A Conversation with Tim Gaiser, New Mexico’s only Master Sommelier
eSome Perspective
Wine is truly a global phenomenon. Presently there are only 273 people holding the highest distinction of Master Sommelier (MS) with 25 being women and 172 of the total from the United States.
As a correlation, The National Basketball Association (NBA), being one of the two most international sports leagues and represented by the most elite athletes in the world has a total of 450 players with 120 being international representing 40 countries.
Being a Master Sommelier is indeed floating on rarified air!
What is a Master Sommelier (MS)?
At various times in our dining experiences, we have been assisted by a Certified Somm who provided us with guidance and recommendations on particular wines or spirits in conjunction with our meal. In some establishments, you may even be aided by an Advanced Somm, someone with more depth of study and experience than a Certified Somm. The common trait of either a Certified or Advanced Somm – they have received their education and been tested by Master Sommeliers certified through the Court of Master Sommeliers …. mastersommeliers.org/
At its core, an MS knows wine and spirits at a level none of us ever will. But there is so much more.
A Master Somm knows every aspect of all beverages served in a restaurant, not just wine. Yes, working with the chef(s) to develop the optimum wine and spirits list to pair with its regular and seasonal menu entrees and training the staff on proper service is vital. But a Master Sommelier has worked within the restaurant industry for years knowing all aspects of the business from host, runner, server, expediter, bartender, etc. They must know inventory turns, optimum inventory levels, profit margins, staffing levels, and pricing components. At the end of the day, a restaurant’s food segment operates on incredibly thin margins, and the profitability of many restaurants is usually generated from beverage services. A Master Somm brings all these skills to their position within a restaurant.
How One Becomes a Master Sommelier
One must first progress through the aforementioned levels of Introductory, Certified, and Advanced Sommelier courses passing all exams which understandably become more challenging. This takes years of working within a restaurant, gaining a breadth of experience beyond basic wine knowledge.
The examinations to achieve the certification as a Master Sommelier entails three distinct tests: 1) a verbal theory exam, 2) a practical restaurant services component, and 3) a blind tasting exam of six wines.
Some say that the MS exam is the hardest exam in the world to pass. The pass rate varies by each portion of the exam but the overall historic pass rate is between 12% to 15% and the applicant has three years to pass all segments otherwise they have to start over. I will not address the subjectivity of the comment as to the hardest exam in the world to pass but as a student who concentrated in finance and accounting in graduate school, the relative ease of passing the CPA Exam appears far more achievable than passing the MS Exam.
It is almost a given that the hours required for studying translate to having a very supportive spouse or partner. For an informative movie introducing the challenges of passing the three parts of the exam, I would highly recommend the 2012 documentary, “Somm” which follows four individuals studying for the exam with special insight into the angst-driven portion related to the blind-tasting portion. Given that the movie has some age since its debut, definitely Google the individuals’ current positions.
Tim’s Journey
One can obviously state that Tim’s journey has gone full circle. From pursuing his passion for music and leaving the state of New Mexico to acquire a graduate degree in Classical Music from the University of Michigan in the early 1980s, to be able to fulfill his passion by performing as a classical trumpet player including performances with the San Francisco Opera orchestra; and finally, he and his wife moving back to New Mexico in 2017 to continue his work within the wine industry. It’s the intervening nearly forty years of accomplishments outside the field of music that makes his adventure so fascinating for the wine consumer.
Tim worked as a bartender at several restaurants in San Francisco in the mid-80s after graduate school. But determination and curiosity and his desire to learn more about wine and spirits led him to obtain his Introductory and Advanced Sommelier certifications and ultimately pass the Master Sommelier examination in 1992 while working at Cypress Club. I do not think it was accidental that one of Tim’s earlier bartending positions while pursuing his Certified and Advanced Somm certifications was at Bix, a restaurant on the southern edge of North Beach whose founder was himself a jazz musician. Must believe that the after-hours entertainment at this outstanding restaurant may have been comparable to the food!
With stints at The Culinary Institute of America and Heitz Wine Cellars whose Martha’s Vineyard label is on my morbidly named “California Wines You Must Try Before You Die” list at #2 and corporate clients such as Constellation, Fosters, and Morgan Stanley, Tim has spread his expertise well-beyond the restaurant industry.
