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By Rob Stansel
So what happened? Why, in 2013, are we still twisting a metallic helix into a bullet of tree bark, hoping the whole thing doesn’ t backfire onto our tablecloths and footwear?
Sommeliers, I must tell you, are gadget-loving folk. As a sommelier-in-training, I’ m a bit amused by it, even struck by self-doubt: shouldn’ t I be more excited to wield a Champagne sabre, fascinated by the physics of decanting funnels? Maybe. But that night, what struck me most was the contrast: our hip, unfortunate server was struggling with a tool derived from a 17th-century musket-cleaning device, his guest was uploading a photo of the aftermath to Instagram, and I was re-thinking my wine selection. Something with a screw-cap, maybe.
In the spring of 2011, whilst UrbanSpoon-ing my way through Manhattan in a quest for the holy grail of wine and food pairings, I came upon a quaint tapas joint with a Robert-Parker-would-approve 90 per cent-plus rating. Check the comments. With a few flicks of my thumb, phrases like“ delicious,”“ modern,” and“ OMG BEST TAPAS EVER!!!” whizzed across my display. Worth a go. I looked up. I’ d walked right by it.
Spoiler alert: I didn’ t find the grail there. Apologies to all you foodies and wine nerds whose hopes I’ d buttressed. You’ d already skipped ahead anyway, hadn’ t you? You’ d opened a new tab and Googled“ BEST TAPAS EVER MANHATTAN,” hadn’ t you?
I’ d taken my seat and perused the wine list: Charcoal Helvetica on a 5 " x 12 " white placard. Very clean, very NYC. Many unfamiliar faces. How to choose? Open the browser again. A Wine Spectator Top 100? Todd Antonation would approve. Worth a go.
To my left, a Sommelier sporting a deep-V and Chucks strolled up to his guests’ table with a bottle in hand. I strained to see what the locals were drinking. Couldn’ t quite read the label. I watched intently.
The blade must have been a bit dull. There was a struggle with the capsule, his hand trembling, sawing awkwardly at the foil. Finally, it was off. Bits of aluminum on the table. Evidence of the battle. A stubborn old vintage, perhaps.
Then, something I’ d never witnessed before, and have not seen since: with lever latched to lip, the bottle’ s neck split along a barely visible seam and collapsed into a crimson tide of spoiled tablecloth and chunky shards of glass. The“ corkscrew fail” writ large in the Big Apple. I looked down at my left shoe. A single splatter. Not something to tip-down over.
The technology at our tables, it seems, isn’ t so much changing as expanding. Corkscrews won’ t be laid to rest anytime soon. Candles will be lit. Decanters will be filled. Glass will break, occasionally. But tablets and apps and Tweets are modifying our dining habits. We shop with CornerVine now. We post“ pics” of our meals on Facebook. We might even go to Hy’ s Steak Loft and make our wine selection on an iPad. And we’ ll keep opening our most beloved bottles, whether by wing or worm or shoe.
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A Sommelier’ s Favourite Gadgets
iPad Wine List – As seen at Hy’ s Steak House, this is the ultimate in high-tech table-side service. Sort by grape, price, region, or category, with the added benefit to the Sommelier of real-time inventory, so you never show a wine that is out of stock.
Wine Aerator – There are aerators in all shapes and sizes now, ranging from $ 10 –$ 50. All are there to take time and effort out of decanting, so you can enjoy your wine faster. Isn’ t this what the technological age is about?
CornerVine – Just what you need to keep track of all the great wines you purchase at Banville & Jones! Rate, comment, and share your wines with your friends, all at http:// banvilleandjones. cornervine. com
Cellartracker. com – This site is definitely the most useful cellar tracking site we have come across. Look online at user reviews and community tasting notes, all while keeping track of the wines in your cellar.
28 http:// banvilleandjones. cornervine. com