Bryce Wiatrak
- Co-Founder and CEO, Flights: A Wine Collective
San Francisco
Staff Writer at @GuildSomm
Articles by Bryce Wiatrak
‘Italy in a Wineglass’ Review: Pouring Out History
The vineyards of Italy’s Cinque Terre are so strenuous and costly to work that their 4,000-year-old history of winegrowing flirts with its end. In a late chapter of his book “Italy in a Wineglass,” Marc Millon treks the dramatic, precipitous slopes of this seaside area and encounters an elderly harvester. “In twenty years, all these vineyards will be gone, turned back to scrubland and woods,” she predicts. Mr. Millon does not take her warning for granted.
Wine Pairings: Music & Food
In this episode, we discuss wine pairings on multiple dimensions. First, Bryce Wiatrak interviews Master of Wine Susan R Lin MW about her career as a classical pianist and how her first passion inspired the topic of her MW Research Paper: pairing Champagne with classical music. Then, Bryce and Christopher Tanghe dive into a friendly debate to settle the question of whether wine and food pairings are all they’re cracked up to be.
MW Question of the Week 6/11/21 - Acquisitions!
Hi Everyone! No takers for last week's Paper 2 question on fortified winemaking. Feel free to get that conversation going HERE! Acquisitions have been a major topic in the wine for the last several years. I feel like many in the wine world shed a silent tear with many of these winery sales - but perhaps that isn't fair.
MW Question of the Week 6/4/21 - Fortified Winemaking!
Hello Friends! Thank you to Sabrina Lueck, Alessandra Esteves, and Samantha Wall for sharing their knowledge on sparkling wine production! Feel free to keep that conversation alive HERE. This week, let's stick with our discussion of wines of process, but go a different route. This Paper 2 question is from 2011: Drawing on examples from around the world, demonstrate how a fortified wine’s style is influenced by its production methods.
MW Study Topic of the Week 5/21/21 - Sparkling Wine!
Hi Everyone! Happy Friday, and thank you to Ivonne Nill for joining our last MW Paper 5 study question on reasons for optimism in the wine industry. It's not too late to chime in on that conversation HERE! This week, let's tackle a Paper 2 question from 2014: What are the critical factors (following primary fermentation and possible malolactic conversion) affecting quality in bottle-fermented sparkling wine? Let's each go around and name one factor affecting quality, matched by one example.
MW Question of the Week 5/7/21 - Optimism!
Hi Everyone, Thank you Kristina Sazama and Alessandra Esteves for your insights into fining agents! It's not too late to join that conversation HERE. This past year has been challenging for so many in the wine industry, and of course the whole world. Let's give ourselves a little pick-me-up and tackle this 2017 Paper 5 question: What are the causes for optimism in the wine world today?
MW Question of the Week is Back! 4/30/21
Hi Everyone, The (delayed) 2021 Master of Wine exam is only four months away! As such, I'm reviving this weekly forum for all of my fellow students out there, as well as anyone else considering the program or simply interested in following along. Each Friday, I'll pose a topic and/or past exam question that we can take turns dissecting piece by piece.
Musigny: Chambolle’s Elusive Grand Cru
“Imagine Musigny like a big lake. It’s a large, luminous, and deep lake. A lake that includes Amoureuses, by the way, that includes also most of the premiers crus, but that doesn’t include Bonnes Mares. Bonnes Mares is at the edge of the lake, and Bonnes Mares is like a mountain above the lake. Bonnes Mares is beginning that range of mountain that goes to the Chambertin, and there you have the forest.
Sangiovese on Edge: Tumult & Triumph in Chianti Classico & Montalcino
Chianti Classico is the first wine I truly loved. In the summer before my junior year of college, I spent two months studying opera in Arezzo, just east of the appellation’s edge. On that trip, I visited my very first winery, San Felice, where my singer friends and I were greeted with a full wheel of Pecorino. I can probably tell you more about the cheese than the wine, but the experience stuck.
Pet-nat, the wine world’s trendiest sparkling wine
Walk into any natural wine bar these days and there’s one bottle you’ll almost undoubtedly encounter in the sparkling wine section: pet-nat. Short for pétillant naturel, pet-nat is fizzy, easy drinking and has taken the wine world by storm in the past handful of years. But despite its present voguish moment, pet-nat’s history stretches back centuries earlier than its most recent renaissance.
