Introduction
Why is Vermentino such a great wine to pair with food, and which dishes pair best with it? What are the markers and nuances in wine that are tied to a specific place? How is the wine industry changing when it comes to diversity, and what still needs to be done?
In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Sommelier of the Year, Tonya Pitts.
You can find the wines we discussed here.
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Highlights
- Why is mentoring so important to Tonya and which organizations is she involved with?
- How is the wine industry changing when it comes to diversity?
- Why did Tonya create Women in Wine?
- How can each of us help to move the wine industry forward with diversity and inclusion?
- What makes Château de Chamirey Mercurey Blanc so refreshing?
- Why does Tonya especially love Vermentino?
- Which types of wine pair best with food?
- How do zesty whites stimulate the tastebuds?
- Which controversial opinion does Tonya have about terroir and tasting?
- Which unexpected red wine pairings pleasantly surprised Tonya?
Key Takeaways
- I have so much respect for Tonya’s leadership in the wine industry on so many dimensions from diversity to mentorship. She walks her talk.
- It’s surprising that women still comprise only 20% of winemakers in the industry. Tonya has some great suggestions on how the industry needs to continue its efforts for inclusion.
- I can’t wait to try Tonya’s suggested pairings for Vermentino, my mouth is already watering thinking of this zesty white Italian wine.
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About Tonya Pitts
Tonya Pitts is the Sommelier and Wine Director at One Market Restaurant in San Francisco and she has been crowned 2022 Wine Enthusiast Wine Star Sommelier of the Year. Tonya has been a notable mogul within the wine industry for over 30 years. Outside of her Wine Enthusiast recognition, she was recently inducted into the Hall of Femmes (an award that requires being nominated by other women), awarded membership for Les Dames D’Escouffier, added to the advisory board of Women in Wine’s Leadership Symposium, and has become an integral contributor to Wine Unify.
Tonya’s career has involved a combination of consulting, judging and speaking as of late, mainly covering the evolution and history of wine. Yet, at the beginning of it all, she was one of few Black women in the wine industry, making the climb to her current status a solo journey. Tonya now makes mentoring a priority for those following in her footsteps, especially other minority groups that have experienced similar challenges.
Resources
- Connect with Tonya Pitts
- Wine Unify
- Bâtonnage Forum
- The United Sommeliers Foundation
- The Hue Society
- Black Wine Professionals
- Proxies
- Karen MacNeil’s Book | The Wine Bible
- Coravin Wine Preservation System
- Wines We Tasted:
- Unreserved Wine Talk | Episode 226: Navigating Big Restaurant Wine Lists + Sommelier’s Key Role with Tonya Pitts
- Diary of a Book Launch: An Insider Peek from Idea to Publication
- I’d love to meet you in person! Join me for a fabulous book launch and wine tasting on Saturday, May 13th, in Niagara! Click here to register.
- My Books:
- Unreserved Wine Talk | Episode 85: How Did the Mega-Hit Movie Sideways Change Pinot Noir (and Merlot)?
- My new class The 5 Wine & Food Pairing Mistakes That Can Ruin Your Dinner And How To Fix Them Forever
Tag Me on Social
Tag me on social media if you enjoyed the episode:
- @nataliemaclean and @natdecants on Facebook
- @nataliemaclean on Twitter
- @nataliemacleanwine on Instagram
- @nataliemaclean on LinkedIn
- Email Me at [email protected]
Thirsty for more?
- Sign up for my free online wine video class where I’ll walk you through The 5 Wine & Food Pairing Mistakes That Can Ruin Your Dinner (and how to fix them forever!)
- You’ll find my books here, including Unquenchable: A Tipsy Quest for the World’s Best Bargain Wines and Red, White and Drunk All Over: A Wine-Soaked Journey from Grape to Glass.
- The new audio edition of Red, White and Drunk All Over: A Wine-Soaked Journey from Grape to Glass is now available on Amazon.ca, Amazon.com and other country-specific Amazon sites; iTunes.ca, iTunes.com and other country-specific iTunes sites; Audible.ca and Audible.com.
