tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post3045890786927546310..comments2024-03-22T00:35:12.415-07:00Comments on HoseMaster of Wine™: The SOMM Old ShitRon Washam, HMWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11238869156614617705noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-55567367864773044902016-02-11T18:35:46.408-08:002016-02-11T18:35:46.408-08:00Mr. Ramos,
Thank you for taking the time to write....Mr. Ramos,<br />Thank you for taking the time to write. I appreciate very much a critical letter that takes an engaging and civilized tone. Writing satire, as you know, is not about using that tone, but here, in the comments, it is appreciated. <br /><br />You have a point when you criticize my use of "the gentleman in the wheelchair." I should have used his name, but, for the most part, I avoided using the names of the MS candidates in the piece. But I stand corrected, and I think you're correct, that even in comedic context, it was insensitive. I apologize.<br /><br />"On a wheelchair" vs "in a wheelchair," OK. I'm not on a wheelchair, but I sit in a chair, rarely on a chair. My mother, when I misbehaved, told me to sit in the chair, not on the chair. So that was more force of habit than ignorance. But if that's more acceptable, OK.<br /><br />I don't apologize for the satire I write. It's supposed to make people think, and it's supposed to make some people angry. A satirist's job, even a crappy satirist like I, is to criticize, lampoon, ridicule, roast people who have power, or aspire to power, or, in the wine biz, aspire to letters after their name. It's meant to be cruel, and it's meant to sting, but it serves a purpose. No one has to like it. That Mr. Benjamin is a thoughtful and kind and passionate man is obvious, and I'm grateful for that. As for his pursuit of an MS, well, that's what I was criticizing.<br /><br />Again, thank you for writing. I sincerely appreciate your thoughtful comment.Ron Washam, HMWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238869156614617705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-6706024633019728212016-02-11T11:04:14.282-08:002016-02-11T11:04:14.282-08:00Hello Mr.Washam,
I am in a wheelchair as well and...Hello Mr.Washam,<br /><br />I am in a wheelchair as well and I am disappointed that you would label someone as you did "People who have tried nine (!) times to pass the MS exam (like the gentleman in the wheelchair on "Uncorked". I am not sure if you know the person in the wheelchair has a name and it is Yannick Benjamin and he happens to be one of the most generous human beings. Where presence of people with disabilities is limited in the media it is refreshing to see someone trying to break in the wine and hospitality industry where hiring of people with disabilities is limited as well. Keep in mind that he has to do service in a wheelchair and that has never been done and where something has never been done before it is more than likely that failure will happen but the fact that he keeps coming back to it should be complimented and not discouraged. While you spend your time putting down individuals like Mr.Benjamin who are making a difference in the world perhaps you can take the time and appreciate his love for wine, hospitality, and advocacy. We will not make progress in the disabled community as long as people such as yourself continue to have labels like the "person in the wheelchair" and keep in mind the wheelchair does not define him and he is not in a wheelchair but on a wheelchair. Please realize that not everyone has an agenda for self gratification but an agenda to make a difference in the world and share their passion as Mr.Benjamin has shown and I am proud to know that there is someone out their improving the lives of so many.Jese Ramoshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14651900137658866765noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-60887384138106481752015-12-03T07:01:55.985-08:002015-12-03T07:01:55.985-08:00Mondeuse, madame Sam! You have made me even more s...Mondeuse, madame Sam! You have made me even more sommber than I was yesterday.<br /><br />Miss U2. How's that for appspeak?Thomashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07322028233207741737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-22577957149653927752015-12-02T20:05:16.224-08:002015-12-02T20:05:16.224-08:00You had me at "Mondeuse", Samantha.You had me at "Mondeuse", Samantha.Douglas Trapassohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18348522207945522495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-49770822286699898232015-12-02T19:31:35.739-08:002015-12-02T19:31:35.739-08:00Thomas,
But I am full of as much shit as a biodyna...Thomas,<br />But I am full of as much shit as a biodynamic Mondeuse vineyard in Napa...if that helps.Samantha Duganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05214278596698698245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-61898197613123537782015-12-02T17:16:28.040-08:002015-12-02T17:16:28.040-08:00Not certified!
