Episode 184: Master the World With Evan Goldstein

Episode 184: Master the World With Evan Goldstein, MS

A W25 exclusive! Evan Goldstein, MS, chats with us first about his hottest new venture, Master the World, subscription-based and curated blind tasting kits. He is the President and Chief Education Officer of Full Circle Wine Solutions, and just the guy to explain … where has this been all of our wine tasting lives?!

*There was some Skype scramble and skipping during the first 2 – 3 minutes of the show, but the audio clears up after that.

Master the World

Last week we mentioned the Master the World (of wine) project in our Wino Radar. This week? Evan Goldstein, MS, is here to give us all the juicy deets!

About Evan (0:53)

Bio

Evan Goldstein, MS, is one of the nation’s most prolific food and wine industry veterans. His food and wine career started at age 19 in the kitchens of the Restaurant Le Saintongeais and the Hotel Lancaster in Paris, Auberge du Soleil in Napa Valley, and Chez Panisse Café in Berkeley, California. In 1984 he joined his mother Chef and Author Joyce Goldstein in opening the celebrated San Francisco restaurant Square One where as sommelier his wine lists received myriad awards. In 1987 he became the eighth American and youngest ever at the time to pass the prestigious Master Sommelier examination. Since 1990, Evan has created education programs, wine training and service hospitality schools with Seagram Chateau & Estates Wines Company, Diageo, Allied Domecq, and most recently, as the Vice President of Global Wine & Brand Education at Beam Wine Estates. In addition, Evan continues to train and examine candidates for the Court of Master Sommeliers as a Founding Board member.

Writing and Books

Evan is the author of Five Star Service: Your Guide to Hospitality Excellence (On Premise Communications Inc. publishers) and the critically acclaimed books, Perfect Pairings: A Master Sommelier’s Practical Advice for Partnering Wine with Food and its sequel, Daring Pairings: A Master Sommelier Matches Distinctive Wines with Recipes from His Favorite Chefs, both published by the University of California Press. In addition, Goldstein co-authored numerous books with his mother Joyce Goldstein, including ‘Wine and Food Pairing’ in the Williams Sonoma Lifestyles series. His latest literary undertaking, ‘Wines of South America: The Essential Guide’, (UC Press), was published in fall 2014.

Evan is a regular editorial contributor to America’s Sommelier Journal, a contributing editor for Wine & Dine and Indulgence magazines in Singapore, is the American wine correspondent for Wine Review, South Korea’s leading wine and food magazine, and is a recurring guest wine expert on NBC’s syndicated television show “In Wine Country.” He also makes regular guest appearances on the top-rated “Ronn Owens’ Show” on KGO Radio, and on Saturday morning television’s KPIX “Eyewitness News”, both in San Francisco, and on the nationally syndicated Martha Stewart Radio, hosted by Sirius. Evan has been twice included on the IntoWine.com’s “Top 100 Most Influential People in the U.S. Wine Industry” in 2018 and its original list in 2013.

Mastering the World

In September 2018, Evan and his business partner, Limeng Stroh, launched Master the World (www.MTWwines.com), subscription-based and curated blind tasting kits. This game-changing vehicle for improving one’s wine tasting abilities comes to life in monthly shipments of six wines (packaged in 187 ml bottles) enabling the user to blind taste wines, specifically curated by Evan and a panel of other Master Sommeliers and anaerobically decanted from quality finished bottles into tasting flights. You taste, evaluate, and then submit your findings online for immediate scoring, feedback, and, if you want, further live coaching by a Master Sommelier.

About Full Circle Wine Solutions, Inc.

Based in San Francisco, Full Circle Wine Solutions is a global wine and beverage education firm that grows brand loyalty and client profits through tailored wine programs and effective hospitality training. Using a vast and established network of sommelier educators, we host high quality and consistent wine tasting experiences across multiple locations around the world. Full Circle Wine Solutions also provides a resource for trade and consumers who have passion for wine and seek to grow their knowledge about wine at WineCouch.com.

(Biography information above provided by Full Circle Wine Solutions)

Master the Blind Tasting World – The Overview (2:24)

Evan details the subscription-based kit concept that allows Full Circle Wine Solutions to offer benchmark wine sets, ideal for blind wine tasting practice. He goes into the “legal and anaerobic” transfer process from 750 ml bottles to the small 187 ml bottles later in the show.