Transcript
Natalie MacLean (00:00):
Mentoring is very important to you, isn’t it? Like you’re involved in a number of different organizations and then of course you’re doing it with your own staff. Tell us more about that.
Tonya Pitts (00:08):
If people have an interest, why not help them and mentor them? I had several people that did the same thing for me, so I’m passing that along. During the pandemic, I was approached about a new project called Wine Unify, a nonprofit that would help individuals thinking of getting into the wine industry, whether it would be as a sommelier or within distribution, by giving them the tools that they would need: the wine, the glassware, the access to classes, a mentor. And I said, absolutely. Sign me up.
Natalie MacLean (01:04):
Do you have a thirst to learn about wine? Do you love stories about wonderfully obsessive people, hauntingly beautiful places and amusingly awkward social situations? Well, that’s the blend here on the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast. I’m your host, Natalie MacLean, and each week I share with you unfiltered conversations with celebrities in the wine world, as well as confessions from my own tipsy journey as I write my third book on this subject. I’m so glad you’re here. Now, pass me that bottle, please, and let’s get started.
(01:51):
Welcome to Episode 227. Why is Vermentino such a great wine to pair with food and which dishes pair best with it? What are the markers in nuances in wine that are tied to a specific place? And how is the wine industry changing when it comes to diversity and what still needs to be done? You’ll hear those tips and stories in Part Two of my chat with Tonya Pitts, the wine director at One Market Restaurant in San Francisco, whom the Wine Enthusiast magazine recently named Sommelier of the Year. You don’t need to have listened to Part One from last week first, but I hope you’ll go back to it if you missed it after this one.
Now, a quick update on my upcoming memoir Wine Witch on Fire: Rising from the Ashes of Divorce, Defamation, and Drinking too Much.
(02:43):
I would love to meet you in person. I hope you’ll join me for a fabulous book launch and wine tasting on Saturday. May 13th, in Niagara. Celebrate Spring or Mother’s Day in Style, or treat yourself to a weekend getaway, as we say sayonara to winter. Now, imagine yourself on a beautiful spring day in the middle of wine country at the gorgeous Peller Estates Winery. Bring a friend or come on your own for one of two tastings or a wine pairing lunch or both. Here’s what you can expect. You’ll savor four outstanding wines as I guide you in a private wine tasting. You’ll enjoy my hilarious and heartfelt stories about working in the world of wine. You’ll learn about the professional challenges when drinking is your day job. You’ll discover how to become a savvier wine buyer with my insider tips, and you can ask me anything about wine, writing a book, or rediscovering joy in your personal and professional life. You’ll get a personally signed copy of my book with your ticket.
(03:48):
I’ll put a link in the show notes where you can register or you can visit NatalieMacLean.com/niagaralaunch. We are going to have so much fun together and I can’t wait to meet you. Please come. Also, please let your family and friends know about this event. They’re most welcome to join us.
So here’s a review from Dr. Ken Kardash, an early reader from Montreal “A fearlessly honest memoir by professional wine critic who generously shares how she processed personal trauma and grew as a result after being blighted by divorce, drinking, and dismissal by misogynistic cyber bullies. She emerges as an improved vintage. Many of us can probably relate to the insidious increases in imbibing during the pandemic, but dealing with it as an occupational hazard brings its own insights despite the recurrent witch motif. This is not the story of a victimized woman. The witch here is used as a symbol of empowerment. And even if it does at times have a Sex In The City tone, this story can and should be read by men who will benefit from a woman’s perspective on the issues raised. Five stars” Thank you can and thank you for the comparison to Sex and the City. I love that show.
All right. In the show notes at NatalieMacleaa.com/227, I’ve posted a link to where you can pre-order the book online no matter where you live. This is also where you’ll find all of the juicy bonuses you’ll get when you pre-order the book on with the show.
