intricate decisions each winemaker comes up against in order to give us their incredible offerings. I wanted to know everything I could about wine. I started taking courses, trying new wines, experimenting with food pairings. I was a woman on a mission.
I am fortunate to work in a place with an abundance of wine knowledge. From the owner to the general manager to the educators and the store staff, each person brings their own expertise, and a willingness to share their knowledge with others. That spirit drove me to pursue my own accreditation.
EDUCATING SARALYN Although I was passionate about achieving my Sommelier diploma, it came with certain challenges. I struggled to develop my palate and trust my instincts. I would sit in tastings and hear people talk about how they were picking up blackberries, dark cherry, rose, tar, or forest floor and cigar box. Silently, I would sit there thinking, Really? All I can smell is wine!
What I discovered in time was that serious assessment of wine takes practice and the ability to understand
your own perceptions. The whole class could be smelling lilacs, while I would be thinking, Smells like the beach near my parents’ cabin. When I realized that the shoreline there is covered in lilac bushes, it all started to make sense. Only through practise do you get to know your palate and start to relate it to your experiences.
To anyone interested in knowing more about wine, I say, take that first step on your journey by learning more, and continue for as long as you find it interesting. Even for those who have achieved an accreditation, there is no end to what can be learned. Things change quickly in the wine world. There are always new processes for wine production, new vintages to be experienced, emerging wine regions bringing us grape varieties we have never known, and endless changes in wine laws and regulations. Most importantly, there are thousands of new wines that your ever-maturing palate can grow to understand.
For me the best experience I can have as a Sommelier is to bring someone to a wine, regardless of its varietal, vintage, region of production or price point, that becomes their very own Yarra Yering Dry Red # 1. �
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