Celebration of Wine fit for novice or nerd

I used to have a hard time getting into wine because I’d approach it the same way I do whiskey — in order to fully evaluate something new to me, I’d have to purchase an entire bottle of the stuff.

That can get expensive pretty quickly with wine, especially when you’re trying to explore some of the higher-end offerings from vineyards around the world. But once I realized I would never have the budget — or the fridge space — to maintain anything close to a respectable collection, I refocused my efforts to learn more by tasting as many different types of wine as possible without having to buy full bottles.

For local wine nerds, that means hanging out at places like Vino at Waterfront Plaza or Amuse at the Honolulu Design Center, where Cruvinet temperature-controlled wine dispensing systems have allowed bars to open bottles and continue to serve from them for up to six weeks.

I’m also a fan of special wine events, like next weekend’s Celebration of Wine at The Kahala Hotel & Resort. The Kahala is partnering with Wine Spectator magazine to present three events over two days that will appeal to the casual grape juice drinker, the serious oenophile and those who enjoy a fantastic meal with their wine.

All three will be hosted by master sommelier Gillian Ballance, one of just 30 women to have passed the Master Sommelier Diploma Exam through the Court of Master Sommeliers. She works as the national education manager for Treasury Wine Estates, which sells brands like Acacia Vineyard, Beringer Estates, Castello di Gabbiano, Devil’s Lair, Matua, Penfolds and Stag’s Leap Winery.

On Oct. 7, Ballance will guide guests through a tasting of wines judged to have scores of 90 points or higher by Wine Spectator. The 90+ Wine Tasting will feature pours of 2014 Beringer Private Reserve Chardonnay (92 points), 2013 Penfolds Bin 389 (92 points) and Hewitt Rutherford Cabernet (94 points) plus a few surprises. Small bites will be provided by The Kahala’s culinary team.

The fun starts bright and early on Oct. 8 with an educational seminar that will also include local master sommeliers Patrick Okubo and Roberto Viernes along with Ballance. Blind Tasting 101: How to Taste Like a Pro will feature a secret lineup of four wines that the experts will break down, explaining the process they go through when sampling a wine without knowing what they’re drinking.

Later that day, Ballance will join Kahala executive chef Wayne Hirabayashi and Hoku’s chef de cuisine Hiroshi Inoue to present the Napa Valley Wine Trail wine dinner at Hoku’s, featuring a secret lineup of Wine Spectator-selected wines.

Ballance, who is based in Napa Valley, Calif., checked in from Washington, D.C., last week during a business trip. She talked about what it means to be a certified master sommelier, as well as what guests have to look forward to next weekend at The Kahala.

Star-Advertiser: Did you always want to be in the wine industry?

Ballance: No, I was like many of my colleagues and worked in fine dining. I was at the Rainbow Room in New York City and studied finance at (New York University). Right out of college, I had to start working to pay off those student loans, so I continued to work in restaurants and got involved in wine that way.

Q: What made you decide to go through the process of becoming a master sommelier?

A: I really wanted it to validate my profession to my peers. I had been working in restaurants for many, many years, designing wine programs and wine lists. I feel like all of that experience contributed to me being able to pass the exam. I enjoy learning and wanted to take it to the next level. When I started studying about 10 years ago I thought it was a good way to get involved and be mentored by that community and further my career.

Q: Was there an immediate benefit to passing the exam?

A: No, not really. Certainly more doors open up, but you still have to have a good work ethic and be good at what you do. It is a great credential to have, but it doesn’t mean everything.

Q: What does a national education manager do?

A: I basically travel around the United States and educate our distributor partners on our wines. I act as an ambassador for the entire portfolio and handle educational content, putting trade materials together and developing presentations about all of our wineries.

Q: What’s the benefit of drinking wine that is scored highly by critics?

A: With scores from 90 to 94-ish, that qualifies as an outstanding wine. It’s a scale that works. Very few wines in the world receive 90-plus scores, so that means they’re excellent.

Q: Is this weekend’s tasting workshop geared toward wine experts?

A: No, not at all. It just goes through the process that people use to evaluate wines. It’s for anybody, beginner or advanced. I think it’s for all levels. If you’re intrigued about the process of evaluating the overall quality of a wine, then you’ll want to attend.