Ep. 163 Monty Waldin interviews Will Predhomme (Sommelier & VIA Italian Wine Ambassador) | Education meets Business

Italian wine podcast. Chinching with Italian wine people. Hello. This is the Italian White Podcast with the Montey Walden. My guest today is Will Pridom from Canada. How's it going, Marty? Pretty good. How's it going with you? I'm I'm hanging in. Yeah? Yeah. It's a crazy show. I've there right now. He's a crazy show in here as well. So so who, basically, who are you, and where are you from? And what do you do? Alright. I do a lot of things. I wear wear many hats these days. I'm I'm from Toronto, Canada. I'm actually originally from Windsor, Ontario, small town across from Detroit. So how did you what did you move from one side of Canada to the other? No. No more so job opportunities. Yeah. Toronto is the kind of economic hub of Canada and, where I'm from, it's that's a little depressed. So it was a matter of just necessity. And then I happened to get in right at the right time, frankly. When did you get into what? I mean, in wine? Or wine career life, all that fun stuff? I moved there when I was twenty six. I took a sommelier job with one of the best how would I put my arms down? Yeah. Oh, I'm moving the table. That's why. Your big legs. Yeah. That's a strong guy, you know. Oh. Your muscles are bigger than my thighs. So, yeah. Yes. I don't know how to take that. No. Can we start that question again? Good. So how did you how did you get into wine? Okay. I, I started in Western Canada. I worked for fairmont hotels and discovered the, the career path of similar in the early two thousands. And it wasn't very popular at the time. Hoping it's all. Yeah. It was kind of non existent, really. I mean, where I lived, it was a tourist area. There were a lot of mountains and a lot of, a lot of great dining. So I just over the path and decided to follow it because it hit on a number of of interests of mine, such as geology geography history, food and wine, there was culture, and I'd recently returned from Europe, where actually I I discovered wine cerebrally in Italy. And I'll talk about that in a little bit, perhaps. But, the career pathway is something that wasn't being done by many people. I thought it was very interesting for myself. I was kinda lost at the time. I decided to pursue it and, got pretty good at it. And I ended up moving to Toronto, where there were a lot more, a lot more opportunities and jobs. And this is right at the beginning. I shouldn't say beginning, but the new renaissance of what is going on now in Canada. You talking about fine food and fine wine? Not only just fine food and fine wine, but more so diversity of food and wine, and it kind of an acceptance. One thing from being in a colony or going up in a colony of, you know, England essentially, and for France. I was getting there. Don't worry. I'll leave them out. Well, hence the the last name. Right? I'm a direct descendant, but, that being said, we have a, an amalgamation of cultures, in in Canada. It is truly a melting pot. We don't really have have a very strong distinctive Canadian cuisine. We do have native cuisine based on bannock and smoked fish and really great stuff, but that's not really that pervasive in our culture. It's mostly built off of, preserves a lot of braising, a lot of meats, some some vegetables, but the biggest asset to Canada and to Toronto right now is the the multitude of cultures that that brings in the foods along with it. So Toronto being this melting pot, it's the biggest population Canada of of different cultures, you can eat and drink just about anything. And our culture has also started to evolve from the dining side of things from, being very kind of reserved Victorian, to with a couple little blips of real in integrity and interest to this extremely diverse and and exponentially growing wine and food culture. So you, Canada, you're saying is moving from slightly sort of conservative. I'm saying that they have moved. Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. So in terms of opportunities for songs. Yes. Obviously, it keeps you on your toes because the range of potential matches with any particular wine is growing because of all these diverse food cultures that you're talking about. How do you keep all this stuff in your head? I don't know. I mean, it's been years of of practical application. You know, I I'm not the type of person to, and I all study a lot. I've been through a multitude of courses and continue to do so, but it's more so a very tactile thing for me. Right? There are rules. Yes. I get but I was fortunate to work at a a Canadian restaurant, if you will, called canoe restaurant, and it was very, top of the food chain high end, but not in the stuffy sort of sense. We had amazing ingredients all the time. Canada has a burgeoning wine culture as well that's starting to really see some momentum in certain varieties. But we we have to take from other we have to take from other cultures. So we had a very strong Italian selection, very strong French, very strong new world selection. It was quite diverse. Right? And then the dishes themselves, they had us, Canadian anchor to them, meaning produce, fish, everything was