The Martin Sinkoff Wine Interview with Amir Shmueli
A sommelier serves wine in restaurants and is sometimes in charge of purchasing the wine or helping make selections. Today, the term is widely disregarded and disrespected. Considered old-fashioned and bringing to mind an overdressed man with a silver tasting cup (called a tastevin) around his neck. If used at all, the term is abbreviated to "somm". But this term has its own problems due to several films that portrayed "somms" as party boys (rarely women) who competed as if on a football field to see which one of them knew more about wine. In short, adolescent male behavior.
The term more in use today is "Wine Director". This person, male or female, is responsible for purchasing the wines (and often spirits in which case may be called a "Beverage Director), ensuring that the wine sales are profitable, managing the inventory and selling the wine in the restaurant. Wine Directors often train the staff and conduct weekly or daily tastings for the staff so that each waitperson can make suggestions on his/her own.
Some wine directors have become well known as famous chefs. And have moved from serving wine to managing and owning restaurants, writing books, making wine sometimes at their own wineries. Those who come to mind are Larry Stone who went from famed sommelier at Charlie Trotter's in Chicago and Rubicon in San Francisco to winery owner with Dominique Lafon at Lingua Franca Vineyards; Aviram Turgeman (an Israeli) who went from sommelier at Nice Matin in New York to general partner of the Chef Driven Restaurant Group which includes several Wine Spectator Award winning restaurants; Daniel Johnnes, who started with famed chef Daniel Boulud went on to create world-famous wine events, La Paulee and la Fete du Champagne and to create an import company for fine wine all the while still managing the wine programs for Boulud's restaurants world-wide; Arnaud Tronche, a telecom executive who opened Racines restaurant in New York which became a wine destination and then moved back to France to manage the Legrand Wine Group and its stores; Erik Segelbaum, who gravitated from writing award-winning wine lists to consulting some of the most important wine importers in the United States including Royal Wine Company, the largest wine importer of Israeli wine in the world, in the United States. In Israel, Aviram Katz, went from sommelier to managing Israeli's most famous market-to-table restaurant, Basta; Guy Haran, from sommelier to wine writer and owner of Vinspiration, Israeli's #1 wine tourism company now growing internationally and Shira Tsiddon, sommelier at the famed Norman Hotel and now an internationally-known consultant to wineries and wine retailers.
Decks Restaurant
Amir Shmueli, the subject of this interview, has also had a notable trajectory. Wine Director at the popular restaurant Decks in Tiberias, Shmueli is an avid wine lover and a lifelong student of wine. During the Covid virus pandemic, Shmueli started a Facebook site for wine lovers, called "The Wine Channel". Today the site is one of the go-to sites about wine in Israel. According to Shmueli, the site is followed and read by more than 9,000 members, wine amateurs and professionals, 1,000 outside of Israel.
I sat down with Amir to learn more about him and his work.
Where did you grow up?
I was born in Tiberias and grew up in Tel Aviv and after my army service I moved back to Tiberias.
Where did you go to school and what did you study?
I went to school in Tiberias, finished high school and then started working after my army service.
When did you become interested in wine?
I became interested in wine in 2007 when I started working as the manager of Decks in Tiberias. We have two restaurants in Tiberias and cruise boats that tour the Sea of Galilee.
When did you have the idea for the Wine Channel?
I started the wine channel in early April 2020 when Corona made us all stay at home. I started watching videos of wines, wineries and wine regions and friends with whom I wanted to share and so the wine channel was established, like Facebook itself. Within a few weeks, the group grew and I also began to write recommendations on wines I drank and articles on wineries, wines, regions and wine countries.
Over time, many contributors joined us and began adding articles and comments, including you, Martin (the author, himself).
Which wine do you select for us and why? The wine I chose is Agur Kessem 2022. This is one of my favorite red wines of the last few years. The wine is a blend of Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan and Marselan. It is a beautiful wine that makes you want to come back again and again. A medium bodied wine that combines red fruit, violets, herbs and a rustic yet elegant feel. This is my house wine at Decks.
Author's notes about the wine
Agur Kessem 2022 (red) is a delicious wine. Balanced, lovely to drink and with a long sweet aftertaste (the mark of quality in wine). The blend is typically and wonderfully Israeli: Bordeaux, Rhone, south of France and Israel all together at the same "table". Peace on earth! Around NIS 110 per bottle.
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