Congratulations to 7 new Master Sommeliers!
Seven Master Sommeliers were named after the exam in St. Louis this week! Congratulations to this great group of professionals. As always, we recognize the hard work of all who took the exam. It's a tremendous accomplishment to participate in exams at this level.
Revisiting the Bourbon Boom
At the time of his 2004 book Bourbon, Straight, Charles Cowdery noted that the consumption of bourbon had fallen every single year since 1978. While bourbon and whiskey became America’s preeminent libation in the pre-Prohibition and post-WWII eras, they slowly lost favor to white spirits before nosediving in the 1970s. Cowdery subsequently questioned when the “elusive Bourbon Renaissance” long murmured to be on the horizon would arrive. He asks, “Is it finally here?
Interview: The Major Role of Minor Grapes
In a recent conversation with my colleague Geoff Kruth, Eric Baugher of Ridge confessed, “Carignan is my favorite of the blending grapes. It’s just fantastic. High acid, elegant tannins, lots of bramble fruit, even some plum—gorgeous flavors. It really has a lot of Zinfandel-like qualities, so the two of them together reinforce the effect on the palate.” They had been speaking of the “mixed blacks” field blends of California, a historic style of wine that Ridge continues to honor.
Cartizze: Prosecco’s Peculiar Grand Cru
“Congratulations, you’ve been upgraded,” were the last words I wanted to hear when I walked up to the Economy Rent-A-Car kiosk at Venice’s Marco Polo Airport. I’d intentionally reserved a sedan, knowing a car any larger would trigger my sweat-inducing acrophobia as I attempted to scale the hills of Valdobbiadene, whose roads are already two sizes too small. But if I wanted an automatic transmission, the upgrade was non-negotiable. So off me and my hatchback went.
The white wines of Cabernet country
Cabernet Sauvignon, the quintessential red grape, is nearly synonymous with Napa Valley wine. It dominates the tasting room shelves and the Michelin-star wine lists. It has a cult following. Those less red wine inclined might wonder if there’s reason to venture into a region seemly so fixated on one varietal. Fact is, the Napa Valley makes room in its vineyards and its tanks for almost every grape variety, whites included.
6 of the Best Wineries in Washington State
Trailing only California, Washington is the USA’s second-biggest wine-producing state—and these half-dozen Washington wineries offer some of the finest pours around. Washington’s history of grape growing dates back to 1825, when the Hudson’s Bay Company planted vines at Fort Vancouver (now a National Historic Site, set across the river from Portland in vineyard-heavy Oregon).
6 of the Best Wineries in Paso Robles, California
While people often synonymize Napa and Sonoma with California wine, some of the most exciting wines in the Golden State are today coming out of California’s Central Coast. A key region for wine production on the stretch of land between San Francisco and Los Angeles known as the Central Coast is Paso Robles, with 200-plus wineries draped across more than 650,000 acres and centered around the city that shares its name.
21 wineries to visit on your 21st birthday
You’ve been waiting for 21 years for this — to wave your (actual) driver’s license and have your drink of choice delivered, no questions asked. But instead of merely flashing your ID at your local liquor store, why not head to Wine Country to do your birthday bash up right?
Ridge: Historic Name in Wine with Easygoing Old Vine Zin
Ridge has two tasting rooms: One in Sonoma County and one in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Here are reviews for each. Ridge — Lytton Springs: Ridge made its name in Cupertino, where the recently retired Paul Draper has been crafting one of California’s greatest Cabernet-based wines — full stop — from his Monte Bello Vineyard since 1962. The Lytton Springs property was built in Healdsburg in 2003 and produces about half of Ridge’s 80,000-case volume.
Your Expert Guide on How to Taste Wine Like a Pro
Walk into any tasting room in Napa and Sonoma, and you’ll likely hear a staff member say something along the lines of, “The only thing that matters is if you like the wine” or “There are no wrong tasting notes. You know your own palate.” Of course, there’s an element of truth to these statements — you should never feel pressured to buy a bottle of wine that you hate just because somebody else tells you it’s good. But, such sentiments aren’t particularly helpful either when you go to taste wine.