sourced where it could be. But everything was French technique or Italian technique or Asian technique or whatever it is applied to that. Right? So that gives you as a sommelier this this amazing breadth of opportunity to be paired food and wine. I was very fortunate to work with a chef who, at the end, I worked there for six years. We had such a dialogue that was nonverbal almost, where he'd just look at certain items on the plate, and I would as well, we'd have nonverbal communication be able to come up with these these really quite fun pairings. So when you talk about, like, how do I keep it all in my head? It just comes down to practice more than anything. I don't have almost a six six cents. Developed six cents. Correct. You know, some people have, you know, I've been very fortunate that been able to to tone. My palate really get to understand a lot of the the the cultural foods out there. It takes it takes time to develop and hone that, right? And I was in a great environment for that. I still am, frankly. Even though I'm I haven't been in restaurants for about four years full time. So what hot at the moment in Canada. Obviously you've got a monopoly system which complicates supply slightly, but what are the hot varietals coming out of Italy right now that Canadians are starting to love and get to know and appreciate? Well, we're fortunate in some ways, like not every province is monopoly, based, and you can get what you wanna get. You have to work specific importers sometimes, but, it's pretty fascinating right now. It is so explosive. It's almost adolescent, like the the culture there where things are changing. You've got these bursts of energy. You don't know if you're coming or you're going. So right now, we've got a very strong venniture movements. Right? Natural wines? Yes. And I think it's still I I don't want to go down that rabbit hole, but, that being said, I think it's starting to find some footing. We are getting some really cool wine bars that are starting to pop up right now. But, I mean, Japanese food, Italian is back again. French bistro started to really pop up right now. And people are just concentrating on classics and classic expressions, you know, the great restaurants in Toronto specifically are the ones that really race what they're trying to do. So if you're gonna be a wine bar, then you, you know, have wine bar centric food and and grow from there. If you're going to be Italian like pick your region, right, and make sure that you're nailing it. Same thing with French bistro. I mean, French bistro isn't complicated, but doing it well is like simple is often very quite hard to to manage when when you, you know, sometimes have ambition. So what what makes that little extra difference in terms of getting it okay, right, and getting it right, right, really right? Really right is embracing exactly what is from design to quality of products to technique. We we have a lot of, again, with with this melting pot of cultures. We have people from these places that have have done that there's excellent Mexican restaurants for people from go, I've come, and they're bringing their their their mentality more than anything. They could find the ingredients because we we we have them there. So making sure that you're being genuine. These restaurants that are opening, their their chefs are going out. The front of house is going out to those specific places like peruvian is something that's very much coming up right now. And instead of just saying, this is my version of Peruvian food, they're going down to Mira Flores in in Lima, and they're going to the best restaurants there. And, I really appreciate that. I think that's they they search for inspiration and often bring a lot of these individuals and ensure that we're, you know, trying to do our best. Some of the best Italian food I've had ever has been in Toronto, if you can believe that. Right? And I've been to I've been fortunate to come to Italy for the last four years at least two dozen times, and we're not lacking for for experimenting and trying, but we rival, right? And it's not because it's Canadian doing. It's a lot of Italians just applying what they do. So what what is what are your kind of, I noticed again a very difficult question, but sort of go to Italian wines that really are are are versatile. Just just say that the all of the wines in the in the restaurants are all sold out virtually, but there were three or four bottles left, and the menu was still all the stuff on the menu was still available. What are the those three or four wines that really are versatile that can go with almost anything that could tell you. Yeah. Tell me a good question. I know. But Yeah. I mean, like, I don't know if I would never look at Italy as being a one wine being catch all for everything. Right? You have this incredible diversity in Italy. Varieties. I I look at it like, okay, where am I going to go with the the the grape or the variety? As far as the nice thing about Italian wines generally, they go with food. Like, they evolve that way. So they they tend to have high acid these varying levels of tannin, but there is a tannic structure to them. Tmoraso is a white, you know, that comes to