Natalie MacLean
Mentoring is very important to you, isn’t it? Like you’re involved in a number of different organizations, and then of course you’re doing it with your own staff. Tell us more about that.
Tonya Pitts (05:46):
So I’ve always been very hands-on with teaching, especially I learned a long time ago when you have a staff of people and a team, you can’t present something and put something in front of them if they have no idea what it is or they’ve never experienced it. And so that’s one thing I made sure that I gave people kind of a basis. This is what Sancerre tastes like. This is what Bordeaux tastes like if they’d never had it before. And then we can go into this is what I would like to put on the wine list. This is what I’d like to pour by the glass, because if people don’t have a reference, then I’m the only one that’s selling it. That’s no fun. So that’s how that started. But just with people, as I said, if people have an interest, why not help them and mentor them?
Because I had several people that did the same thing for me, and so I’m passing that definitely passing that along. During the pandemic, as the pandemic was starting, I was actually approached by Martin Reyes, a Master of Wine about a new project that they had him and Mary Margaret McCamic and Dlynn Proctor. And it was called Wine Unify, a nonprofit that would actually help individuals that were thinking of getting into the wine industry, whether it would be as a sommelier or within distribution, but giving them the tools that they would need, the wine, the glassware, the access to classes, a mentor. And I said, absolutely sign me up. That’s how that’s started. And then of course, there was Bâtonnage Forum, a women’s organization which basically focuses on all aspects of wine and having females involved and all of that and kind of as a support system for those of us that were in the industry. And a mentorship program actually has started for about Bâtonnage Forum as well. Those are all. There’s sales, there’s marketing, there’s hospitality, there’s writing, and they all have mentors within those categories, and they have mentees. And so that’s another.
There’s also the United Sommelier Foundation, which was started during the pandemic by Cristie Norman and Master Sommelier Chris Blanchard for support for sommeliers during the pandemic and just during crisis. And so that’s financial help. So I’m on that board.
Natalie MacLean (09:08):
How do you do all this, by the way? Oh my goodness. And you’ve got a full-time job, and
Tonya Pitts (09:15):
When you’re on a board, it doesn’t take all of your time, but it takes four or five hours a month at the most.
Natalie MacLean (09:24):
Still. That’s quite a bit.
Tonya Pitts (09:27):
It’s important work.
Natalie MacLean (09:28):
Yes, it is.Very, I mean, it’s very admirable.
Tonya Pitts (09:33):
It’s all very, very important work. And then also the work that I do with the Hue Society, Tahiirah Habibi, and the Roots Fund, Carlton McCoy and Ikimi Dubose. They’re all things that need to happen. Live Collective as well. If I have time and I can do it, I do it. And it’s not all of the time. It all kind of comes and goes in cycles.
Natalie MacLean (10:01):
Yes. Yeah. Seasonal.
Tonya Pitts (10:03):
But during the pandemic, there was more time because our lifestyle and how we had done things basically became virtual.
Natalie MacLean
Yes.
Tonya Pitts
And things just shifted.
Natalie MacLean (10:17):
Sure. And how does the Hue Society differ from some of the other groups? I’m curious about that one.
Tonya Pitts (10:23):
The Hue Society is made up of black and brown people as well. But what you’ll find in the Hue Society, there are people who are just enthusiasts that may want to become involved in wine as well. But definitely it’s community oriented. And they’re in all cities now. They’re also abroad now. They also have a chapter in South Africa.
Natalie MacLean (10:54):
Fantastic.
Tonya Pitts (10:54):
And that’s a whole another story. I went to South Africa recently during the summer, and that was another eye-opening experience.
Natalie MacLean (11:04):
Beautiful wine region there.
Tonya Pitts (11:04):
Love to taste of a wine. Oh my gosh.
Natalie MacLean
Stellenbosch.