I am sommwhat despondent.Not certified! <br /><br />I am sommwhat despondent.Thomashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07322028233207741737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-11558156870258615342015-12-02T15:53:18.775-08:002015-12-02T15:53:18.775-08:00Thomas,
I confess that the genre doesn't bothe...Thomas,<br />I confess that the genre doesn't bother me, and I saw that Uncorked thing much like I see the Housewives of Whateverthefuck, I can be both captivated and repulsed at the same time...and I wouldn't want to be like any of them. <br /><br />Thanks for the compliment on my baboons, hate to confess though, they aren't certified.<br />Miss you mister. Samantha Duganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05214278596698698245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-15008635745353391352015-12-02T14:28:19.207-08:002015-12-02T14:28:19.207-08:00Those are somm baboons you have there!
I was talk...Those are somm baboons you have there!<br /><br />I was talkin' to Sam, not you ...Thomashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07322028233207741737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-32522292269676157952015-12-02T12:16:22.941-08:002015-12-02T12:16:22.941-08:00Thomas,
Sure, show up and talk to Samantha. I get ...Thomas,<br />Sure, show up and talk to Samantha. I get it.<br /><br />Reality shows are less about lack of imagination, and more about that you don't have to pay the "actors." Very easy to produce and edit, and people love to watch other people act foolishly, as we love to watch the baboons at the zoo. <br /><br />Baboon Somms! Now we're talkin'!Ron Washam, HMWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238869156614617705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-87984097698676121712015-12-02T10:19:47.669-08:002015-12-02T10:19:47.669-08:00Sam::
You certainly know how to make me smile, wh...Sam::<br /><br />You certainly know how to make me smile, which I did after reading this: "how many people know who the Kardashians are and have no idea who Bernie Sanders, Ben Carson, Bill Nye or Neil de Grasse Tyson are?!" <br /><br />Whether TV or theater-bound, if it claims to be a reality show count me out. Reality has become the biggest hoax in entertainment, made for those who can't come up with their own imaginations. <br /><br />As for sommeliers, et al: they are separated by a thin hair from collectors. Obsession has little to do with love. Thomashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07322028233207741737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-86189073574824789372015-12-02T08:06:03.515-08:002015-12-02T08:06:03.515-08:00Rew,
Cheers, man! I think I'm just jealous I c...Rew,<br />Cheers, man! I think I'm just jealous I can't ever be The Hair.<br /><br />Martin,<br />Yes, an international franchise! Why didn't I think of that? Though I am working on SOMM: The Musical! Starts with The Hair singing, "The SOMM'll come out, Tomorrow!" It gets worse from there.Ron Washam, HMWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238869156614617705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-7924710225923846912015-12-02T03:15:46.520-08:002015-12-02T03:15:46.520-08:00Got another for you.
SOMM: Enter The Flagon.
Th...Got another for you. <br /><br />SOMM: Enter The Flagon. <br />The producers look to expand the franchise’s appeal by taking it to Asia. Our hero Kruth adds an MK, master of karate to his MS and impresses Chinese millionaire restaurant customers with his ability to ‘sabre’ Champagne bottles using only his hand. He sneers at them for their inability to properly pronounce Lafite or Latour but the Chinese have the last laugh when gangsters make perfect toupee copies of Kruth’s hair and flood the market with fake Master Somms.<br /><br />Martin Moran MWMartinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09362846501337314814noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-90455605544680652172015-12-02T00:55:47.024-08:002015-12-02T00:55:47.024-08:00Very funny and enjoyed your creativity. I had to G...Very funny and enjoyed your creativity. I had to Google the hair and hence the name: <br />On a recent Sunday morning in downtown Petaluma, 34-year old Geoff Kruth sits sipping a coffee and looking relaxed in a simple blue T-shirt and jeans. He has a boyishly handsome look to him, not at all what one might expect from one of the world's most highly certified wine experts - and then I threw up in my mouth. <br /><br />excerpt from: Not Your Average Wine Snob http://www.bohemian.com/northbay/not-your-average-wine-snob/Content?oid=2173440Rewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11586377188991081351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-26948553988701017562015-12-01T17:31:34.085-08:002015-12-01T17:31:34.085-08:00My Gorgeous Samantha,