6 of the Best Wineries in Oregon’s Willamette Valley
The late winemaker David Lett is credited with first putting Oregon wine on the viticultural map, when he planted pinot noir in the Willamette Valley back in ’65 (establishing the still up-and-running Eyrie Vineyards). Today, the Willamette—stretching from Portland to Eugene—is home to over 550 wineries and harvests nearly 16,000 acres of pinot noir, which accounts for roughly two-thirds of the region’s total production.
Visiting Alsace & the Mosel: Ask me anything!
Hi folks! For most of you who don't know me, my name is Zach Geballe, and I'm a sommelier, wine writer, podcast host, and wine educator in Seattle...well, usually. At the moment I'm in Strasbourg, a few days into a month-long European trip that includes Alsace, the Mosel Valley, and then participating in the Banfi/SommFoundation enrichment trip to Italy.
10 Holiday Gifts for the Wine Lover in Your Life
Wine brings cheer all holiday season long. It also makes for a foolproof present, especially for the wine-lover in your life. Here are 10 ideas sourced from around the world—including an unusual Spanish decanter and a wallet-friendly Champagne—to get you through the gift-giving months without a hitch. Alvaro Palacios Camins del Priorat 2016 As your holiday social calendar fills up, you’ll need a host or hostess gift that won’t break the bank.
Cartograph: Healdsburg Plaza's Best Spot for Pinot and Riesling
Both deviating from their career trajectories, Alan Baker and Serena Lourie met while working at Crushpad — a custom crush facility in San Francisco — during their early days in the wine industry. Their meetup was serendipitous, both taking zigzagged path to the wine world, and both with a similar palate for Pinot Noir. With their dreams aligned, they founded Cartograph, whose label maps the winding road they took to Healdsburg.
Niagara 101: Canada's Cool Climate Wine Country
With the bright casino lights and crashing cascades of the Niagara Falls to the east, and the Toronto skyline just across the waters of Lake Ontario, it’s hard to imagine how Canada has cultivated such a pristine and bucolic wine country between the two cities. The Niagara Peninsula is Canada’s largest and most important winegrowing region, as well as one of the most dynamic young appellations in the New World.
Anderson Valley 101: The Northern Border of California Pinot
Just east of the “briny,” they make “bahl Frati” in “Boont.” Meet Boontling, the whimsical secret language of the tiny town of Boonville, California. The local jargon, a combination of words deriving from Native American languages, English, Gaelic, Irish, and Spanish among others, blossomed out of this remote frontier community in the 1890s. The sentence you’ve just read in partial Boontling is true, too. “Just east of the coast, they make good wine in Boonville,” and in several cases, great wine.
Tank Garage: Ever-Changing Wines in a Retro Gas Station
At Tank Garage, you may as well feel as if you’ve stepped into some coastal trucker road stop from 1955. But, it’s a Napa Valley tasting room. The now winery off Highway 128 functioned as an operational gas station from the 1930s until the 1980s. Now, antique pinball machines and surfer paraphernalia line the walls, in lieu of the typical Italianate or breezy Restoration Hardware-like detailings.
10 Essential Facts on Grenache
Grenache (pronounced GRAH-NAHSH) is one of the most internationally successful grape varieties, but it’s also one of the most misunderstood. Sometimes voluptuous and juicy, and other times ethereal and remarkably pure – it’s difficult to pin down exactly how a typical Grenache is supposed to taste.
Morning Dew Vineyard Pinot Noir
Bright cran-cherry nose, with an underlying touch of wood smoke and wet earth. Orange peel and spices too. Light to medium bodied coupled with a juicy mid. Finish is long and the light berry fruit continues to repeat. Acid is present but very cohesive with the other components. This is the real shit. Can't wait to try more. Still young and primary outside of the super expensive nose. Better to hold, but I couldn't wait, and it was great in its infancy.
Les Pinots Noir & Gris
Can only be described as incredibly unique and diverse. 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Pinot Gris. Aromatic, but not exquisitely so, merely hints of floral and spice. Initially white fruits grab you on the palate - grapefruit & white peach. Then it takes an unorthodox turn and heads toward rhubarbs and sea brine on the mid palate and lengthy finish. Could venture drinking this with all sorts of dishes. To add to its uniqueness, it is merely 11%. Can only be described as incredibly unique and diverse.
