Italian wines? She’s the one to ask
After getting her start at an area winery, woman graduates to certified specialist
Sarah Dewar knows her “il vino italiano.”
She’s one of 86 sommeliers around the world certified by the Vinitaly International Academy, an internationally renowned organization that showcases Italian wines.
Italy has over 500 indigenous grape varieties. That means there are a vast array of Italian wines — from sparkling white Asti to a concentrated red wine made from Tuscan Sangiovese grapes called Brunello di Montalcino.
Dewar, who completed the course in April, has tasted hundreds of Italian wines, many of which are available only in the European nation.
“I guess you could say I’ve had hundreds, but I feel like I barely scratched the surface,” Dewar said.
The weeklong Vinitaly International Academy course in Verona sets out to rectify misconceptions surrounding Italian wines. Dewar said Italy is known for being the most complicated country when it comes to winemaking.
“There’s so many grapes that, over the years, people just don’t even know what they are anymore,” she said.
“For example, one particular grape called Malvasia, that’s not a variety,” Dewar said. “It’s actually 17 different grapes, but people will call all these 17 grapes by the same name. So you really don’t know what you’re dealing with.”
Course participants attended morning lectures by founder Ian D’Agata, a Harvard Universitytrained wine expert. D’Agata talked about grape identification, Italian wine history, major and rare grape varieties, grape families and grape synonyms.
Afternoons were spent tasting hundreds of wines.
Canada is “a pretty big market for Italian wine,” Dewar said, “so we have a lot of Italian wines that we can choose from. But part of this course is giving us the opportunity to taste a lot of these wines that you wouldn’t even see in North America.”
Vinitaly International Academy’s pass rate is a mere 40 per cent.
Dewar said she’s the only certified Italian wine ambassador in Windsor, but “there’s actually quite a large Canadian representation.”
Dewar’s wine education may have taken place around the world, but it’s firmly rooted in Windsor.
She grew up in the area and her first job in the wine industry was at the LeBlanc Estate Winery near Harrow.
She worked there for seven years, and briefly left the industry before taking a sommelier course at Niagara College.
“I just really fell in love with it,” Dewar said.
She’s been working in the wine industry since — at restaurants, judging at wine competitions, hosting private tastings and instructing various wine programs.
In May 2015, Dewar co-founded the Blind Owl cocktail bar on Ouellette Avenue with her husband Mark, sister Lauren and her sister’s partner Lucas.
On Wednesday, the Blind Owl is teaming up with the Cheese Bar and Anchor House Coffee for a tasting event called Cocktails and Provisions.
“It’s kind of outside of my comfort zone,” Dewar said. “I’ve been working in wine for over 20 years. But it’s the same principles that we’re looking to apply here.”
The three local businesses will pair cocktails with local cheeses and baked goods for a led tasting.
“You could read 500 books on wine and food and wine and cheese, but there’s very little I could find on pairing cocktails with food,” Dewar said.
“This is largely just trial-and-error, and applying the principles of wine and cheese with the cocktails.”
Eventually, Dewar hopes to bring her new-found Italian wine knowledge to Windsor.
“My hope is to somehow use this locally, as well, not just abroad and not just in other cities.”
My hope is to somehow use this (knowledge) locally, as well, not just abroad and not just in other cities.