Wine education is a core value reflected in part with Tim’s duties when he was the Educational Chair and Education Director of the Court of Master Sommeliers from 2003 thru 2011. Since the pandemic, Tim has been involved with the Napa Valley Wine Academy (NVWA) napavalleywineacademy.com exclusively with their online courses operated through the global Wine Society Educational Trust (WSET). They offer classes both online and on-site for various levels of participants. My initial formal wine education began with this organization. Whether online or on-site the introductory WSET 1 course lasting one weekend day with tastings using the deductive tasting method is a course that I recommend to anyone who wants to learn a bit more about wine. And it is a fantastic day event for couples who both enjoy wine and may have a wine tour in their vacation plans.
With Tim structuring the various levels of WSET classes for NVWA, they can only have improved what was already an enjoyable wine adventure.
So what is Tim drinking these days?
One question that I always ask someone with extensive knowledge of wine is, “what are you drinking now?” Tim’s response somewhat stunned me requiring more thought on my part until I deconstructed his simple answer later that night. I was fully expecting him to mention a somewhat obscure grape that was going to require me to run to my Wine Grapes: A Complete Guide to 1,368 Vine Varieties, Including Their Origins and Flavors (Yes, I am that nerdish to possess that book) to learn more about this grape, its taste profile and where grown. Then after reading about it and knowing I would never find the varietal in a wine shop in New Mexico, I would spend several hours tracking down through various online merchants where to purchase a couple of bottles.
Tim’s response made life so much easier for all of us and was grounded in the practical. His go-to wines are Sauvignon Blanc from California, New Zealand, and France; and Malbec from Mendoza in Argentina. Quality bottling for both that highlights their unmistakable varietal character can be found at practically any price point. Sauvignon Blanc and Malbec are also both versatile when it comes to pairing.
Why Sauvignon Blanc?
At a recent event, I poured five bottles of this grape from various regions and countries. These wines were all easily drinkable and at moderate price points. On a deeper level, as I had discussed at the event, Sauvignon Blanc is a great option for many food pairings. A Chablis, Chenin Blanc, or a Riesling may be the best potential pairing with a particular dish but either unfamiliarity with these grapes, remembrance of Chablis being sold in a box, or the “…last Riesling I drank was too sweet” resulted in Sauvignon Blanc being the best available solution. And while working retail where regular customers provided me with feedback after their dinner party, the vast majority provided a positive review and usually purchased several more for everyday drinking. So yes, it takes an expert to point out the obvious.
And Malbec?
As Tim noted with Sauvignon Blanc, Malbec producers also consistently provide a high-quality product at an excellent price. A true value purchase. The country most associated with Malbec is Argentina which produces approximately 75% of all Malbec sold in the international market and has moved the grape upwards in the hierarchy for approachable, quality wines at a reasonable price. Argentina = Malbec.
Interesting Factoid, If Only For Me
Malbec’s origins are in France and the grape is still used in blends but the only region in France focused almost exclusively on this grape today is in the South West region of Cahors. But ooh, how things may have been different. Most everyone knows Bordeaux as a wine region in France. Others know it for the identifier of “Left Bank” or “Right Bank”. And with a deeper understanding, the Left Bank is known for Cabernet Sauvignon dominance in blends while the Right Bank is identified with Merlot being the dominant grape in most blends. But that was not always the case. Malbec was a prominent grape on the Right Bank but a deep freeze in 1956 killed over ¼ of all vine stock with Malbec taking the brunt of the loss. Vignerons decided to replace Malbec with Merlot as the latter was more cold-resistant. And wine history changed for the better for both Bordeaux and Argentina!
New Mexico is very fortunate to have a resource like Tim. If you want to learn more, his website is timgaiser.com. He is an esteemed regular attendee of Santa Fe’s annual Wine and Chile Festival held in late September so check their schedule later in the summer as they finalize events and to say hello. santafewineandchile.org
When I brought up WSET and Tim’s involvement, one aspect that I purposely skipped over was that at whatever level of class you are taking, learning how to taste wine is part of the instructions. If taken in the classroom the wines are obviously poured for the attendees but if done online they send out a tasting kit beforehand. This is the fun part of the course, especially at the lower levels. Whenever I am pouring wines at events I use the deductive tasting method which is what you will be taught and what you will undoubtedly adopt to impress your friends and family when you are pouring your own wines.
Tim has published a book on this subject titled “Message in the Bottle: a Guide to Tasting Wine”. It is a must-read whether for the casual wine consumer or connoisseur.
