ROBERT...
Robert Cavanaugh began studying wine as a student living in Holland and Switzerland. After graduating from college in the United States, he completed a series of wine education courses such as Windows on the World at the World Trade Center in New York City, The San Francisco Wine Appreciation Guild, The New York City Wine Institute and the Academie du Vin in Paris. He is the former Director of Beverage and Sommelier d’Hôtel for the five-star Ritz-Carlton, New York City and The Ritz-Carlton, Palm Beach. His wine lists and writings have twice been honored by The Wine Spectator and in 2000 Robert was awarded the Wine and Spirits Professional of the Year award for the Hospitality division in Santé Magazine. In 2001 he was the featured wine speaker for The History of Wine and Food tour, covering 17 cities in nine countries by private jet. His seminars have been featured on television, radio and newspapers.