Wine A Little with Tim McNally
In life you never know how one decision is going to unfold a multitude of separate consequences for you until it all happens. Good or bad, every single decision we make affects how difficult or easy our lives are; doors open and close on a daily basis. Keeping this in mind, you never know who’s going to walk into your bar. Choosing to exercise patience instead of impatience with a guest, in most circumstances, pays dividends. Not just monetarily, but also in opportunity.
Early on in a Thursday shift about a month ago, we had a rush as soon as the doors opened. I was still juicing limes and soon I had a full bar plus tables inclined to drink. No complaints. It’s honestly my favorite way to get the shift going, in the weeds and soon to be in the zone. However, on this occasion, while I’m in the middle of a veritable field of thick foliage, a guest from one of my server’s tables approached the bar to talk about how she wanted her margarita. She had a sweet and genuine demeanor; however, she was also very quiet and I’m quite hard of hearing. She was trying to describe for me a proportional explanation of exactly how she wanted her measurements, and at the time I had about 5 drinks up in my mental window. What to do in this situation? Please I beg of you, resist the urge to be rude or impatient. Chances are if you acknowledge your guest with a smile and let them know you see them, you will be given the opportunity to come back to them. Hospitality is the name of our game after all. In choosing to do this, I soon found out from some patrons at the bar, that I had just chosen to be polite to the wife of a man whom I was tasked with interviewing for this site. After the group had finished with their cocktails, they introduced me to Mr. Tim McNally, and he couldn’t have been more of a gentleman. A choice leads to a consequence, in this case it just so happens to be a positive one.
Tim really knows his way around a glass. He is and has been the host of a radio show about wine and spirits based out of New Orleans for 12 years and counting. He serves as a Professional Wine Judge from California to the South each year, and he also served as an 8 term Board Member and as a 2 term President for the The New Orleans Wine and Food Experience which brings thousands of folks into Nola each May. Plus, he was a member of the founding Board of Directors for the Museum of the American Cocktail also based in New Orleans. Yeah, no lie, this was a very positive turn of events.
Ryan: “So, Tim what originally got you into tasting and judging wines?”
Tim: “When my wife and I started dating, more than 35 years ago, I was not into wine. Not really even into alcohol, as in I drank beer, but did not care about the brand. Okay…so I was young, stupid, and broke. My {now} wife’s father was head of one of the largest local distributors in the area, and she grew up drinking well. She was the one who told me that I should learn about wine; I was okay with that because I wanted to learn about her. If it took wine to make that happen, all the better.”
T: “We took a night class in wine at one of the local universities, and our instructor lit my fire. I could not get enough wine nor wine information. We joined tasting groups, attended tasting events at local retailers, traveled to France, Italy, California, Spain and other wine regions as well as wine festivals. Still do. It’s been a great journey, and we are both still learning.”
Having grown up with a father who both collects and enjoys wine, I had the opportunity to attend A LOT of wine tastings over the years. Hilariously, at almost every one of these events you’re guaranteed to run across the sort of person pictured below and above Tim. They’re a pretentious, self absorbed, and hyper-critical lot who value only their own opinion to be of prime importance. You know the type, that one guy who’s aerating the wine whilst it’s in his mouth like it’s not the most annoying sound of all time shortly before telling you that your wine drinking “form” is off. It’s the same way in the judging world. I’ve seen judges that rate based on their personal preference or preconceived notions of “what good wine is”, instead of just judging wine at its face value.
R: “In your opinion, what distinguishes an exceptional judge from a mediocre one?”
T: “During the early judging rounds, an exceptional judge is looking for what is good about the wine, not seeking the flaws. He or she has to know what can reasonably be expected from the wine, from that particular grape, in that year, and at that price point. A judge has to have an understanding of fatal flaws as well as know what things really aren’t that important. For instance, sulfur is a quality that may blow off after a period of time, while Brett, aka residual yeast compounds found in some wines, will never go away. Whether the judge likes the wine or not is not of prime importance, though some of that has to enter into the evaluation.”
R: “My preference on wine and drinks in general is constantly in flux, but right now I’m favoring oddities like Gewurztraminer, Dry Muscats, and Nebbiolo. However, during the summer, I know I’ll find myself really craving New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and Viogner. Do you find that your taste is swayed by the seasons or do you have a set preference no matter the weather?”
T: “Since New Orleans is not a four-season kind of place, we pretty much can drink what we want, whenever we wish. Of course during the hot, muggy days of July, August and September, those big heavy, concentrated, alcoholic, tannic Napa Valley Cabernets or the Central Coast’s Petite Sirah are of no use to me. At those times, something that can take a good chill with low levels of alcohol is desired. That is to say, champagne never goes out of style.”
R: “Since yall don’t really pair wine by season in your home town, maybe it would be best to give folks some pairings by experience. What are your pairing picks for this range of “Spring” experiences?”
- The quintessential rainy day in. T: A layered, aged Merlot from the Right Bank.
- A picnic in the park. T: Light reds, like a Cabernet Franc from the Loire.
- Grillin’ Out. T: Sangiovese from Montepulciano
- A day on the water. T: Champagne with grilled oysters
R: “Tim, again, thank you so much for the opportunity. What can we expect to see from Tim McNally in the future?”
T: “I’m just trying to stay alive and contribute to my city, my friends, my passions and my wife, not at all in that order. I have an interest in so many subjects that I fear I will run out of time before I run out of interests. I did not foresee doing what I am doing now even three years ago, so I am a lousy predictor of the future, particularly my own.”
If yall want to learn more about wine, spirits, or the culture surrounding them I highly recommend you tune into Tim’s radio show The Dine Wine and Spirits Show on WGSO 990AM, every day Monday – Friday at 3pm-5pm. You should also check out his column for myneworleans.com and follow him on Twitter @nally_tim
Yours Truly,
Ryan