I didn't make you watch ...My Gorgeous Samantha,<br />I didn't make you watch "Uncorked," I told you I thought it was stupid and you watched it anyway. Yeah, I know, you were kidding. <br /><br />Here's my bottom line, I guess. Over and over and over I hear folks complain about snotty, snooty sommeliers. Perhaps with some justification. SOMM and "Uncorked" won't help sommeliers become more humble, or even be better at hospitality, they will only make the occupation seem more important, more exalted, make sommeliers seem the ultimate wine authorities, which they most assuredly are not. Even if the film is good, and even if it's objective, it still plays into that. Nobody is making a film about a buyer for a wine shop, though you're much more interesting than anyone going for an MS. And I guess that's what bothers me. Oh, and let's not forget that both the film and the TV show are done for fame and money, not for the love of wine.<br /><br />Thanks for engaging me on this subject, My Love. And great to have your Voice here, a Voice all too absent in the blog world.<br /><br />I love you!<br /><br />Douglas,<br />I'm not sure about your prediction, but you could be right. The wine biz needs subjects to debate, talk about, beat to death, whether it's Natural Wines or sommeliers. Nothing I like more than to join in on beating a subject to death.Ron Washam, HMWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238869156614617705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-8071628021000893782015-12-01T13:01:28.238-08:002015-12-01T13:01:28.238-08:00I’m liking Uncorked a little more than Somm #1 (I ...I’m liking Uncorked a little more than Somm #1 (I personally know two of the six candidates) but do agree with Samantha; watching these folks treat wine like a lab rat running through a maze is ultimately depressing to me. (And will we ever see even a minute of footage of these Good People actually doing their Actual Job?) When you turn one of God’s great Creations into Jeopardy or ESPN, I am sorry, but something priceless gets lost.<br /><br />This is just my prediction, and I will be happy to admit if I am wrong, but in about eight-ten years, I am guessing that the consensus within the wine world will be that this over-emphasis on the “somm” was a mistake. A well-meaning, well-intentioned mistake that pulled more folks away from wine than towards it.<br />Douglas Trapassohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18348522207945522495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-81053224988995599452015-12-01T12:41:40.661-08:002015-12-01T12:41:40.661-08:00Ron My Love,
No, I liked the film for the reasons...Ron My Love,<br /><br />No, I liked the film for the reasons I mentioned earlier. Got to know Jason a little better after seeing it so it was just a nice aside that I happen to like him. Now reading the last response I think I can see where you and I are getting tangled. I didn't see the film as glorifying those guys, not in the least. I think that was what I was trying to get across by saying you got what you came in with from the film. If you went into it thinking those cats are crazy, cool, assholes, the film didn't change the way you felt. Know what I mean? So if you saw them as glorious to begin with then yes, it was a glorification. If you thought them asswads your feelings were confirmed by seeing the film. In fact I even heard one person say it was more of an objectification, which is what I meant by saying it was sort of polarizing for some. <br /><br />I happen to agree with you about the fact that the people that do those exams are after something else, in fact I think it becomes about concurring "This Thing" and for me, well I'd much rather be seduced and render beneath wine than try and dominate or concur it, so they are speaking a whole different language to my ears. Found myself twisting my head this way and that through the film and that damned Uncorked program you made me watch, sort of like a dog or cat when they hear something and are trying to figure out what is going on. I think I just found interesting how many people loved or hated it before they even saw it, but I guess that sort of makes sense in our business. <br /><br />Looks like somms are the new chefs, every young hotshot wanting to make a name for themselves, be the next big deal. Fine by me, I'll just sell wine at our little shop, be able to lock the doors at a reasonable hour with nearly no one knowing my name...and not flashcard in sight!<br /><br />I know you are writing satire Love, what did you expect from me, "Great post Ron!" if anybody knows me better than that it is You!<br />I love you too! Samantha Duganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05214278596698698245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-86415168104164135462015-12-01T10:27:49.272-08:002015-12-01T10:27:49.272-08:00My Gorgeous Samantha,
I deal in satire, which dema...My Gorgeous Samantha,<br />I deal in satire, which demands a black and white view of a subject. I'm sure SOMM is 90 minutes of thrill, but I don't care. Any time it comes up in a conversation that I was a sommelier in a previous life, I'm asked about SOMM. Did I see it? What did I think? While it may have been an entertaining film, my own feeling is that it would make me cringe to watch it. Truthfully, it's a film of its time. Ten years ago, it couldn't have been made, or sold to a film distributor. There's a current fascination with becoming a sommelier, one that didn't exist when I did the job. I guess that's good. But achieving Master Sommelier is a different thing. It's a fatuous and silly certification, and the people who are capitalizing on it are not my favorite people in the wine biz. So, hell, I go after them. Gives me joy.