Tonya Pitts
Natalie MacLean (11:07):
Oh, one of the most beautiful countries and one of the most beautiful wine regions I’ve probably. The most beautiful wine region I’ve ever visited. I mean, just so beautiful. They’re all farms and
Tonya Pitts (11:17):
Breathtaking,
Natalie MacLean (11:18):
Yes. And the rolling Hills. So when you started, as you said, there weren’t a lot of people of color in the wine industry. So what’s happening now? You do so much advocacy. You are a role model. What are the important things that have changed in the wine industry and what still needs to be done?
Tonya Pitts (11:38):
Well I think that in light of the pandemic and George Floyd, there was more of a light that was shined on everything. But we were and are a kaleidoscope of people who are all over the world, and it’s always been that way. But I think within that community of people that are in wine and in food, we all started to connect more with one another and connecting with someone that lived in Morocco, or connecting with someone that lived in Italy or in France or that was working and living in Chicago, we were all trying to connect with one another. And Julia Coney actually created Black Wine Professionals, which was also basically a network that listed people that were in the industry so that we could all find each other. But also if someone wanted to work with any of us, they could find us and have all our information.
Natalie MacLean
Sure. That’s great.
Tonya Pitts (12:49):
There’s also that as well. But I created Women in Wine while I was working at One Market, and it was basically the shine more of a light on women winemakers in the wine industry, which is a very small amount. We’re probably at about 12% now that are assistants or winemakers at a winery, and it’s growing, but it’s something that I wanted to shine a light on because we’re just not known. And that was the beginning of that. And it’s just difficult, but it’s not just wine. You could go to so many different professions and it’s the same.
Natalie MacLean
It is.
Tonya Pitts
It just so happens that I work in wine, so that’s my focus.
Natalie MacLean (13:43):
Absolutely. Bloom where you’re planted. I mean, you can make the biggest change from within. That’s fantastic. So we need more representation. What are things that we can do, those who are listening, whether they’re inside the wine industry or not, they’re just wine enthusiasts? What are some things we can do to help advocate for that? Help move things ahead?
Tonya Pitts (14:05):
Seek out wines that are produced by women, LBTQ, and people of colour, and experience them and support them in their endeavours. Support meaning buy the product, go to their tasting rooms, go to their wine festivals and events. You will be pleasantly surprised. So much wine out there, so many really fantastic, beautiful wines from all over the world, all over the United States.
Virginia is also gaining within their community and wine region of growing and producing wine. But we make wine in probably 54 of the states in the United States, and they all have communities, and they’ve always made wine. And because it’s such a global economy with wine.
Natalie MacLean
Yes.
Tonya Pitts
I think now that people are really taking it much more seriously that live in different states. And if they have a passion and a drive and they can do it, they’re doing it.
Natalie MacLean (15:30):
And people learned to order online. And they started experimenting with different wines from different regions during the pandemic. I think consumers became more educated about their choices as well.
Tonya Pitts (15:42):
Most definitely. And I call it the discovery phase, and we are still in the discovery phase. I think people are much more open to trying something new and different, whatever it is within beverages, even if it’s spirits, beer, ciders, all sorts of things. And the explosion that’s starting to happen now with non-alcoholic beverages as well is really very interesting. I tasted blind a non-alcoholic Rosé a couple weeks ago and it was delicious.
Natalie MacLean
Wow.
Tonya Pitts
It was really, really, really, really good.
Natalie MacLean (16:25):
Could you tell that it had no alcohol if you had tasted not known? Is it apparent that it doesn’t have alcohol?
Tonya Pitts (16:32):
No, because it was the flavour profiles that you would expect.
Natalie MacLean
Wow.
Tonya Pitts
From a Rosé that was produced with Grenache, because it’s all about the grape.
Natalie MacLean (16:47):
Sure. And do you offer non-alcoholic wines on your list?
Tonya Pitts
No.
Natalie MacLean
No. Okay. Is that coming maybe or would that be something you ever consider in the future?
