In 2010, Patrick Olds was contemplating going to law school while serving at the Four Seasons, with wine knowledge limited to the color of the liquid in the bottle. The 27-year-old beverage director and general manager of Louie’s Wine Dive has learned a few things since then. After countless hours studying for his advanced sommelier certification, a rigorous exam that focuses on theory, blind tasting and serving some of the best in the business, Olds passed in March. Here, Clayton’s wine prodigy shares his thoughts on tasting, testing and the can’t-miss glass on Louie’s ever-changing wine board.
Learning Curve
“My parents never drank wine growing up. When I first started at the Four Seasons, I didn’t know the difference between riesling and merlot.”
Tasting 101
“The best way to tell the quality of a wine is to swish it around in your mouth like mouthwash – really get it in every avenue – then swallow it and tell me what you think.”
Bipolar
“When you go six-for-six, there’s nothing really that tops that amount of euphoria: You just blind-tasted six wines in 25 minutes, and you nailed them. But if you go one out of six, there’s nothing that will bring you down faster. It’s a little polarizing.”
Song and Dance
“If you’re a trial lawyer, you’re up and performing the way that you may be in service situations. I feel like I’m a decent performer. I feel like I do well in those situations. In addition, all those things that you learn – all the laws throughout Missouri and federal laws – I’m learning laws in different languages from around the world. The only thing that’s really different is that part of my test is drinking wine.”
Next-level Service
“I went to Sepia [in Chicago]. … Everything about the dining experience was exquisite. … If a server is doing their job at a high level, their head is on a swivel and they’re looking around all the time, so they’ll see people looking up. Immediately, I was always approached. Drinks were never empty, water was never empty, the table was spotless. It was just pristine.”
Insider Tip
“I will always have a GC riesling up on the board – GC means grand cru. Those don’t sell as much, but anyone that gets a glass of that, they’re always so amazed. … If I ever have a chance to drink anything really special, it’s GC riesling. It’s a sommelier’s dream.”
This article appears in April 2017.