<br /><br />You and I share a love of wine. Not a love of wine as test material. People who have tried nine (!) times to pass the MS exam (like the gentleman in the wheelchair on "Uncorked") seem to be after something else. Not sure what, but it's rather sad. Glorifying such a humiliating and ultimately useless career path strikes me as satire worthy. Obviously.<br /><br />Everything about wine is subjective. You liked the film because you like Jason, I suspect. Which is cool. I don't know him, and I'm sure, at this point, he's not very fond of me. So be it. There's no correlation between liking SOMM and loving wine, as you know. But as a recovering somm, I can tell you, without having watched it, that it just makes me sad.Ron Washam, HMWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238869156614617705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-9815792833331487442015-12-01T10:20:58.930-08:002015-12-01T10:20:58.930-08:00Ron, https://sommslist.com/home.php
You should ha...Ron, https://sommslist.com/home.php<br />You should have fun with this site.<br />MChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11578776481066910388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-1120486212158765172015-12-01T09:39:49.452-08:002015-12-01T09:39:49.452-08:00I just saw the trailer for "SOMM: The Whizze...I just saw the trailer for "SOMM: The Whizzer of Odds," It's about a Somm named Dorothy who finds himself in San Francisco. "This ain't Kansas anymore" he tells himself repeatedly. In California he's allowed to assemble a list full of unusual, and often flawed, wines which are natural and frequently unfiltered. "You have to filter these yourself," Dorothy tells guests at the restaurant. (This is why the title for this film was chosen.) One of the cute musical pieces is sung while he's trying on uniforms at an SF haberdashery. It's "Somm Wear Over the Winebow." <br /><br />ANONYMOUS IUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08584622822476730756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-22941974533824269972015-12-01T03:01:22.241-08:002015-12-01T03:01:22.241-08:00"... You know, really, we’re just trying to m..."... You know, really, we’re just trying to make movie theater concessions look cheap."<br /><br />With luxury move theaters now offering wines-by-the-glass to patrons while comfortably ensconced in their fine Corinthian leather Barcalounger recliner seats, the concession mark-up for this plonk most be fearsome.<br /><br />@Unknown [a.k.a. Tish?]:<br /><br />You may be unknowingly onto something: "SOMM Wear" -- taking a page out of the playbook of http://www.chefwear.com/<br /><br />No SOMM would be complete without being "accessorized" with a Tastevin, silk robe, and matching cap:<br /><br />http://www.tastevin-bourgogne.com/en/index.php?page=61Bob Henryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02089688073031173053noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-65498983571177330272015-12-01T00:27:19.145-08:002015-12-01T00:27:19.145-08:00Ron,
I love that you brought up award shows, talk ...Ron,<br />I love that you brought up award shows, talk about the worshiping of false deities. I'd sooner shave my pubic hair with a cheese grater than watch some dripping with insincerity, bloated and self congratulatory shit like that. Watching a bunch of rich people hand each other gold statues for playing make believe? I think we should be pointing the finger at that kind of glorification, (as it is on a massive and dangerous scale...how many people know who the Kargashians are and have no idea who Bernie Sanders, Ben Carson, Bill Nye or Neil de Grasse Tyson are?! But they sure as shit know who The Donald is) because it can, and has, done some real damage. A movie about a nerd herd of wine people, (and between you and I, I'm not sure that kind of studying doesn't in fact ruin wine, or the passion for, for many of them but I don't know them, haven't spoken to or had them select wines for me as of yet...so I reserve my judgment until I have) that as you point out probably didn't make much money, so those "everyday folks" probably didn't see it anyway. <br /><br />Look, like all things wine it is subjective and those of us that love it, (wait does that exclude me because I liked the film? You did say it wasn't for people that really love wine) it can be fun to see a movie that involves this thing, this taste of place, this memory, this expression of a vintage that has drawn us and drives us to come back over and over again. But then again, maybe I'm just stoopidly in love and dreamy eyed. This stuff still moves me, hearing a cork pop, seeing the liquid fall upon itself in a glass, the way my mouth begins to water and my mind starts revving up in that snip of time I swirl the glass and watch the wine surf along the side. The anticipation, exploration and eventual submission of myself to that incredible puddle of expression. Well I'm sure it's just me being foolish but I'd rather be a fool in love than, well rather than most things. Samantha Duganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05214278596698698245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-83582347693492272182015-11-30T21:08:17.208-08:002015-11-30T21:08:17.208-08:00I forgot the most important point!