Tonya Pitts (16:56):
No, probably not. No, probably not. Although, but I’m definitely interested in non-alcoholic options, which we do have and we do offer. And I actually want to explore Proxies, which is a new product that’s made from wine and made from teas. You can have them on their own or you can use them as mixers as well to create beverages. And so.
Natalie MacLean
Wow. It’s interesting.
Tonya Pitts
If you have it people, Proxies.
Natalie MacLean (17:31):
Okay. Proxies. We’ll put that a link to that in the show notes along with all the organizations you mentioned earlier. Definitely would love to list those out so that people can find those organizations and support them. All this talk about wine is making me thirsty. I don’t want to forget to taste wine with you, Tonya. So which wines do you have with you there?
Tonya Pitts (17:52):
So two wines and I love wine. For me, it definitely is a feeling and a moment of what I’m drinking. If people ask me, what do you normally have in a glass? And I say, well think of it as if you’re ending the night or the day with a beer. For me, it would either be sparkling champagne or white wine because I kind of see it as a palette cleanser and kind of as something refreshing.
Natalie MacLean
Yes.
Tonya Pitts
So I have some white wine this morning.
Natalie MacLean (18:31):
Breakfast wine.
Tonya Pitts (18:32):
So Chateau de Chamirey, which is a grand vin de Bourgogne.
Natalie MacLean (18:42):
Oh, there’s the
Tonya Pitts
Yes, Mercurey.
Natalie MacLean
And we’ll link to that in the show notes. Yes. So that would be a Chardonnay base.
Tonya Pitts (18:48):
It’s a Chardonnay based. And this is really interesting because they’re pulling from eight different plots in the vineyard and blending the Chardonnay there. And we were talking about just sight and soil, and I put my nose in this and the first thing that I get are these nuances of rock and shale and chalk, but then the fruit comes through and yellow apple, pear, lemon, saline. Yeah. It’s just super, super, super, super fresh, bright, very, very lifted.
Natalie MacLean (19:40):
You’re making my mouth water describing it. It’s beautiful.
Tonya Pitts (19:44):
I would want something, I would want oysters with this. I would want to seafood pasta, even truffles. White truffles.
Natalie MacLean (19:58):
I love the way you’re nosing it to get the suggestion from the wine itself to tell you what to pair with it. The wine is talking to you.
Tonya Pitts (20:08):
And that’s delicious. And for first sip of the day, that’s perfect.
Natalie MacLean (20:13):
Yeah. Calibrate your mouth, your palette. Absolutely.
Tonya Pitts (20:19):
The other Toscana. It’s a Vermentino.
Natalie MacLean (20:26):
Oh, how lovely.
Tonya Pitts (20:27):
And it’s another young and fresh. What I like about this wine, and it’s a screw cap, is that and I love Vermentino.
Natalie MacLean (20:37):
What is it that you love about it?
Tonya Pitts (20:39):
Because it’s higher acidity. Super, super fresh, bright, lifted. You see that’s a pattern. But that’s what I like to just kind of wake my palette up. But also I think it’s great for pairing with foods as well because you could have this with salad, you could have it with pasta, you could have it with poultry, chicken, and you could have it with duck, with quail, vegetables, anything. But this is a little bit weightier in the middle of the pallet. And again, you’ve got that earth and that rock and that soil. But this is kind of when I was talking about earth before when I was talking about wet soil, this is dry and it’s kind of powdery.
Natalie MacLean (21:33):
Okay. Interesting.
Tonya Pitts (21:35):
Yeah. When I think of the earth,
Natalie MacLean (21:39):
Under the Tuscan sun, no doubt. Cause it’s nice and dry and powdery
Tonya Pitts (21:44):
And this nose kumquat, blood orange, some pink grapefruit comes through. And it’s the skins and the zest that I’m smelling. But it’s weighty.
Natalie MacLean (22:01):
Right.
Tonya Pitts (22:02):
But it’s not so heavy that it will overtake or overpower a meal. Both of these wines will compliment a dish, which is what you want wine to be anyway.
