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Tasting White Wine
Sweet and Dry sat down with the Jenny Benzie, Sommeliére at Café Boulud at the Brazilian Court in Palm Beach recently. She graced us with her presence on a great video and talked to us about her background in wine.
In our first video tutorial ever, we’ll share with you Wine Tasting 101 – the very basics you need to know now. But first, a bit on Jenny Benzie, a Swirl Girls special.
Jenny received her degree in Sociology and then traveled around the United States after graduation, working in Montana, Bar Harbor, the Virgin Islands and Oregon. She got her first job as a wine steward at Caneel Bay Resort in the Virgin Islands.
"I knew the difference between Pinot Grigio and Pinot Noir and I got the job," she said, laughing.
Today, she knows a lot more. She passed her Advanced Sommelier exam in 2004 and has been at Café Boulud almost four years. There, she is responsible for training and educating the staff, maintaining the wine cellar and handling cost-control, among other duties.
Jenny credits her degree in Sociology for contributing to her interest in wine.
"I’m interested in who drinks wine – when, where, with whom. It’s the story of wine, the culture, the food and wine pairing," she said.
One of the things she enjoys most about her job is the repeat clientele. She calls it a good day when she’s sold some great, great wine. "I’m interested in being part of the celebration.
We wanted to know what Jenny drinks.
"I’m equal opportunity and I’ll drink pretty much anything but if I have a choice," her voice trails off. "I drink more champagne than your average consumer. I have no problem drinking champagne at any time. I like wines that are classic to wherever they come from. So wines that are traditional grape varieties from traditional regions, like Burgundy and Champagne."
We prodded her for advice on learning more about wine.
"You have to read a little bit every day and enjoy it. Make it fun."
And that is something we’ll drink to.
~ Libby Volgyes (sweet) & J. Gwen Berry (dry)
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