In The Press
From The Pittsburgh Post Gazette:
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 September 16, 2002 - Patricia Sheridan
BREAKFAST WITH CHRISTINE ANSBACHER…
A wine educator with a flair for the dramatic, Christine Ansbacher, enjoys entertaining as she encourages experimenting with wine. Her wine tastings are more like pieces of theater incorporating historic personalities, themes and anecdotes. With a diploma from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust in London, she is in very exclusive company. Only 46 professionals in the United States have been able to attain the degree. Ansbacher recently entertained in Pittsburgh.
Q. When did you decide to combine entertainment with wine tasting?
A. After studying wine, and wine and food pairing, I realized the subjects could be very intimidating and technical. I wanted to create an approach that would not only set me apart from other wine educators, but make learning about wine fun and memorable. So I decided to draw on my liberal arts background and entice people into learning more about wines via telling amusing historical anecdotes about famous wine lovers, re-creating the times they lived in, serving the type of wines they loved, and sharing common sense guidelines to pair the wines with food.
Q. How important is temperature to wine?
A. Temperature is the single most important factor in being able to get the most flavor and enjoyment from a bottle of wine. Unfortunately, far too many restaurants serve white wines right out of their cold storage unit whose temperature is typically set for beer, which is far too cold for white wines and numbs their flavors. Many restaurants either don't have a wine cellar or different temperature settings for their sections of white and red wines. So red wines are often left in their cardboard cartons at ambient room temperature, 70 to 75 degrees, which is far too warm. These warmer temperatures cause two problems (1) they exaggerate the alcohol in a red wine which makes it taste hot and (2) they nearly obliterate all flavor and aromatic nuance.
The solution: always feel your bottle of wine before it is poured at a restaurant. If your white wine feels like a cold bottle of beer, ask the waiter to leave it on the table to warm up a bit and go from cold to cool, and ask the waiter take away the wine bucket. If your red wine is room temperature, ask the waiter to bring you a wine bucket and give the bottle a dip for five to ten minutes to cool it down to what the temperature would be in a proper wine cellar.
Q. Why is Champagne the official drink of celebrations?
A. Celebrations today are linked with making toasts. However, toasting, was not called "toasting" until the 17th century when it became customary in England to add a piece of toasted bread in the bottom of the drinking vessel to absorb the sediment in wines. When the person consumed the toast he would often say a few words. People loved the merriment and began calling for "toasts" when they wanted to hear someone speak. Sonnets, proverbs and limericks were used when glasses were raised in celebration. Toasting became an art form as the toasters tried to outdo each other with their recitations.
Champagne was the most expensive French wine in the 17th and 18th centuries. Thus it was the drink of kings and the nobility who enjoyed lives of idle luxury, pleasure and celebrations. In the 1900's Champagne was able to be made in commercial quantities and prices came down so the emerging bourgeoisie in Europe and America could afford this luxury item. This expanding customer base reinforced the connection between Champagne, parties, romance and celebration.
Today, would anyone christen a boat, a baby, close a deal or toast newlyweds with a gin and tonic or a beer? Of course not! We follow a 400 year old tradition and open a bottle of Champagne to celebrate and we make a toast!
Q. How much wine do you have to drink to become an expert?
A. I hope you'll do a lot more spitting than drinking if this is your goal! Wine experts (1) have to sample enough "still" wines to be able recognize that the same grape grown in different wine regions around the world produces different styles of wines; (2) be knowledgeable about the aromas/flavors and styles of sparkling and fortified wines; (3) be able to identify what fermentation and maturation techniques are evident just by smelling and tasting a still, sparkling or fortified wine; (4) be able to compare and contrast wines from different vintages; and (5) compare and contrast wines from the same producer over many, many vintages. Just when you thought that was "all" you had to learn, every year there is a new vintage, increasing bottle age makes wines taste different, and producers bring new wines to market….all of which means more tasting "homework" each and every year.
Q. Taste is so subjective. How can you fairly rate a wine?
A. First, don't be influenced by the label and expect that you should like the wine because it's from a famous vineyard, producer or vintage. Second, don't assume that because a wine costs more than you usually spend that it's going to taste better to you. Third, if you are tasting an affordable, "everyday" wine, say $10 a bottle from a recent vintage, it should be pleasant to drink, but don't expect this wine to have complex aromas, flavors, and a long aftertaste. Fourth, if you are a tasting an expensive wine over a decade old which should have more complexity and a long aftertaste-but you don't see what the big deal is about this fancy wine even though others around you are "ooh-ing and aah-ing" over it….don't be intimidated. Evaluate these wines in terms of how you like them. Remember, there are no rules, only preferences when it comes to wine drinking.
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