An Interview with Veronica Picon

Veronica Picon is a sommelier, a wine educator, a mom, and a South American wine tour guide.  I’ve taken a number of her wine classes and she has graciously agreed to be the first interviewee for this blog.

Eat Drink Travel Write (EDTW):  What got you first interested in wine?

Veronica Picon (VP):  I’m from Argentina originally, as you probably know already, and I had studied Hotel and Restaurant Management there.  Obviously when you are in the restaurant business you are always in touch with the wine.  I worked in several places in Argentina.  Then when I came to Boston I worked mostly in restaurants and that really put me in constant contact with the wine.  I was very lucky to work in places where they really paid attention to the wine selection.  My first place to work was Tasca which is a place in Brighton with all Spanish wines and they actually looked for my assistance to find different wines and incorporate them into the wine list.  That was the first time I was able to taste wines side-by-side and look at the differences.  Then I worked at Tapeo where the owners were very involved in putting together a very good wine list.  I was their bartender and assistant manager, so I was pretty involved with the wines there.  And then the job that put me over the top was when I started working at L’Espalier.  The wine list there is absolutely amazing.  And the ownership puts a lot of time and effort into making sure all of the people who work there become very knowledgeable about wine.  After that I worked with Boston Wine Company as a wine distributor for several years.  So, basically, that’s how I got introduced to wine.

EDTW:  When you started at L’Espalier what job title did you have?

VP:  I started working there as a server which was extremely challenging compared to all my prior positions at all the other restaurants.  As a student of restaurants and hotels, I wanted to basically work through the entire tier of positions until I could find one that I really wanted to stay with.  So I started working as a server, but being a server at L’Espalier is not the same thing as being a server at any other place, I think.  You need to study before you start working, really.  It was very demanding.  It was extremely stressful at the beginning to tell you the truth because there were a lot of things I didn’t know even though I was a very knowledgeable person when it came to restaurants and hotels, but the way they do things there is very different.  So, that was my first position there.

EDTW:  What formal education do you have in wine?

VP:  I earned the WSET* certifications.  After three or four months of being a server at L’Espalier, the position of sommelier became available.  I spoke with the wine director and I asked him if it was possible for me to be trained to be the sommelier.  They were very happy I requested that position and they agreed to train me as the first woman sommelier the restaurant had ever had.  And I was their first sommelier to be awarded the “Boston Best Sommelier” title in 2002, by the way!

Along with studying daily on my own, I participated in wine tastings most mornings, either small in-house tastings or big tastings put out by distributors.  I also studied the different wines and regions we offered on the list, as well as understanding wine prices, and learning techniques on how to offer to customers the right pairing with their food choices.  It was a daunting job as at that moment we had over 600 wines on the list.  At the same time I found that WSET classes were being offered at Boston University, so I signed up.  I did all the levels up to the Diploma:  Intermediate, Advanced and the Diploma programs, which are extremely challenging classes.  Now they are taught here at BCAE (the Boston Center for Adult Education) by my dear friend and classmate Adam Chase - we studied together all through the WSET program.  He is an amazing teacher.  I highly recommend all of his classes.

[*  The Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) was founded in 1969 to provide high quality education and training in wines and spirits.  Since then, WSET has grown into the foremost international body in the field of wines and spirits education, with a suite of sought-after qualifications.]

EDTW:  I’m interested in the WSET classes, but it’s a matter of finding the money and the time.

VP:  I know.  They are not cheap classes.  It’s a big commitment, but I think it is worth it if you intend to do something with wine in the future or just interested in acquiring serious knowledge to be able to collect wine, or because you like wine, period.  I found them to be extremely helpful, but quite demanding.  I was not only working full time and studying full time, but also had one kid and was trying to have a family.  [Laughter]  Actually, when I did the Diploma program I was pregnant with my second son.  It was so hard.  I remember there were Bill Nesto and Sandy Block, the two MWs (Master of Wine) in the city at that moment, who were our teachers, and there I was carrying my huge belly around and they said they couldn’t believe I kept coming.  Well, what did they want me to do?  [Laughter]

EDTW:  It must have been very challenging being pregnant in a wine course when everyone warns against alcohol consumption during pregnancy.

