Cara McDonough Photo
On a Friday evening at the downtown location of the Wine Thief, a small crowd gathered near the tasting table was awaiting their next pour, eyes trained on the woman providing it.
“This wine plays a killer second fiddle to almost anything you can think of, from steak and potatoes to roast chicken — cranberry sauce for those of us thinking of Thanksgiving already,” said Janine Sacco, moving from person to person and allotting each a small, but not stingy, amount. “This is a really nice wine. It over-delivers.”
The free wine tasting — offered Fridays from 5 to 8 p.m. and Saturdays from 4 to 7 p.m. at both the downtown Wine Thief location on Crown Street and in the East Rock neighborhood on Whitney Avenue — serves as education for many potential wine buyers as they compare a few different bottles sold at the shop, which is named for a type of pipette used to remove (or “steal”) small amounts of wine during the winemaking process. The in-house tasting is highlighted by accompanying notes from an experienced staff member.
Sacco has been at the helm of this event on Crown Street, although she’ll soon be moving to a management position at the Wine Thief’s newest location in Madison, her hometown.
Though diminutive in stature, Sacco was a force when she spoke, breezily referencing historical details — the wars, kings and invasions that shaped a particular wine’s storyline — before shifting to a wine’s tasting notes. Her verbal repertoire in describing flavor was manifold, and surprising. Naming a Hungarian varietal, she said it bestowed hints of “bruised apple,” but also says that it reminded her of Airheads, the taffy-like candy.
Sacco came to wine after working in upscale restaurants in New York City, and watching people enjoy the “perfect union” of wine and food.
“I fell in love with that,” she said. “I loved being part of a team that could elicit that response.” She eventually returned to the New Haven area. She said she was lucky enough to walk into the Wine Thief one day, where they hired her. She feels fortunate to work at a shop willing to experiment with new and unusual wines, alongside infinitely knowledgeable coworkers.
Sacco’s connection to wine is more from the standpoint of a student than a consumer. While she enjoys it, of course, she admitted, sheepishly, that she finds the stories behind wine more alluring than the taste. She reads copiously on the subject.
“The history and science of wine fascinates me,” said Sacco. “If you look back on human history one of the main things that has remained a constant is viticulture. We’ve kept this alive for thousands of years.”
This fascination prompted Sacco to become a sommelier, an expert in the art of wine and food pairing, and she’s angling for a truly significant goal from there. Her plan is to eventually hold certifications as both a master sommelier and master of wine. Each has different requirements, ranging from knowledge of winemaking regions and winemakers, geography and hospitality to conducting blind tastings, and each test is incredibly difficult to pass, with low success rates on the first attempt. Sacco said only four people in the world have both certifications and they’re all men. She’d like to be the first woman to do it.
The 31-year-old said she’s giving herself seven years to get the designation, allowing time to fail and try again if necessary.
It’s a lofty goal. On the other end of the spectrum, Sacco and her colleagues at the Wine Thief are happy to share — and correct — the less lofty common misconceptions buyers have when it comes to wine. Sacco passionately listed some of the most common.
There’s the idea, for instance, that certain types of wine are always sweet, most notoriously sherry — a fortified wine produced in Spain — and riesling, a white wine that originated in Germany’s Rhine region. This isn’t true in either case, Sacco explained. Sherry is often one of the driest wines available (the popularity of cream sherry may have initiated the association with “sweet”) and dry rieslings are, obviously, much different than the sweet variety.
Continuing on that theme, she said, “fruitiness” does not equal “sweet”; there can be a dry wine that is also fruit-forward.
Another one? That bubbly wines such as champagne and prosecco should be reserved for celebrations. Sparkling wine is like a “little ninja” Sacco said, and pairs wonderfully with food. She recommended, for instance, an Italian sparking wine with pancakes for brunch.
She urged people to take rosé, the pink wine that’s been in vogue for some time, more seriously, sipping it with meals. “It doesn’t have to be a patio pounder,” she said, noting its popularity as an easily drinkable wine for an afternoon or night out.
And regarding the color traditions when it comes to wine in general? Throw them out, Sacco urged. Red wine doesn’t necessarily have to go with meat, or white with fish; there are enough varietals, including full-bodied whites and lighter reds, that there are endless possibilities when it comes to food pairings.
She noted that people do sometimes have adverse reactions to wine, particularly to tannins, the naturally occurring compounds in grapes. But that sulfites — used to preserve wines — get an undeserved bad reputation as headache-inducers. There are more sulfites in dried fruit than in wine, Sacco said.
Misconceptions, history and certifications aside, the bottom line is figuring out what people like. “No one’s drinking a story, they’re drinking a wine,” Sacco said.
That was been the general consensus at the Friday night tasting, as participants, including a few regulars, noted which of the four wines was their favorite that evening, some opting to buy a bottle and others just there for the experience.
Because while tasting was the focal point, it paired extremely well with Sacco’s talent for storytelling. The room was entranced.
“How do you know so much about wine?” somebody asked.
Sacco laughed. “I read a heck-ton of books,” she said.