But it doesn’t stop with the kit. Once you evaluate the wines, you can go online and fill out their grid to get the instant results as documented by a panel of a minimum of three Master Sommeliers.

It All Started in Brazil (5:00)

He calls this his ah-ha or “Post-It” moment. And yes, they make wines in Brazil, and that is where this idea began fermenting. (See what we did there?) Evan was leading a group of American sommeliers on this tour. Each morning, one of his colleagues would create a small, private test setting in the hotel restaurant by requesting six glasses, pouring small samples that she had brought in her purse, and proceed to evaluate the wines in 25 minutes.

This inspired a series of questions regarding the selection of the wines (i.e. were they benchmark examples likely to appear on a tasting exam?), as well as the soundness of the transferred wine into the small bottles. After six or seven days in the hot Brazil climate, one had to wonder. Didn’t one? Evan did wonder, and three years later Master the World was born.

Did Someone Say Flowchart? (10:05)

Easy Val. And yes, you can see the flowchart (!), and more details about how Master the World works on their Indiegogo site. Evan shares even more background on the legalities of bringing this project to the crowdfunding masses.

By the way, Evan is funny – even when addressing the “Rubik’s cube of compliance and legality that would scare anybody away” when it comes to selling wine across state lines. So before they had to address these issues first and foremost to avoid, you know, jail time or fines.

Once the rap sheet risks are mitigated, then the selection of the wines, the re-bottling processes, lab tests, and other logistics are tackled. The wines selected will be typical examples of those regions and varieties, and these wines will be “gridded” by their expert panel and cataloged into their data base.

This is reassuring, and his explanation gave us, probably, the best quote from this interview:

“Nobody wants to be burned on some barrel-fermented Tursan out of Irouléguy that tastes like California Chardonnay … that’s an unfair thing to do … we aren’t going to do that.”

See? Funny! Unless it shows up on your blind tasting exam. Then nobody’s laughing. #AmIRight?

Jedi Wine Knight? (18:32)

Well, anyone who has ever sat a blind tasting exam, such as many of our listeners. Hell, this is the ultimate wine geek game night! Evan makes the point that it is for everyone, not just the pros.

It’s quite a boon for those of us who may not have the luxury of group tasting fun. Evan says that this will benefit any wine enthusiast, and that you do not have to be an aspiring Jedi wine knight.

Incentives and Rewards (26:13)

How does the Indiegogo campaign work? Evan tells us! You can check out the “backstage pass” perks, FAQs, and pretty much everything you want to know here. There are many options, voucher packages, and online coaching opportunities.

Can you have a personal session with Evan? Yes! (California listeners, you know who you are!)

Master the World Launch

Company launch video: Our Crowdsourcing Campaign 2018. Please visit MTWwines.com to learn more.

www.youtube.com

Contact and Click:

Master the World can be found on Instagram/Twitter/Facebook @MTWWines

Evan is @evangoldsteinms on Instagram, @daringpairings on Twitter.

Interested listeners can learn more about Master the World on the Indiegogo page (support now for early bird perks!): www.igg.me/at/mtwwines.

The Most Suspenseful Wine Story Yet (30:50)

No spoilers, but this one goes back to his somm-ing days, waaaay back in the late ’80s. Shoutout to date night at Table 10.

Big Shoutouts! (39:40)

Thank you Evan Goldstein MS, and Limeng Stroh! “Y’all the best!”
Also, big love to Andrea at Full Circle Wine Solutions for all the help setting up this interview. You are a gem!
We received this joy in the form of a Facebook message from Kayla in Auburn Hills, Michigan:
“I just want to let you know I love love love your podcast & binge listen to it while I’m at work … I love wine and trying new things is always on the top of my list. Listening to your show gives me a lot of insight on new things as to try… just want to say thank you for always enlightening me on new things. Cheers.”

Weekly Tasting from WTSO is our Podcast Sponsor! (41:24)

Weekly Tasting from WTSO, our show sponsor!

Weekly tasting is the perfect way to discover new wines with themed tasting sets. This is a great way to compare and contrast wines side by side in your own home.

You also get a guided tasting video, tasting cards, and pairing suggestions.

We’re thinking … gift giving! (hint hint)

Follow them on Instagram, FaceBook and Twitter and see what’s new and good!

Meanwhile, our listeners have their very own listener page at: weeklytasting.com/W25 to sign up and get started!

Or just click on the WTSO logo on the top right of this web page.