Answers, FINALLY

There were so many questions about this month's issue of Malmöbladet (which you can find here) that I've decided to do a "wine critic"-special. I say "critic" because I don't have a better word, but I like to think of it more as advice. After all, wine pairings are not scientific, factual evaluations, they're about taste. And as we know, taste differs.
Many of you wanted to know about my qualifications. I think I've said it before - I'm entirely self-taught. Though credit should go where credit is due - Igi has spent a lot of time and effort on blind tastings to further educate my palate. In fact, I'm not half bad. But it does, of course, also mean that I best know the wines I work with at Bloom: mostly old world of a certain type and quality that go well with the food that we serve. One of the perks is the knowledge one gains of odd, obscure grapes that grow on dry, craggly hills in the southern European outback; picked by hand by seventh-generation vintners who hate fancy-pants sommeliers that speak English with an affected French accent.
So how did I land this gig? Through network, people. A good network is on the lookout 24/7. I'm lucky.
And last but not least: taste. A fino sherry with meat? I'm an opinionated bitch and this is my space. But as you might have noticed, I specifically didn't write "one must unequivocally pair this dish with fino sherry". I wrote "I suggest you try this with fino sherry". Allow me to quote from the Wine Anorak: "We have to recognize that critics disagree about wines. The assumption that if critics are all equally experienced and competent, they will come to the same conclusion. That’s not how it is. So, you have to choose which critics you will follow."
Actually, the Wine Anorak has an excellent commentary on when critics disagree. Read it here.

Also, there's the ever-present discussion (why?) on how to pronounce Banyuls. Is the S silent or not? I say it as "ban-yoolz" but there's no reason to spit the "s" out. It's not like I'd not know what someone meant if they asked me for "ban-yool". It's French, for chrissakes. French is finicky.