Brian’s Big Wine Adventure

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JP’s Wine & Spirits is known for its incredible selection, best prices, fantastic customer service, and one of the coolest sommeliers in the biz. This month we’re introducing Brian Henderson, who will be offering up wine selections in our newly established “Your Palate” section following this issue. The EIL staff has enjoyed some excellent wine dinners at Georgia Sea Grill with Brian as our guide through the pairings and were impressed by his knowledge and the way he imparts it in a way that’s fun and understandable for everyone. For that reason, we decided the best way for our readers to get to know Brian is by learning his story through his own words. So, without further ado, here’s Brian’s Big Wine Adventure:

While working at The Cloister as server in 1998 I had the opportunity to taste through some single vineyard German Rieslings that changed my life. It was a vertical tasting of ten vintages from Robert Weil from the Kiedricher Gräfenberg Auslese Rieslings. Like many people I tell about this tasting I had no idea what all these crazy words meant. The next day I bought Wine for Dummies. I had to learn more about what I had just experienced. The thing I learned right away was that one can never learn it all. That’s why people who get sucked into the study of wine never get out.

I was working as the Maître’d at Colt and Alison in 2004 when I passed the Advanced Level exam of the Court of Master Sommeliers (CMS). I was fortunate enough to pass the exam on my first attempt. Less than 5% of those taking the exam accomplish that.

But what does that even mean? CMS is misunderstood by those outside of the industry. Most people refer to the tiers as “levels” and wonder what “level” sommelier you are. The CMS uses the terms Introductory (1st), Certified (2nd), Advanced (3rd) and Master (4th, final stage). The advanced and master exams consist of a blind tasting to identify 6 wines origins, variety, quality level and vintage; a service exam that is in a fine dining setting and theory exam consisting of an oral test about all things beverage from around the globe. There are approximately 10,000 Certified sommeliers in the world, less than 1,000 Advanced, and fewer than 300 reach Master.

After passing the Advanced Exam, I took a position as the Director of Wine & Spirits at the Nemacolin Resort and Spa outside of Pittsburgh. There, I oversaw the wine program for more than ten restaurants, including the award-winning, five-star restaurant, Lautrec. During that time, I passed the Certified Specialist of Wine through Society of Wine Educators. I was also named the Director of Education for the Western PA Wine Society. After my time at Nemacolin, I worked briefly consulting in Philadelphia where I would assist in the opening new restaurant wine programs. My next stop was back in western Pennsylvania where I was the Director of Wine for a group of private country clubs throughout Ohio and Pennsylvania with the Avalon Group.

Following that, and a return to St. Simons Island, I decided to take a brief hiatus from the wine business. During that time, I worked at Southern Soul Barbeque, as a kayak guide for Southeast Adventure Outfitters, and played bass in the jazz quartet Tonic Blue. I made a slow return to my wine roots by doing some wine consulting and dinners for Georgia Sea Grill and I am currently the consulting sommelier for the Georgia Sea Grill Group. Two years ago, I started at JP’s Wine & Spirits as the in-store sommelier under the new ownership of Tad McNair and I’m having a blast doing Friday tastings and introducing customers to our inventory.

I’m currently finishing my studies for the French Wine Scholar examination which I will be sitting for this month. This exam tests knowledge of every wine region of France including wine laws, geology, geography, history, viticulture, viniculture and social significance.

Throughout my career I’ve been fortunate to have studied in most of the great wine regions of France, Germany, Chile, New Zealand and, of course, the United States. My biggest takeaway from the wine world and this big wine adventure is that there is entirely too much snobbery and pretentiousness. Wine is fun, and the day it stops being fun, what’s the point?! The most successful sommeliers are humble, silly, and great educators. As a sommelier, I want to help you choose a wine you can enjoy, whether it comes from a box, a screw-top, or is intended for a fancy saber send-off. The best wines aren’t the ones with high points on some rating scale that sit on a shelf never to be enjoyed, they’re the ones you actually drink and share with your family and friends. Come by JP’s during our tastings to learn a little more and see what pleases your palate or to chat wine anytime.

JP's Wine & Spirits

3304 Glynn Avenue (Hwy 17 N), Brunswick

912.264.3695

jpswineandspirits.com