Natalie MacLean
Sure.
Tonya Pitts
I think wine and food definitely go together.
Natalie MacLean (22:18):
Oh, yeah.
Tonya Pitts (22:19):
You don’t always have to have food with wine. There are those moments.
Natalie MacLean (22:23):
Pair wine with more wine. Yes.
Tonya Pitts (22:27):
I like that.
Natalie MacLean (22:29):
When anybody asks me for my favourite pairing, that’s what I tell them. But yeah, especially these vibrant whites that get you salivating, because as you know it’s literally the saliva that whets are appetite, but also is going to spread the flavour of both the wine and the food out. It’s going to touch and stimulate more taste buds the more our mouth waters. And that’s what those zesty whites do with some acidity.
Tonya Pitts (22:55):
Right now, this has higher acid than the Chardonnay. And I’m completely salivating with this one. But that earth that I was talking about, there’s this big stone that’s in the middle of my palate. That’s mixed with all of the fruit that’s there.
Natalie MacLean (23:16):
I love that.
Tonya Pitts (23:16):
But I can envision a big stone sinking into wet sand and just kind of falling away. And there are some wines that I will taste, particularly white wines, and that’s the vision that comes when I’m tasting those wines
Natalie MacLean (23:37):
Spoken like a true artist. Again, the very visual that layering. The way you experience wine. Wow. So cool. Oh my goodness. I can’t believe how quickly this is going. Tonya, I want to ask you a few more questions. Continue to enjoy your wine there, but a few more things because I’m dying to know what you think. Is there anything you believe about wine with which some people might disagree?
Tonya Pitts (24:00):
Some people say that terroir is not true and there really is a sense of place for everything that’s grown. There are markers. There are definitely nuances that are tied to a place anywhere in the world. The other is when people say I don’t know how to taste wine. And I can’t discern the flavour profiles that are there. I mean, I don’t know. The first thing I tell them is pay attention to what you are smelling anywhere. When you go into the market and to produce, start smelling herbs. Start smelling the flowers, because it’s basically that Rolodex that we were talking about.
Natalie MacLean
Yes.
Tonya Pitts
It’s all sense remembering. And to have confidence because nine times out of 10, when you put your nose in that glass the first thing that comes to your mind is the correct thought of what’s in that glass, because it’s really something personal.
Natalie MacLean
True
Tonya Pitts
Everyone’s sensory memory is different. And what’s stored there is different. Sometimes people will smell or taste something and it takes them to a memory that’s connected to whatever scent that they’re coming up with that’s in that glass. And to always remember that. And sometimes when I say that to people, they’re like what? I’m like, yes. Your first thought is your correct thought of what’s there. Trust it.
Natalie MacLean (25:44):
Absolutely.
Tonya Pitts (25:45):
But now, not a wine expert. Doesn’t matter.
Natalie MacLean (25:48):
Yeah.
Tonya Pitts (25:49):
These are all your sensory memories.
Natalie MacLean (25:52):
Exactly. I remember my first wine class. We were tasting a Riesling, and one of the students said, oh, it reminds me of the Dallas Airport. And she was getting the petrol off the wine so it made sense for her, and it was correct as well. So yeah. What’s the sort of weirdest wine and food pairing you’ve ever tried?
Tonya Pitts (26:14):
Oh, weirdest.
Natalie MacLean (26:16):
Or one that you thought wouldn’t work, but it actually did perhaps.
Tonya Pitts (26:20):
There’s an exercise that chef and I were doing. And I’ll call it an exercise because it was a dish and it’s still one of my favourite pairings now. And it was roasted, it was sous vide and roasted monkfish sitting on top of a leak potato gratin. And on the bottom of the plate, the sauce was a port red wine sauce which people were just like really? are you sure?
Natalie MacLean (26:52):
Fish and red wine, fortified red wine.
