The Caves des Producteurs, Vouvray - A delicious, off-dry French wine that boasts a bouquet of peaches and pears; accentuated by rich flavors of cream and hazelnut. (Food pairings: white fish, veal, crab, spicy Indian cuisine)
Val Sanzo "T Sanzo" Tempranillo - Awarded 90 points from The Wine Advocate's Robert Parker, this cherry red Spanish varietal exhibits "an expressive perfume of wood smoke, pencil lead, violets, cinnamon, incense, and blackberry… leading to a mouth-filling, generous, richly-fruited wine with lots of spice, balance, and fruit-filled finish." -RP (Food pairings: hamburgers, blackened filets, lamb chops, herb-crusted tenderloin)
Hybrid Petite Sirah - This treasured varietal "is loaded with berry flavors and aromas which enhance the earthy middle body with a rich silky finish. A touch of Viognier has been added to round out this monster wine." -Winemaker's notes (Food pairings: pork tenderloin, burgers, and spicy Mexican dishes)
Robert Biale "Founding Farmers" Zinfandel - A seductive Zin indeed, with proud aromas of red fruits, licorice, and spice that unfold into layers of soft cherry, herb, and anise flavors. (Food pairings: barbecue, Italian sausage, and lasagna)
Reymos Muscat de Alexandria - Pale hints of green with bright, clean bubbles that lift enticing aromas of apricot and white raisin; this Muscat is persistent and sweet, with a light finish. (Food pairings: scallops, desserts that involve fresh or fired fruits, and pecan pie)
~ John Thomas Hoty, V&O wine buyer
Thursday, February 12, 2015
Thursday, February 5, 2015
Meet John Thomas Hoty, V&O wine buyer
Meet John Thomas Hoty, our wine buyer. John started out as a bartender on the shores of St. Pete Beach, Florida, where he learned a great deal about mixology, customer service, and pairing drinks with food. As that interest developed, he went to work as an account representative for Southern Wine & Spirits in Tampa where he sold both spirits and wine. From there he accepted a position as the Marketing Copywriter for Global Wines, a smaller distributor of international wines (predominantly South American labels). During his time with Global Wines, not only did he write about the wines the company sold, his words became the product literature printed on the labels of Fingerprints Wines from Argentina.
After moving to Iowa in 2012, John went to work managing a local wine lounge called The Grape Life that hosted weekly features of various varietals intended to expose the customer base to more world class wines. In 2014, John was enlisted by a more upscale venue, Gendler's Black Ram, as their resident Sommelier. His duties there were to educate the staff on the wine list, as well as to be on-hand to consult with customers on the wines they selected to pair with their meals. On Friday nights at Gendler's, John also hosted the weekly wine tasting event that showcased some more prolific labels.
While John spends the majority of his days now at the head of a high school Language Arts classroom, he still keeps his hat in the wine ring as a consultant and wine buyer for Vine & Olive, hand-picking the wines on our shelves (after tasting them, of course!) and providing many of our tasting notes.
Vine & Olive
After moving to Iowa in 2012, John went to work managing a local wine lounge called The Grape Life that hosted weekly features of various varietals intended to expose the customer base to more world class wines. In 2014, John was enlisted by a more upscale venue, Gendler's Black Ram, as their resident Sommelier. His duties there were to educate the staff on the wine list, as well as to be on-hand to consult with customers on the wines they selected to pair with their meals. On Friday nights at Gendler's, John also hosted the weekly wine tasting event that showcased some more prolific labels.
While John spends the majority of his days now at the head of a high school Language Arts classroom, he still keeps his hat in the wine ring as a consultant and wine buyer for Vine & Olive, hand-picking the wines on our shelves (after tasting them, of course!) and providing many of our tasting notes.
Vine & Olive
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| John Thomas Hoty |
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