Meet the Sommelier: Wine Expert and Author Jeff Schiller

Jeffrey Schiller is a product of his 6 years working at Procter & Gamble, an MBA at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business, and almost 10 years of study and work in the wine industry, working with wineries from across California, Oregon, Washington, Australia, Argentina, and Italy. He is a candidate for the Wine & Spirits Education Trust Diploma and currently lives in a tiny New York City apartment. He needs to go to the gym more, but instead you will find him at Smorgasbourg, Eataly, Terroir, and the Museum of Natural History. Schiller is the author of "Wine Hack: Wine Education that Starts with your Mouth, Not Your Head."

Broadwayworld.com had the opportunity to interview Jeff Schiller about his career and his book, "Wine Hack."

What special personal qualities or talents have enhanced your career?

When you're pursuing your passion, you are also likely holding down a day job. I wanted to change American's adventure with wine, which started with a book, "Wine Hack." But my day job steals about 80 hours of the week, leaving me little time for this passion, or friends, or family. So the truth is that work ethic has always been important to separate yourself from the pack. Getting this project off the ground is directly dependent upon an ability to work when mentally or physically exhausted or when not the best version of yourself. You still have to put your best foot forward - it's hard and tiring, but ultimately rewarding.

Who have been some of your professional mentors or individuals that have inspired your work?

One of my best friends in the wine business is Joseph Carr, long time Napa Valley vintner and founder of Josh Cellars, the wine label that I currently manage (the day job). When I had just started writing the book, I sent him an early draft, very unsure of myself and skeptical that I should pursue it. After reading my first two chapters, he sent me a four-word email: LOVE IT. DO IT. People are in the wine business for so many reasons, the history behind it, the cultural expression of so many different wine regions, the pure love of the beverage itself. For me, what keeps me coming back, it's the cast of characters that makes the wine. I'm moved by them, inspired by the lives they lead, the stories they share, the wine they make, and how much I learn from them. Joseph Carr is definitely at the top of my list.

Tell us a little about your travel experiences as general manager of a winery and author of a book on wine.

Almost 10 years ago, I took two months off to work on my Spanish and relax a bit in Buenos Aires. I spent about 6 weeks re-establishing my Spanish fluency, eating steak, drinking Malbec, and quite unsuccessfully trying to land myself in the beds of most of the city's women. Towards the end of my stay, I decided to visit Mendoza, Argentina's Napa Valley. I tasted the wines, I ate the food, I met the locals. And I was inspired. I was scheduled to stay for 2 days, I stayed for a week. I found people that were passionate about making wine from their land, sharing it with anyone that would try it, and eager to share it with the food from their farms. Not only was I inspired, I was in love. In love with what wine could do. I also quickly realized that few of these amazing people making the wine had ever run a business before. I saw a role for myself in the wine business. That's the moment I blew up my career plans and dedicated my energy to the wine business.

Why do you find your career as a writer in the wine industry so rewarding?

It's my mission to get people to enjoy wine as much as I do. The world has an insane wine bounty, from Burgundy to Barolo, the Margaret River Valley to the Sonoma Valley, Champagne, Sauternes, Sherry...a seemingly ending variety of wines to enjoy... with your sushi or oysters, your pad thai or your pancakes. If people were educated just enough to know how all of these things match up, brunch becomes more than a boozy ritual with friends, it becomes your next decadent discovery and culinary adventure, where NYC's ambitious wine lists and creative menus offer you endless delight. I'm convinced that the biggest barrier for people with wine is being able to articulate what they like. With my book, Wine Hack, I want to solve that, so that everyone has as much fun with wine as I do.

What is one of your favorite meals and what wine would you select for it?

I am a simple man, probably because I'm from Ohio, so I find myself enjoying the simple things. Funky cheese and Sauternes. Friend chicken and Champagne. Jamon Iberico and Sherry. Potato chips and Sonoma Coast Chardonnay. If you made me pick one, I'd have to give you two. The tan-tan noodles from Spices in San Francisco with a bottle of Cheatau Y'Quem, or the chicken and waffles form Bouchon in Yountville, with any grower Champagne. People often play that game, what could you live without if you had to: good sex, good food, or good alcohol. These are two meals that will convince you that you could, in fact, walk away from sex forever.

Tell us a little about the organization that you currently work with.

Most of my time is spent running a fast growing wine business, the Josh Cellars winery. But my new love is my book, Wine Hack, and my mission is to give people the tools to have as much fun with wine as I do. I'm working on an online video series, a television treatment, and do events and tastings across the country in pursuit of that not-very-serious but very-fun mission. For New Yorkers, check out upcoming Wine Hack classes with the Brooklyn Brainery and follow @WINEHACK on Instagram for a preview of the web series, shot exclusively against the landscape of our amazing city.

For more information on Jeff Schiller, his book and upcoming events, visit http://winehack.nyc/index.html.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Jeff Schiller

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