CAMERON DOUGLAS

New Zealand’s premier Master Sommelier shares his passion for excellence and perfect pairings.

A Master Sommelier is the person who can mix your cocktail, decide the best temperature for your beer, select the perfect wine pairings for your dinner party, saber your bottle of champagne, make you a perfect espresso coffee, discuss yay or nay for the bottled water, all the while telling you the stories behind that bottle of fine pinot noir selected especially for you. I qualified as New Zealand’s first (and only) Master Sommelier in 2007, after an all-encompassing journey.

Much of my time is spent tasting, reviewing, judging, talking and writing about, and teaching beverages – especially wine. Sommeliers can offer expert opinion on any beverage, so it’s exciting to share with you here at MiNDFOOD about everything from wine to water, spirits to beer, sake to Moutai, glassware to wine storage, and how to ramp up your entertainment with great beverages. Part of my role is keeping current with local and international wine news, so this means I am often on a plane heading to wineries, restaurants, bars and competitions.

With a devotion to food and wine pairing I’m always experimenting with combinations, especially for my restaurant clients, so I’m excited to make suggestions for you as well. My hospitality career began in the kitchens of some of Auckland’s finest restaurants of the day so it’s a particular interest of mine.

The wine industry globally is complex and layered with many diverse personalities underpinning its successes and challenges. Telling some of their stories will form part of the monthly MiNDFOOD read.