O
n a dreary December afternoon, Tallahassee lobbyist Augustine “Gus” Corbella sits at a marbletopped table at Hummingbird Wine Bar, contemplating and commenting on the Domaine Blain Brouilly in his crystal wine glass. His mood is undampened by the mizzling rain as he holds forth on the backstory of what he and his companions are about to imbibe. “This is from Beaujolais,” he informs them. “The gamay grape is mostly grown in the Beaujolais region of France, although it is being grown in other places around the world.” Between sips he shares that gamay grapes create a wine similar to the more well-known pinot noir, that is “light and fruity … in more of a tart way.” Corbella knows whereof he speaks. Instead of bingeing Netflix or eating comfort food during the long months of COVID lockdown, he decided to take his love for wine in a more professional direction. In 2020, the senior director of Greenberg Traurig’s Government Law & Policy Practice completed courses
from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust and is now a Level 2 Certified Sommelier with Distinction — the group’s version of magna cum laude. “We had a beautiful spring. The weather was gorgeous, sunny and cool,” he recalled. “I would start going on these really long walks and kind of just clearing my mind and thinking about life and the world in general. I didn’t want to [go through] this time and not have something tangible or positive to look back on.” COVID eliminated in-person classes, so Corbella said he was able to complete his certification with online lectures, home study and “all kinds of tastings — every varietal that you can imagine. It was a great way to spend the time. How are you going to complain? You’re in quarantine, drinking good wine.” There are two different courses for aspiring sommeliers, one geared more toward teaching those in the hospitality industry how to serve and sell wine and the other, which Corbella took, which focuses more on the academic aspects of grapes,
Winter 2021
INFLUENCE
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