Samantha, I lo...I forgot the most important point!<br /><br />Samantha, I love you!Ron Washam, HMWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238869156614617705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-19545790092998460382015-11-30T21:07:29.434-08:002015-11-30T21:07:29.434-08:00My Gorgeous Samantha,
I'm not hatin' on a ...My Gorgeous Samantha,<br />I'm not hatin' on a film I haven't seen. I'm hatin' on a strange franchise that begins with the annoying shorthand, SOMM. I wouldn't go to see a film about sommeliers any more than a lawyer wants to watch Law and Order, or a doctor wants to watch Grey's Anatomy. That the second film is a love poem to wine couldn't be more boring to me. Does it say anything at all new about wine? I don't know, but I'm guessing not. Films like that remind me of the death montages at award shows. That it exaggerates wine's importance is a given. From there, it can only get cute and remorselessly simple. I don't know Jason Wise, he's a nice man you tell me, and you're no fool, so I'll grant him that.<br /><br />I don't see the films as polarizing, My Love. I see them as playing to their audience. Which isn't me, or anyone that really loves wine. It's really a film, I guess, about how stupid wine lovers can be, about how they'll sacrifice what's important about life in order to be certified an idiot. So I make fun. It's what I do. That others agree, and others disagree, is actually great for the SOMM series. Jason knows better than anyone else--in Hollywood, any buzz is good buzz.<br /><br />You're right about everything you say here, Gorgeous. I appreciate the other side of the coin, and you're always articulate and funny. You didn't rush out to see SOMM 2 either. The subject, at its core, isn't at all compelling. Wine is compelling, but it's compelling to all the senses. Movies appeal to one sense, vision, and that might be the least compelling sense when it comes to wine. SOMM isn't really a phenomenon. I suspect it didn't make a dime, and wasn't widely viewed. Like most films.<br /><br />Lastly, when it comes down to it, I'm opposed to the glorification of sommeliers, and fatuous certifications. SOMM, really, is about addiction, it seems, and emotional stupidity. But when I hear people in awe of what those clowns do to get an MS, I'm rather depressed and disappointed. And that's what I hear, all the time--people amazed at those who pass. It may be a hard test, but what it proves is the basic foolishness and shallowness of humans. I really wish that's what everyday folks learned from it.<br /><br />November 30, 2015 at 9:06 PM<br />DeleteRon Washam, HMWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238869156614617705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-19630215751638409862015-11-30T18:28:27.267-08:002015-11-30T18:28:27.267-08:00Ron My Love,
What's with you guys hating on a ...Ron My Love,<br />What's with you guys hating on a film you admit you haven't seen? Steve posted something a week or two ago about the new SOMM movie and the thing that stood out to me was this comment, "Haven't seen it. Won't see it, just trying to understand the phenomenon"....well if you won't see it you really aren't trying to understand anything now are your Steve? You do blind book reviews so I get it but I just can't figure out why this film/these films have been so polarizing for so many folks. <br /><br />I saw SOMM, and I liked it although it did not change in any way, shape, or form the way I view somms. If you went in thinking somms shit rainbow colored unicorn seeds you went out feeling the same. If you thought them big douchey dicksneezes, you still did after seeing it and as for the folks like me, well I thought it interesting to see a side of the business, much like winemaking, is just another side of this crazy wine world that I want NO part of. I know you were/are just poking fun Love. Just chiming in here because I don't comment over on Steve anymore.<br /><br />I like Jason, he's a cool guy that is into wine in a way I find very refreshing, he isn't letting himself get sucked into this camp or that one and fuck all if that isn't a rarity now a day?! He even broke my bawls about grower Champagne a little the last time, "Come on, there is some really great wine being made by the big houses too"...not sure I agree per se but I liked that he wasn't swallowing the hipster Kool Aid as it were. <br /><br />I did have to Google Geoff Kruth, never heard of him and the first thing I thought of, "Why do they have a picture of Tyler Florance here?" but I think it showed me that I clearly have NOT my finger on the pulse of that bit of our business...so maybe Jason should consider some of these films.<br /><br />As far as wine bloggers reproducing, I sort of thought wine blogging, in of itself created its own kind of sexual confusion capsules, you know, like the ones they are using in Champagne....or high school. <br />xoxoxox<br />I love you!Samantha Duganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05214278596698698245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-68537367528864925272015-11-30T17:14:32.639-08:002015-11-30T17:14:32.639-08:00Aaron,
I don't care is she is pregnant, I don&...Aaron,<br />I don't care is she is pregnant, I don't write for free for anyone but myself. What worries me is bloggers reproducing. Is that even legal?Ron Washam, HMWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238869156614617705noreply@blogger.com