Tonya Pitts (26:55):
And it was absolutely stunning. And then we went up the scale of wines to taste to just get it just right. Pinot noir, no matter where we pulled it from California, Russian River, even warmer vintages that were just full and rich and riper didn’t work. They kind of fell into the dish. Cabernet Sauvignon. Mountain Fruit. It was good, but didn’t quite knock it out of the park. And then I said, you know what? There are some herb notes and there’s that kind of licorice that’s coming through from the fennel and that crunch and snap. Hold on. And I ran to the cellar and pulled out Skip Stones Fault Line, a Cab Franc coming from Sonoma Mountain. It was perfect. It was absolutely perfect. It had enough fruit and enough body and the fruits were more mulberry, boysenberry and just fresh blackberry that were kind of ripened fruits and little slivers of bittersweet chocolate and crema. And it absolutely worked because there were structure and tannin and acidity and it cut through the richness of the gratin, it cut through the richness of the fish, and it cut through the richness of the sauce. And it was glorious.
Natalie MacLean (28:48):
Oh my goodness. What an interesting pairing it was.
Tonya Pitts (28:51):
Very unusual, because you would never expect to pair red wine, particularly with monk fish even though monk fish is meaty but it’s also the poor man’s lobster, as we call it. Because it’s got that sweetness as well. But it was absolutely perfect. And that’s the weird one.
Natalie MacLean (29:13):
That’s inspired. That’s great. Good that you knew what to pull. Do you have a favourite wine book? I’m sure you’ve read so many, but does one stand out?
Tonya Pitts (29:23):
The one that I keep coming back to more and more and as a reference and from early on was Karen McNeil’s The Wine Bible.
Natalie MacLean (29:33):
The Wine Bible. A classic. Yes.
Tonya Pitts (29:34):
And I’m super excited to dive into this new addition because it’s expanded and it talks about regions that I’m really excited about Israel, Greece, all of these regions that have come into the fold of being grape growing regions that have been there for millennia, right? But we don’t know a lot about them, and the wines are just spectacular.
Natalie MacLean
Yes.
Tonya Pitts
I love Israeli wine. I do. Wonderful.
Natalie MacLean (30:13):
Oh my goodness.
Tonya Pitts (30:13):
And wines from Lebanon as well. Well, they all tell a story. All wine tells a story, but there are those that are just evocative, ancient. Those are that.
Natalie MacLean (30:27):
That gives me shivers, just the way you describe it.
Tonya Pitts (30:31):
Yeah.
Natalie MacLean (30:32):
Well, Tonya, this has been amazing. I loved our conversation. Is there anything we didn’t touch on that you’d like to mention before we wrap up?
Tonya Pitts (30:40):
We were talking about favorite tools.
Natalie MacLean (30:42):
Oh, yes, please. Okay.
Tonya Pitts
Coravin.
Natalie MacLean
Yes, Coravin. To preserve open wine or to actually extract wine from a corked bottle.
Tonya Pitts (30:52):
And it’s just pretty amazing that this little gadget holds a small canister of argon. And when you put it on top of, which is how I got extracted the wine out this morning to put in my glass, and it’s ever so.
Natalie MacLean (31:11):
That’s great. A good demo here.
Tonya Pitts (31:14):
And I tell people, if you ever want to taste something from your cellar but you don’t want to open the whole bottle, this is fantastic. During the pandemic, my mom likes wine, but she’s very particular. Okay. It’s my fault early on. She loves white Burgundy. And so I tend not to open those all the time, and I save them so that we can have them together. But if I wanted a little bit, I could use this. Or if I wanted to pull something older out of the cellar and because it was just me, particularly with the reds, I knew she wasn’t going to have any I would use this and I would just taste wine and have a little bit and put it aside for a couple of months and then come back to it because I was savouring. The wine.
Natalie MacLean
Lovely.
Tonya Pitts
So if you don’t want to open a bottle, that is the gadget for you. But you would like to taste the wines.
Natalie MacLean (32:18):
Absolutely.
