Theise Days: Doing and Drinking What You Love

I loved when Richard Apple wrote in his July 19 New York Times column, “Austrian wines have a voice, and it’s excited.”

Terry Theise has been excited since I’ve known him.

We met back when I was running Friends of Wine and he was a graduate student enamored with wine.

We gave him his first writing assignments, and he changed the way I came to view writing. Terry never just turned in articles about wine. His articles beckoned readers into shared experiences...transmitting to them his love of place and people, his appreciation of art and life.

He went on to build a staggering portolio with Michael Skurnick Wines.

And in the process, he’s done more for German and Austrian wines and wine lovers than anyone I can imagine.

When I stepped away from the wine industry for a few decades, Terry’s was the voice I missed most.

So when The Senses Bureau brought me home again, I called him!

He was as deep and funny and passionate as ever. And he was coming to New York....

A lucky handful of us met at Chef/Owner Geoffrey Zakarian’s Country for a truffle-studded meal that included Champagne Gimonnet "Special Club" 1999 as aperitif; pumpkin gratin with Christoffel Erdener Treppchen Riesling Spätlese 2004 and Leitz Rudesheimer Berg Roseneck Riesling Spätlese 2004; seared sea scallops with René Geoffroy Champagne, 'Cuvée Volupté' NV and Vilmart & Cie Champagne 'Coeur de Cuvée' 1998; wood-roasted Berkshire pork with Alzinger Grüner Veltliner Steinertal Smaragd 2004, Nigl Riesling Kremser Kremsleiten 2005 and Paul Lehrner Blaufränkisch 'Steineiche' 2002; and a glorious selection of cheeses with Schlossgut Diel Dorsheimer Pittermännchen Riesling Auslese 2005 Dönnhoff Schlossböckelheimer Felsenberg Riesling Auslese 2005.

It was wonderful beyond words. Best yet, we laughed and learned as much as we ate and drank.

You’ll find Terry and I playing together in the “sensory sandbox” here in the months and seasons to come.

Meantime, his advice?

Drink what you love! Drill down deep on whatever red, white and sparkling varietals strike your fancy until you have a whole repertoire of variations on a theme.

Please your palate. But also be willing to surprise your senses: Stay open to those moments when your mind expects one thing, but experience delivers another.

This is what it's like to be awake, alive and loving what you do!

Terry Theise, THANK YOU! And to be continued....

Warmly and looking forward,
Wendy Dubit and The Senses Bureau