25 Years of Wine with Kevin Zraly
Justifiably recognized for his creation of the famous wine list at Windows on the World restaurant, Kevin Zraly is also a wine author and wine educator. He recently celebrated his 33th anniversary as the founder and teacher of the immensely popular Windows on the World Wine School that has graduated over 19,000 students since its inception. Kevin has studied wine-making techniques in California and all the great wine regions of Europe and has been teaching wine for over 30 years.
Kevin’s benchmark book, Windows on the World Complete Wine Course, has been recently updated with a 2009 version that includes 16 pages of quizzes (two at the end of every chapter) to test readers on how much they’ve learned—just as if they were in his class. Kevin is also a James Beard Award winner, and has co-hosted the Food Network’s “Wine A to Z”.
Join us as we talk with Kevin about the latest revisions to his book, the role of a wine educator today, and his many experiences in the world of wine.
For more info on Kevin Zraly: www.windowswineschool.com
Buy the Book: Windows World Complete Wine Course – 25th Edition
Sponsor: Wine Beserker: www.wineberserkers.com
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(50:01min 36MB)
Hi
Great interview.Kevin Zraly is so right when he says that this is the best age we are living in for wine.Because of the good competition out there hopefully some of the top end wines prices will come down a bit.Lets enjoy the world of wine and food,we only live once.
Agree with Kevin on the $100 California Cabs. The best value in Cali Cab is Anderson’s Conn Valley Reserve at $50 ever year!
I am still a bit confused when people talk about $10 to $20 wines as being “surprisingly good.” If I spend $15 on a bottle that two people get two glasses each from, it better be good. Am I cheap? Maybe, but I like to think of it as practical.
I want to take what Kevin said a step further. I like to choose wines under $10 that taste like a $20 bottle. For example, and please feel free to tell me I’m nuts: To me, Crane Lake Merlot is one of the best, most consistent Merlot on the market. Yet most places sell it for 3 for $10. I have served this wine to many a snob and have had great results. These same people would never buy it because of it’s low price. So we have an interesting dynamic, people not buying $100 wines and not wanting to buy $5 wines. My goodness we are a fickled bunch.
I enjoyed the program and Kevin’s optimism and enthusiasm. The extensiveness of his experience and travel dwarfs mine, but to suggest that many producers don’t make wine to please influential wine critics seems disingenuous to me. I think it is common and have heard numerous winemakers say it, including on GrapeRadio. I did like what Kevin had to say, however, and I may buy his book.
Kevin’s book is a great book for the beginner to intermediate. It covers all the areas and does a great job recommending solid producers worldwide.
John let me ask you a question: Do you taste the wine properly? To quote Kevin from his book, “To many people, tasting a wine means taking a sip and swallowing immeditately. To me, this isn’t tasting wine.”
As a fellow wine educator I hammer home the importance of the tasting process. Your Crane Lake tastes the same or similar to Anderson’s Conn Valley if you swallow your wine and miss all the taste buds.
I actually listened to this interview TWICE, back to back, I enjoyed it so much! Very impressed with Kevin Zraly’s experience, knowledge, and passion!