Featured User: Bryce Wiatrak
This week we are thrilled to introduce Delectable’s new Content and Community Manager Bryce Wiatrak as our Featured User. Born in Milwaukee and raised in Tennessee, Bryce fell into the wine industry through a chance internship, before being awarded the Young Wine Writer Fellowship from Vinous in 2015. He cut his teeth at a wide array of wine publications before coming to Delectable.
Marlborough 101: New Zealand’s Sauvignon Blanc Sanctuary
Nearing the most southern boundaries of the winegrowing world, New Zealand has created a sanctuary for Sauvignon Blanc in its most famous winegrowing region: Marlborough. Situated on the northeastern edge of New Zealand’s South Island, Marlborough is the country’s largest and most important appellation – so much so that it harvests more grapes than the rest of New Zealand combined, nearly twofold.
Santorini 101: The Islands of Assyrtiko
A famous Greek proverb reads, “Slowly, slowly the sour grape becomes honey.” The expression is a lesson in patience, and it might as well be a metaphor for Santorini. With a history of viticulture that stretches back millennia, Santorini’s path to becoming one of Greece’s most pedigreed winegrowing islands has been a long one. With its white cubic homes with domed azure roofs descending into the crystalline Aegean waters, Santorini offers a postcard-perfect locale for island-hopping tourists.
Montefalco 101: Inside Umbria’s Red Powerhouse
Montefalco 101: Inside Umbria’s Red Powerhouse Right in the center of Italy’s map, somewhere mid-calf, I suppose, stands the town of Montefalco. Its history is rooted in ancient times, continuously occupied by the Romans, the Lombards, the Holy Roman Empire, and eventually the 5,700 residents who call it home today.
Inside Nashville’s Craft Distillery Movement
In one of Nashville’s more industrial corners, a neighborhood just a few blocks south of the State Capitol, two distilleries – Corsair and Nelson’s Green Brier – make whiskey in what was formerly the Marathon automobile factory. Their products can be found on liquor store shelves across the United States, but a mere decade ago their existence, or the existence of any other craft distillery in Tennessee, seemed a pipe dream.
Bandol 101: The Jewel of Provence
If Provence enjoys its status as a gold standard for bone-dry rosés, then Bandol would be the jewel in its crown. While Provençal rosé production stretches from Arles to Nice, Bandol occupies a measly 1,500 hectares of vineyard space blanketed around the seaside town of the same name. Bandol rosés are some of the world's longest lived, and often command a higher price than the average pink bottle.
Roussillon 101: The Dry Wines
Wine textbooks often group the Languedoc and Roussillon regions together, the two comprising the vast final stretch of France along the Mediterranean before reaching Catalonia across the Spanish border. When considered as one, the Languedoc-Roussillon is the world’s largest wine region in terms of land dedicated to vineyards. Within that viticultural expanse arise a diverse tapestry of wines – including some of France’s best values.
Catalonia Wine 101: Cava, Priorat and Beyond
During my first trip to Barcelona, I walked past La Monumental, the Mudéjar-style arena with four massive egg-like ornaments adorning the rooftop. For nearly a century, La Monumental operated as a bullfighting ring, and in 2011, Catalonia’s last bullfight was held within these walls before a region-wide ban came into effect.
Which Airline Has the Best Wine in the Sky?
Not all airline wine offerings are created equal. We ranked six domestic carriers’ lists, from worst to best. Plastic cups? Overly warm reds? Stain-inducing turbulence? Drinking wine on an airplane can be a tumultuous experience—especially when what’s in the bottle is no good. But don’t fret. If you need to sip chardonnay to get through a flight, several airlines have amped-up their wine programs to bring better selections when in the air.
Community of small growers emerges on Cupertino’s Montebello Road
It is “the most hallowed ground in California,” according to Ian Brand of I. Brand & Family Wines. Its terroir “is some of the most outstanding” in the state, in the words of Duncan Arnot Meyers of Arnot-Roberts. Brand and Meyers are talking about vineyards on Montebello Road in Cupertino, where both winemakers buy Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.