Tonya Pitts (32:19):
But also if you want to see how your cellar’s doing, right. What you have in your cellar.
Natalie MacLean (32:23):
That’s true. This maybe a wine is not ready for drinking, and you haven’t gone all in and pulled the cork you’ve just tested and you know that needs to wait a bit longer. Yeah. Terrific.
Tonya Pitts (32:34):
Or you need to go ahead and drink it. And I tell people wine waits for no wine. Open your wine and drink it.
Natalie MacLean (32:40):
Exactly. That’s more usually the case, isn’t it? Oh my goodness. Oh, Tonya, this is wonderful. Where can we find you online?
Tonya Pitts (32:49):
I am on Facebook, Tonya Pitts. And I am on Twitter as Tonya Pitts Noir Sommelier. And also on Instagram as Noir Sommelier. When you put it in, it’ll come up as Dame Tonya Pitts, because that is what I go by.
Natalie MacLean (33:13):
Awesome. That’s great. Well, we will link to all of those, all of your socials in the show notes so that people can find you. Of course, people should visit you at One Market restaurant in San Francisco. It’ll be quite an experience.
Tonya Pitts
Absolutely.
Natalie MacLean
Yes, and congratulations on your recent win. Being named Sommelier of the Year by Wine Enthusiast Magazine is quite the honuor. So congratulations. Well deserved.
Tonya Pitts (33:36):
Pretty surreal.
Natalie MacLean (33:37):
I’ll bet. But so deserved. You’ve had such an illustrious career. So I raised my glass to you, Tonya. Cheers. And I hope we can chat again sometime.
Tonya Pitts (33:48):
Thank you. I appreciate you, Natalie.
Natalie MacLean (33:50):
Oh, thank you. All right. Bye for now. Cheers.
Tonya Pitts (33:54):
Bye for now. Cheers.
Natalie MacLean (34:01):
Well, there you have it. I hope you enjoyed my chat with Tonya. Here are my takeaways. Number one, I have so much respect for Tonya’s leadership in the wine industry on so many dimensions. From diversity to mentorship, she really walks her talk. Two, it’s surprising that women still comprise only 20% of winemakers in the industry. Tonya has some great suggestions on how the wine world needs to continue its efforts for inclusion. And three, I can’t wait to try Tonya’s suggested pairings for Vermentino and my mouth is already watering thinking of this zesty Italian white wine.
In the show notes, you’ll find a full transcript of my conversation with Tonya, links to her website and restaurant, and the video versions of these conversations on Facebook and YouTube live, and also where you can pre-order my memoir online no matter where you live. That’s all in the show notes at NatalieMacLean.com/227. Email me if you have a tip, sip, or question at [email protected].
If you missed episode 85, go back and take a listen. I chat about tasting Pinot Noir with Sideways author, Rex Pickett. I’ll share a short clip with you now to whet your appetite.
Rex Pickett (35:22):
To want to like wine and want to understand it on an educational level, or even be erudite about it. I don’t find that to be snobbery. I think that’s just like being passionate about anything. And wanting to make as much as you can. And the wonderful thing about wine is it’s a bottomless ocean of mystery.
Natalie MacLean
That’s a great way to put it.
Rex Pickett
Sommeliers can’t even master it. And then every year is different, Natalie, and you can’t master it. And I love that fact about it.
Natalie MacLean (35:53):
If you like this episode, please email or tell one friend about it this week, especially someone who’d be interested in the wines tips and stories we shared you won’t want to miss next week when I chat with Dr. Clinton Lee, author of Master the Art of Manners, which includes a lot of wine manners in it, and a wine social media influencer with over 2 million followers.
Thank you for taking the time to join me here. I hope something great is in your glass this week. Perhaps a vibrant Vermentino.
You don’t want to miss. One juicy episode of this podcast, especially the secret full-bodied bonus episodes that I don’t announce on social media. So subscribe for free now at natalie mclean.com/subscribe. Meet me here next week. Cheers.