VP:  We never drank wine in the classes, we only tasted the wines.  That is one of the first things I mention when I teach my classes.  It’s a very different thing to taste than to drink.  Everybody knows how to drink wine, but you need to learn how to taste it.  And I always like to emphasize that difference at the beginning of my classes because you have the choice:  you can drink it or you can spit it.  In all WSET classes, as well as in the wine tastings, we spat the wines, because you taste through so many wines in a class (or tasting) that if you drink it, by the tenth wine you do not have the ability to make out any particularities of the wine.  We had classes that lasted 3-4 hours sometimes and you tasted all through a range of different wines necessary to meet the curriculum sent from the U.K.  The teachers needed to respect an order and a certain amount of wines per class.  Obviously you get a little bit of alcohol on your tongue, no doubt, but you don’t drink it.  But in regards to my drinking then, no, everyone knew I wasn’t drinking.  [Laughter]  It wasn’t an issue.

EDTW:  How long have you been teaching wine classes?

VP:  About twelve years.  I’ve always enjoyed teaching classes.  I remember when I was working at L’Espalier and wearing several hats during some parts of the year:  sommelier, assistant beverage manager, assistant maitre d’, helping out at Sel de la Terre (a sister restaurant to L’Espalier), hostess or server when there wasn’t one available; they were long and stressful hours.  And one of the only things that took me away from all that craziness was knowing that I had a class to teach at BCAE.  It was always fun to do; it has always been fun to do.

EDTW:  And you’ve been doing your wine tours?

VP:  Yes, I started the wines tours to Argentina in 2005 and I did them for three years in a row:  2005, 2006 and 2007.  Then 2008 was the year of the economic crash and I was planning to do a tour, but it was pretty difficult figuring out how to arrange it and being responsible for such an large amount of things at the moment when all the mess was happening.  Actually I’m so glad I didn’t do it, because November was the worst month in ’08, and that was the month I usually went down there.  So, since then I’ve been looking to do it again and I’m going to start planning it soon.  You’ll be one of the first to know!  It is a lot of work to organize it, and this is an election year in Argentina and a lot of things can change with an election.  And surprises have been an issue – there’s a huge inflation there even though they don’t say it.  So I need to start researching the potential cost of a trip again.  It used to be very affordable, particularly because of the style of trips I do.  I like to emphasize on the “Argentine Experience” I can offer when we go there.  We stay a few days in Buenos Aires, but not in the Hyatt.  We go to small boutique hotels, where we can have a real cultural experience.  We go to restaurants and places that locals go.  Then we take a plane to Mendoza, where we spend 3-4 days tastings wines all day, visiting wineries and traveling the spectacular sights of the Andes, the mountain range that separates Argentina and Chile.  Here we also stay, eat and visit wineries that wouldn’t be on your traditional Wine Tour offering.  I have a big advantage being a native from Argentina to be able to show all the real things we do there, not the touristic perspective only.  It’s a lot of fun.  I don’t have a website yet, I need to work on that.

EDTW:  What advice would you give to someone interested in working in wine?

VP:  A person that is interested in working in wine should try to get their hands on wine as much as possible.  One important thing is to be aware of the amount of wine that is around and try to start identifying the different countries, the different regions, the different grape varieties.  And read, read, read, there are tons of books that can teach you a lot about wine.  Try to take BCAE and, when ready, WSET classes, that is one of the best ways to get started.  Also, if you are really serious about getting into wine, I would try to get a job in a wine store, even if it’s part-time or on the weekends, there’s not going to be a better way to get introduced to the world of wine.  There are many things you can do once you have some serious knowledge:  you can offer your services to a local restaurant for the weekends to work as a sommelier; you can start teaching; you can do many things.  But you have to acquire knowledge first, you really do.  We have on the East Coast a very demanding and knowledgeable crowd; you do not get by without serious knowledge around here.

EDTW:  What would you say is your personal favorite wine?  Or is that too hard to pin down?

VP:  The region that I always go to when I think about my favorite one, and it is difficult to pinpoint one because there are so many wines that are so perfect for a particular occasion, or a particular food, but the way that I see it is that if I were told that I had to choose only one region to drink until the end of my life, I’d choose France.  I think that is where I get the most pleasure:  the wines from France.  There is a tremendous diversity in French wines:  you have the delicacy and softness of Burgundies - one of my favorites; along with the elegance of the wines of Bordeaux; the robust wines of the Rhone Valley; the distinctive wines of Sancerre and the Loire; as well as a more modern style from the wines of Provence and Languedoc.  You have an incredible variety in France, so that is what I would choose as my favorite region.

EDTW:  What would you say the future holds for you regarding wine?

