Other Merchants...Kermit Lynch

"I have never been one to worry too much about food and wine pairings. I give it some thought, for a minute or less. First, I tend to think regionally. I've always believed that the wine and food of a given region grew up together and go together. Then I ask, what am I in the mood to drink? It's that simple, and it works for me. Maybe I'm missing a lot, but I find that I am not creative about imaging how a wine and food will complement each other. I'm just not wired that way." 

- Kermit Lynch

Kermit Lynch is a wine importer. You'll see bottles with his label in a few wine shops and restaurants, more on the coasts than in the midwest. Buy anything you find without hesitation. They're always interesting, his taste leans toward French and Italian traditionalists who don't filter. He has a small retail shop in Berkeley, California, too. In the heart of American wine country he sells no American wine. The business just turned 40.

I've read his wine writing for over a decade and have yet to find a single thing I don't agree with. When I met him for the first time we tried some wine and he looked up after a couple sips and said, "After all these years I still can't tell what kind of grape a wine is made from just from tasting it. Lots of people can, but I need to read the label." The closer I get to food the more plain arrive the confessions.