Acclaimed as the creator of the famous wine list at Windows on the World (which sold more wine than any restaurant in the United States), Kevin Zraly designed the training program for the most knowledgeable wine-service staff in America. He is a James Beard Award winner and has co-hosted the Food Newtork’s “Wine A to Z”.
Kevin also celebrated his 30th anniversary in 2006 as the founder and teacher of the immensely popular Windows on the World Wine School that has graduated over 18,000 students since its inception. He has been teaching wine for over 30 years, beginning at the age of 20, and has studied wine-making techniques in California and all the great wine regions of Europe.
Join us as we talk with Kevin about the role of a wine educator, and his many experiences in the world of wine.
For more info on Kevin Zraly: www.windowswineschool.com
Sponsor: 10th Annual Winemakers Cookoff: www.winemakerscookoff.com
Click Below to Play the Show:
(1:02:57 min 45MB)
This was another great program featuring one of the seminal figures in American wine appreciation. Zraly’s unique perspectives on food and wine pairings, the credibility of the 100 point scale, the myth of wine homogenization, and the growth in wine production across the United States (especially in unsung locations) offer much food for thought. Ted’s “challenge” for Zraly to pair wines with such kids’ staples as hot dogs and macaroni and cheese provided a light-hearted and funny twist in the discussion. Zraly’s egalitarian approach to wine education — including his online certification course — are encouraging for those who may not have the time or resources to participate in the more rarified wine programs. He is surely one of the great American wine educators, and this program allowed all of us to get to know him just a little bit better.
Kevin Zraly is a real gentleman and generous soul. I posted an inquiry on a wine forum asking if anyone knew of any public domain wine maps that I could duplicate and distribute to my students. Kevin popped up and gave me permission to use the maps in his WotWWC book. He clearly has a passion for and understands the need for wine education.
Thanks for having him on your show!
Just to update the website, I found out that Kevin now has a 60 second wine class podcast that just started on July 20, 2008. Looking forward to listening to them along with Graperadio.