Boston Wine School, Jonathon Alsop Interview

We recently sat down with Jonathon Alsop of the Boston Wine School to find out some more abut his school

BostonWineBuzz (BWB): Tell me a little about the recent expansion of the Boston Wine School.

Jonathon Alsop (JA): Well, I've been teaching wine classes in my own private cellar for about five years, maybe a little more. The wine cellar really only holds 12 people at the most, and as cool a space as it is, it's just too confining. We moved the whole operation at the beginning of May.

BWB: You're above ground now?

JA: Just barely! The new Boston Wine School is right on the street level on Comm. Ave. in Allston, directly next door to Brookline Liquor Mart. We're in that little storefront they own underneath the sign, the space with the big glass wall of windows.

BWB: The space is very interesting.

JA: It's a good, flexible space, and it maintains the emotional quality of the cellar. So far, we've done wine tasting parties and receptions for 45 people, wine dinners for 25, and classes are still about 15 to 20 people.

BWB: Can you make any generalizations about the people you get in your wine classes?

JA: Yes, they all love wine and they think they're novices even though they actually know a lot about wine.

BWB: What do you mean?

JA: People come into class all the time saying, "I don't know anything about wine," and after a few minutes of conversation, you find out they really have this very rich wine life. Cooking with wine, going to wine tastings, ordering wine in restaurants, wine travel, all of it. From what I can see, they seem very knowledgeable and aware of wine.

BWB: But they still don't think they know anything about wine?

JA: Exactly. People know a lot about wine, they just don't know it. I think sometimes when people say they don't know anything about wine, they really mean they can't remember the name of the wine they had last night. People think they're supposed to be wine experts or have a Ph. D. in wine before they can have an opinion. Somehow, being a wine lover isn't good enough.

BWB: Do you actually talk about this in class?

JA: Absolutely. It's the first thing that comes up when you ask students why they've come to class. Besides tasting some awesome wines, people want less intimidation and more confidence. We give them both things.

BWB: How do you do that?

JA: One thing we do that's really easy is a fill-in-the-blank question: If my favorite wine were a BLANK, here's what kind of BLANK it would be. And then start talking. People talk about wine in terms of what they know: cars, food obviously, photography, even architecture one time. Ask yourself, if my favorite wine were a piece of art, would it be an old master or some freaky modern thing? If my favorite wine were a restaurant, would it be a steak house or Malaysian?

BWB: Would you call this approach "wine without the attitude?"

JA: No -- there's a huge attitude, it's just not the one you expect. The attitude is, you can do this.

BWB: What's the largest wine tasting you've ever hosted?

JA: Largest number of people was a tasting for 2,500 at Boston's Symphony Hall. The client was French, from the parent company, and the guests were all US employees and customers. From the French perspective, you show lots of respect and interest with food and wine selection. Before a Boston Pops performance, I staged this massive tasting of American wines: Merlot from Washington state, Chardonnay from Connecticut, California Zinfandel, Pinot Noir, all of it. It was huge and a living hell, logistically.

BWB: Now you're doing events on a much smaller scale.

JA: That Symphony Hall job was a mind-bending wine event, and I didn't even get to enjoy it. Now that I think about it, that's about the same time I moved into the wine cellar and started teaching classes for ten people at a time.

BWB: Now you're set up to do weddings and bar mitzvahs.

JA: Weddings, maybe. Bar mitzvahs, impossible, because you have to be 21.

BWB: Let's talk about some of your classes. What's "Pinot To The People?"

JA: It's a tribute to "Sideways" where we taste Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Pinotage, nothing but members of the pinot family. Pinot Noir may never go on sale again in our lifetimes, so there's no time like the present.

BWB: "So what exactly is, Dude, where's My Carneros?"

JA: This class is exactly what it sounds like, pretty much. Carneros is the southern end of Napa and Sonoma, very close to the water. It's still kind of undiscovered, and that's refreshing.

BWB: "Critique Of Pure Riesling?" You're killing me here!

JA: Riesling is not what people think. Dry Riesling is the next big thing in white wines, plus it's summer. More than anything, I'm just trying to lighten up this whole wine scene.

BWB: Most of your classes are hedonistic, not particularly technical.

JA: Exactly. People want a class called "Tasting, Thinking, And Talking About Wine" with a focus: Australia, Italy, Cabernet Sauvignon, a theme that keeps it together. I sneak in some technical information, but you're right: most of the time we're keeping it hedonistic and fun.

BWB: What's the best wine you've tasted since the last time we spoke?

JA: That would be a tie between two wines from the same Australian winery. Genders McLaren Park Shiraz and Shiraz/Cabernet blend. I think I remember liking the blend more, but it is really too close to call. They remind me of a wine I liked so much I actually bought a case for $32 a bottle five years ago. These are around $20.

BWB: Best wine under $10 right now?

JA: That's tough. Probably Peachy Canyon "Incredible Red" Zinfandel. I think it's $9 at Trader Joe's. Especially good now that we're grilling.

BWB: So Jonathon, how can people find out more about the Boston Wine School?

JA: We are located at 1354 Commonwealth Avenue in Boston. You can reach us at (617)784-7150 or find us on the web at www.BostonWineSchool.com.