//GUZZLE
verify the vino: Taste the Olive offers wine classes in enlivening, educational format
K
ymberlei and scott dinapoli
opened Taste the Olive at The Forum a little over a year ago. Their specialty shop welcomed a healthy gourmand’s dream: to taste the world through finely pressed artisanal olive oils, one sip (or dip of bread) at a time. With a sampling bar expanding surprising infusions of blood orange, bold butter, basil and chipotle, from France to Italy to Greece, the humble shop started garnering a following for their olive oils and vinegars. It only made sense for the DiNapolis to expand. “We felt [it] was necessary to offer all of the services and products, from artisan cheese to wine,” Kymberlei says. “I wanted our community [to have] a unique place where you could learn and have an experience not just [shop at] another store.” Now offering hard-to-find cheeses, decadent olives, local marinades and cookbooks, along with fine wines, Taste the Olive launched wine classes in August. They hope to expand knowledge and excitement with gastronomes across the community. “I myself moved from a major metropolitan area, and there was a class for anything you could possibly want to learn about,” Kymberlei shares. “Being a foodie and oenophile, I feel sharing the knowledge of wine is something many people can appreciate and are eager to experience.” Most importantly, she wants to bridge the “business” gap between retail owner and customer. Thus, she’s not as concerned with turning a profit on her inventory as much as making the wine classes a communal, engagging event. “Many times classes are offered by salesdriven [wine] representatives who host the classes,” she says. “At Taste the Olive, our primary focus is a real education by a certified instructor, which is beneficial to each [person] who attends.” The instructor Kymberlei chose is Brian Vector, an associate vice chancellor for student affairs at UNCW. Vector received his Wine Captain’s license after taking a class offered by the Sommelier Wine and Food Society in Washington, D.C. “I decided the best way to learn was from the folks who were training the sommeliers,” he says of his hobby. When Vector met Kymberlei at Taste the Olive one evening while shopping, they immediately hit it off. They learned how each shared a passion for creating new recipes, and cooking for friends and family. “I grew up knowing where all of our food came from,” Kymberlei, who was born in the Appalachian mountains, says. “We grew our own vegetables and had fruit
by Shea Carver , 6:30 p.m. Wine 101 • 10/6 ating! $30 • Limited se Taste the Olive Cutoff Rd. 1125-D Military live.com www.tastetheo trees; there was a local butcher and dairy nearby where we purchased our food as well.” An instant friendship blossomed between them among endless conversations. “We were like aliens speaking to those around us,” Kymberlei says. “We are convinced we must have been related in a past life or something.” It wasn’t long before Vector, Kymberlei and her husband, Scott, were planning to turn Taste the Olive’s new space, still located in The Forum, beside what used to be Grand Union Pub, into a classroom. From teaching the basics of wine, to the regions from which they’re grown and their classification systems, all while refining palates, they desihned the courses with a penchant for making them relatable. “Brian has the best dinner parties,” Kymberlei gushes one evening at the “Hey, French, you don’t scare me!” class. The course focused on nine varieties of wine from Bordeaux to Rhone Valley to Provence to Alsace and places in between. Vector graciously engaged the class not as mere lecturer and listener, but like a well-informed friend who depended on learning as much about each individual’s palate as to relate to their flavors of choice. iPad in hand, he showcased the regions much like a modern-day geography class, indicating a vine’s capacity to grow grapes up or down riverbanks, at altitudes closer or further away from the sun (closer to provides a richer flavored grape). With every swirl and taste, people gushed over their tongue’s messages. “Too sweet,” one lady mentioned of the Vouvray. “Too dry,” another said of the Alsace— ”but the first dry Riesling I’ve every tasted!” (Alsace wines, as I learned, are the most affordable dry whites out there for quality; plus, it’s the only wine in France that uses grapes similar to German wines—mainly because it’s right at the Germany border). “Perfect,” a gentleman noted of the Rhone.
40 encore | october 5-11, 2011 | www.encorepub.com
BRIAN VECTOR’S VINO OF CHOICE: Chateauneuf-du-Pape, a hearty red wine from the Rhone region of France, made from a blend of grapes, most predominantly Grenache. Courtesy photo.
Accompanying every taste was an array of cheese selected from Kymberlei, a certified cheese monger who worked under Max McCalman, dean of curriculum, maître fromager and director of affinage at the Artisanal Premium Cheese (APC) Center in New York City. It all added up to an enlivening evening—especially when coming across wines that at first tasted too strong, sweet or acidic but changed after a subtle addition from the right sliver of cheese. A pungent Roquefort paired with a very acidic Rhone equalled a perfect balance. Vector talked through the flavors, the history, the Appellations d’Origine Contrôlées (AOC) system and its various levels, to ensure the class a comfortable learning experience without being informationally overloaded. “I myself have taken several wine classes in the past, but I can say I have really learned a lot from Brian,” Kymberlei notes. “The French classification has always been a challenge for me in the past, but now I really get it, and it makes it much easier for me to choose wines for the store and myself.” Vector clarified his knowledge without intimidating students by the swirls, sniffs and sips inevitably prefacing each new flavor. He dug deep into the “hows” and “whys” of the wine without the pomposity many would assume from a wine lover. “Wine is meant to be something to be enjoyed with friends, especially over a meal,” he says. “The most important thing is that
it tastes good to you, and you enjoy sharing it. So just jump in—no matter where you start. Pay attention to your taste memories, and really savor the flavors and aromas.” Having explored many regions throughout the world to study winemaking—Provence, Rhone, La Rioja, Basque Country, Tuscany, Napa Valley and beyond—Vector brought not only a license to teach but first-hand experience and passion. Most importantly, he started the class by making one thing clear: French wine is meant to be enjoyed with food. “Each region has its own unique things to love,” he says of the multitude of vineyards. “My favorite, if I had to pick one, is the southern Rhone area and Provence. The dedication to great food and wine is so deeply ingrained in the people of that region. They have amazing local food and craft markets that rove from village to village, and the restaurants serve food ranging from simple to sublime. Seems like every product is artisinal, and they appreciate the fact that it isn’t mass produced. Plus, they make my all-time favorite wine there: Chateauneuf-du-Pape.” Kymberlei DiNapoli and Brian Vector plan on expanding the courses they currently offer into food and cheese pairings, pronunciations for food and wine (like an abridged version of the rules of French, Italian and Spanish language), how-to cheese-plate designs, Fondue- and mozzarella-making and more. Their wine classes have received great response thus far, from covering the basics in Wine 101 (another class is scheduled for October 6th) and 102, to specialty classes. “Let’s Take a ‘Cab’ to California” will take place October 27th, while sweet wines will be talked over in “Sweet and Sticky” on November 12th. Just in time for the New Year will be “Bubbles—Oh, How We Love Bubbles!” on December 12th. A flight of fancy— without a hefty plane ticket—can be enjoyed by traveling to Argentina and learning about the Malbecs, or zeroing in on Spain’s Tempranillos come March 2012. All classes are listed online under “events” at www.tastetheolive.com; reservations are required.