Six Places to Sip Wine and Dine in Canada's Niagara Peninsula
You may recognize Niagara for the falls, slot machines and honeymoon hotels, but Canada’s Niagara Peninsula also houses one of North America’s most dynamic and charming wine countries. From sparkling to icewine, Chardonnay to Cabernet Franc, here are six places to sip. The Niagara-on-the-Lake appellation is cooler than is ideal for Bordeaux varieties. But LEED-certified Stratus Vineyards makes some of the best, especially Cabernet Franc.
Talty Vineyards & Winery: A Passion Project Becomes a Reality - The Press
I like to ask proprietors and winemakers what they were doing before entering the wine industry. I’m used to hearing people say banking or law, but Michael Talty responded with one of the more peculiar answers I’ve ever heard — he ran his family’s court-reporting firm prior to purchasing his vineyard. Still, his aspiration of owning his own estate goes back a generation, an ambition he shared with his father William.
California’s Vintage Wine Estates Buys Historic Washington Winery Tamarack Cellars | News | News & Features | Wine Spectator
The Sonoma-based wine company was looking for a Walla Walla brand with history and quality California wineries continue to look northward for expansion, this time to Washington state. Sonoma-based wine group Vintage Wine Estates has acquired the historic Walla Walla winery Tamarack Cellars for an undisclosed amount. The sale closed Jan. 16. The deal includes Tamarack Cellars’ production facilities, tasting room and inventory.
Far Niente Winery: An Intimate Experience — The Press
I have always been drawn to Far Niente — it looks like a fairy cottage on a hill with its greenish oxidized copper accents, lushly planted window boxes and surrounding azalea gardens. The building was constructed in 1885 by Hamden McIntyre, the architect who built the Christian Brothers Winery, now home to the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone. Far Niente’s founder, John Benson, a ship captain from Boston, first came to California for the Gold Rush.
Picchetti Winery: One of California's Oldest Wineries—The Press
I was greeted by a peacock when I pulled into Picchetti Winery. Apparently the birds live wild in the forest here, though they were initially brought to the area by the Picchetti family in the 1890s. This seemed like a fitting start to my visit to a winery that subsequently defied any expectations I may have had going in. With over a century of history, Picchetti remains one of the longest operating wineries in California.
Rexford Winery: Taste Wines from an Astrophysicist
“Come quickly! I’m tasting the stars!” the Champenois monk Dom Pérignon is famously said to have exclaimed. Actually, he didn’t say those words — it was a marketing campaign by Moët & Chandon to promote their iconic Champagne. Still, I really hope Joe Miller, professor emeritus of astronomy and astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz, has uttered those words at some point after tasting his wines in his winery, Rexford.
Ridge Vineyards, Monte Bello: One of California’s most prized wineries
Atop the Ridge Monte Bello Vineyard, in one of its oldest parcels, I turned left and saw my home of San Francisco. I looked right and saw San Jose’s cityscape, and then stared straight ahead to see the Cupertino’s new, ring-shaped Apple headquarters. I could only imagine how different this vista must have been in 1949, when these head-trained Cabernet Sauvignon vines were planted — a century after the gold rush, and two decades before Don Hoefler would coin the term Silicon Valley.
Wine Review of Stockwell Cellars: The Central Perk of Wine
If the Central Perk cafe from “Friends” were an urban winery, I imagine it would look something like Stockwell Cellars in Santa Cruz. The space is eclectic, a little kitschy, but endearing and welcoming — somewhere I’d envision Phoebe might end up performing “Smelly Cat.” A series of quirky oil paintings filled the walls at the time of my visit, and sometimes artists will use the space as a working studio, in full view of the guests.
This Little Region Is the Easiest Wine Country Weekend Getaway
A mere hour from San Francisco, Carneros straddles Napa and Sonoma and is home to some of wine country’s best tasting rooms, restaurants, and stays. Heading north from San Francisco to wine country, some of the earliest signs of vines come from one of California’s most charming wine-growing regions: Carneros.
5 Essential French Wine and Cheese Pairings, Explained
Despite my wine background and despite how much of my paycheck I set aside to fulfill my cheese cravings, I still have yet to master the art of wine and cheese pairings. I decided to broaden my cheese-ducation and called upon James Ayers, master fromager at gourmet shop Atelier Fine Foods, to help me navigate the dizzying world of French cheeses. The storefront is a gourmand’s paradise in the heart of Yountville, one of Napa’s northern towns.
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