VP:  I don’t know yet really.  I would like to continue to work in wine.  I do enjoy teaching and conducting private wine tastings, which I do a lot as well.  I will continue with the trips to Argentina and, with time, I will try expand them to different regions in the world – that would be something I would like to do in the future.  And once my kids are grown up and they don’t need me as much as they need me now, I would like to work as a wine director in a hotel or a hotel with a restaurant where you can be hands-on selecting wines and training staff, but you have a more friendly schedule.  You may not have to be there from 8:00 in the morning until 2:00 am when the restaurant closes.  Restaurant life is a very demanding life.

EDTW:  Thank you for sharing your story and your good advice.  Muchas gracias.

VP:  You’re welcome!

If you want to contact Veronica for her Private Wine Tastings or upcoming Argentina Wine Tour, feel free to contact her at:  veronicapicon@gmail.com.

Additional Boston Photographs

In my quest to photo-document my morning walk through historic Boston, I ended up with more photos than could fit in the post.  However, I realized that the unused photos could be of interest and hence this addendum to the original post.

The Robert Gould Shaw and Massachusetts 54th Regiment Memorial is located across Beacon Street from the State House.  It commemorates the African American soldiers who, during the early years of the Civil War, volunteered to fight for the Union at a time when African Americans were not allowed, due to racism, to enlist as regular soldiers.  They were led by a white officer, Robert Shaw.

George Washington, depicted upon his horse, is silhouetted against the morning sky in the Public Garden.

The suspension bridge over the swan boat lake in the Public Garden (with a view of some of Boston's homeless sleeping underneath).

A relief scuplture in honor of the Puritans and their founding of Boston in 1630.

Statues that bring the ducklings from the childrens' book Make Way for Ducklings to "life."

Boston's Back Bay is full of churches.

A Morning Walk Through Boston

As I live outside of the Boston city limits, my commute entails taking a bus, a train and a trolley.  Though on many mornings I choose to skip the trolley and walk from Government Center to Copley Square.  It's a lovely, mostly downhill, walk through historic parts of Boston, including the Common and Public Garden.  Here is my walk-alogue:

I exit the T (the Boston subway's nickname) at Government Center and am on a multi-level brick plaza in front of Boston's City Hall, a building loathed and praised as a prime example of Brutalist architecture - a style of architecture prevalent from the '50s through the '70s which is often striking to view, but not necessarily pleasing to the eye (my thanks to Wikipedia for the info). 

I then walk a block on Cambridge Street until it intersects with Beacon Street, turn right and head up Beacon Hill.  On the right, at the top of the hill, is the Massachusetts State House, a very beautiful building designed by Charles Bulfinch in the Federal style and completed in 1798. The building's dome is (or at least was) gilded with gold leaf to create a shining beacon.

Three of the iconic buildings of the Boston skyline

To my left, the Boston Common falls down the hill and out toward Back Bay, a section of land that was reclaimed from swamp and river many, many moons ago. I usually walk on a wide path that parallels Beacon Street until I turn off toward the main entrance to the Public Garden.

 

Boston Common, the oldest city park in the U.S., was established in 1634 and had once been used as a communal cow pasture. It is a large, tree-filled expanse, dotted with statuary, fountains, a graveyard, a seasonal carousel, and a large wading pond, the Frog Pond, favored by children suffering from summer heat.  In the morning the Common is filled with joggers, dog walkers, commuters, homeless, elderly Chinese doing Tai Chi, and a very large, boot-camp-style exercise group. Once I saw one of the elderly Chinese women with her leg up on the back of a park bench, and since she was short her leg extended up and out past a 90 degree angle, much higher than I could ever hope to get my leg that early in the morning! 

My path takes me across Charles Street and through the ornate gates of the Public Gardens. 

This is a smaller park, but is filled with formal flower beds, topiary, and a wonderful, old bridge crossing the pond where the famous Swan Boats float.

I head out the opposite gate and cross Arlington Street to walk down the middle of the Commonwealth Avenue Mall. At this point Comm Ave, as it is locally known, is a wide boulevard with a park running down the middle that has a tree-shaded central path with a statue or monument on every block.

I continue down to Dartmouth Street where I turn left, cross Newbury Street (a chic shop and bistro filled fairway) and arrive at the corner of Boylston Street. Straight ahead is Copley Square, another public park, which is surrounded by the Boston Public Library, Trinity Church, the Copley Plaza Hotel, and a strip of office buildings. On Tuesdays and Fridays from May to November, there is a farmers' market set up on the sidewalks surrounding the central lawn - which for me was one of the selling points for taking a job in this location. 

Thus ends my morning walk through historic Boston.