I love talking about wine to people who share my passion for it. We open bottles, we exchange stories about travel and soil types, terroir and residual sugar, we talk about taste and food and restaurants. We recommend wines to each other, we drink and learn a lot.
In the Wine Talk I introduce you to friends, acquaintances and people I meet on my way around the world, people who love wine as much as I do, who live for taste, who grow and produce wine. You will appreciate their insights, and I hope you will learn something from them too.
I I’m not sure when I first met Marcus Gausepohl, but not long after I moved to Houston and started immersing myself in the food and wine scene, his name came up multiple times in conversations. It was 2013 and I had accepted the position of Editor-in-Chief at The Houston Press. Maybe I first met him at Brennan’s in Houston, where he worked (he also lists stints in the Ibiza Food & Wine Bar and Mark’s American Cuisine on his resume). I liked Brennan’s wine list and paid attention to the people behind it.
Gausepohl has been in the hotel business since he was 16 and began his relationship with wine during a trip to Europe. He tried and fell in love, then read everything he could and tried and kept learning. He got his first wine job in 2009 and recently joined one of my favorite Texas wine stores, Houston Wine Merchant. He is the senior sales representative and buyer for Native American, Australian and New Zealand wines in the business.
Visit him and buy a couple of bottles. You will have a engaging conversation, and if you love jazz, get ready for a passionate discourse.
Let’s see what Gausepohl has to say in the latest issue of Wine Talk.
James Brock: How has COVID-19 changed your work and your life?
Marcus Gausepohl: Like everyone else in the food and wine industry, it was a roller coaster and a bumpy ride. So please be nice to your service professionals, folks. On a more personal level, I was about to get married when the pandemic hit, and I was fortunate enough to have two weddings with the same wonderful person.
JB: Tell us about three wines that you think are good drinking right now. What makes it worthwhile? How about a food pairing for everyone?
MG: The 2019 Ridge Grenache Blanc Paso Robles. Ridge is one of my favorite producers and always impresses. If you ever get the chance to drink Ridge reds as they age, this is a whole different experience. But I was overjoyed with the Grenache Blanc 2019. I had this during a wonderful lunch on Farmstead in Napa with a fantastic trout dish.
Next comes a wine from Massican, the 2019 Annia, a Tocai Friulano / Ribolla Gialla / Chardonnay blend. Massican is the only white winery in the Napa Valley. I think that’s something like “serious summer white”. The wine is refreshing and interesting at the same time. I enjoyed this with some raw oysters during lunch.
This wine is on many favorites lists: Annia from Massican.
Christophe Buisson is an under-the-radar producer in Burgundy who makes great wines that are still available without breaking the bank. I loved his 2016 Bourgogne Blanc. He’s a relaxed and fun guy who I had the pleasure of having an Epoisses burger with. If you are curious about the Burgundy region or if you are looking for a new producer, it is worth looking for his wines. Grill a fish or seafood and open a bottle.
Christophe Buisson practices his craft in Saint-Romain in Burgundy.
JB: If cost wasn’t an issue, tell us which bottle you would add to your personal collection and why.
MG: Everything from Henri Bonneau (1938 to 2016) or Henri Jayer (1922 to 2006), iconic winemakers who really shaped the world of wine. The bottles are usually few and far between. I would encourage collectors to experience the wines if they can.
JB: What is your favorite grape variety and why?
MG: I don’t really have a favorite grape, but my old love is Burgundy wines. My favorite grape should be Pinot Noir, considering it makes so many of my favorite wines. . . However, when I delve deep into my wine history, I think that Riesling has always romanticized me in my life and has so often reinvented itself with food.
JB: How about a bottle that our readers should buy in the basement now for 10 years to celebrate a birth, anniversary or other day of the red letters?
MG: Mayacamas is one of my favorite wineries in North America. I don’t usually suggest opening the Cabernet years ago, although I had that recently in 2015 and it was fantastic.
Marcus Gausepohl loves Pinot Noir, but Riesling was an important part of his wine journey.
JB: Where do you go if you want a glass or bottle (outside of your home and work place)?
MG: That would be 13 degrees Celsius. They simply offer a great wine program all the time. I can’t say enough nice things about her.
JB: If you wish everyone was watching one thing while buying and drinking wine, what is it?
MG: People tend to drink the same wines over and over (insert the big name California Chardonnay here). Every bottle should be a new experience.
JB: What is your “wine eureka moment”, the incident / taste / encounter that brings you and the wine to an intimate level forever?
MG: I was in Hungary when I was young, maybe 20. I had the opportunity to taste in a cellar and the winemaker pulled out a bottle and said, “Tokaji”. Trying this was an experience that took me on further wine trails.
JB: What was the strangest wine-related moment or incident that you have experienced in your career so far?
MG: I was working the floor one night and a gentleman ordered a very nice bottle of white burgundy, around $ 700. I was excited to share the producer. When I got to the table, the other person dining with the guest asked me for a glass of ice. Without really thinking about it, I came back and quickly realized it was for the wine.
“No, if someone orders Merlot, I’ll go.”
JB: Your favorite wine reference in a literary work?
MG: It’s the film Sideways. Yes, it basically destroyed Merlot consumption, but I actually took a Sideways trip to discover this part of the wine country. In the end it was a lot of fun and I made great memories.
For more wine, travel and other stories from James Brock, check out his Mise en Place.