mind immediately. That's great versatility. Probably one of the ones I'm most interested in is, Verdicchio. It's so understated. The the region comes from. It also is understated. The wines have this salinity. And again, it's not a catchall, but man, does it ever go with, you know, seafood, adriatic food, a lot of, vegetarian items, which is also huge coming up right now. And it's also, of a dick is also Italy's best, easily, at least best value and it's grape variety that is that is absolutely rock solid top quality. I can't agree with you. Nabiiello Alianico. Mhmm. San Giovanni, for the reds. Vodicchio is like number one in terms of the white wine varieties and it's and it's plate. It is basic, that cheap. In in my memory, I agree with you one hundred percent. I mean, I I was blown away a few years ago at Calizione and, Barolo, and there was an amazing, display of ridiculous that their whole consortium was there. And every single one had impression and depth, and they could age. And you you, like you said, they're remarkably inexpensive. I don't wanna wax poetic too much about it because often when people hear that they're not expensive enough, they raise the price. Yeah. For sure. I don't know if they'll have that, issue so much because of, you know, the oceans of fuzzy batai the other that's being exported might keep those those prices down. But as far as reds, you know, San Giovanni is when it comes to mind, I'm finding more and more interesting, but I've I've always been a nebbiolo kind of person. Doesn't go with everything, though. Your question. Right? I mean, those tannins, but as far as beauty and elegance, we're finding lighter versions, which is really cool. I think, like, Langa is making some amazing nebbiolo in a very inexpensive price point. And compared to ten years ago, five years ago, even where they were kind of like the lesser, now those are kind of coming on board. I think it's clear. I mean, how do you how do you see Canada evolving in terms of food and wine in general in terms of either what people spend or or food stars or food and wine matching stars? Is it just a slow evolution or are there sort of spikes of activity? And then things calm down. A little trends that suddenly burst out of nowhere. Are you saying the Vannet duo, the natural wine movement is really taking hold? It it it is with a soon specific traffic, you know, I'm still I'm critical not in a negative way, but I'm just critical because I'm critical of offline in general. And, sometimes it's used as an excuse to, you know, be lazy or or hide fault, but I think they some amazing wines that have made in a very low intervention way, which is becoming extremely popular. Respect for land is extremely important as well. I think it's evolving to Canadian consumers knowing what your products are is extremely important. And until it really melts through into the, you know, into the entry level area. You know, it's not going to be all for everyone's people just don't care. Alright? But we are finding generally with food and wine that people are carrying more about where it came from who made it and hopefully filtering through a little bit of can I swear on here? Yeah. Okay. Through the bullshit of, marketing that can be out there where, you know, this is grown on a The greenwashing stuff. Yeah. The greenwashing. Exactly. I think we're moving into especially in Canada, perhaps more of a phase of critical awareness, especially with the way social media is being portrayed, but, you know, we don't know yet. That's wishful thinking. I think a little bit. Yeah. I think I think it's kinda hard of bigger companies particularly to to to pretend to be something that they're when you get smaller ones as well, let's let's be clear that pretend play the green card or environmental and stuff, but it is much easier to get found out. Which is probably in some ways a good thing in some ways, probably slightly negative. But overall, it does keep people on their toes. Final question about, obviously, is your job is about communication. Some of those are under very high pressure circumstances, with people that may be a bit antsy, they're waiting for their dinner. And how do you buy time as a song to think as a hang on. There's a couple of having two completely different dishes. I've got to find a wine for them. How do you buy time? Do you mentally? I know you're a man. You gotta do two things at once. Right? So go think it's best to be told what to do to be completely honest. That's a smart way to go about it. That's actually fairly easy. I mean, you you'd lean back to hospitality in general, right? Like if you're not hospitable, but first of all, if you're Sommelier, you need to be aware that you are in the hospitality industry. Are you friendly? And you're just aware that you're aware of people. You should be a people person. Right? We don't need as a Sommelier personally. Like, I don't think having the the know at all expressing what they know to you. It's few and far between these days anyway, right? But just be hospitable, you know, in those instances, taking the time, have the discussion. You know, normally, it's always I have people tell me what they want, and whether they know they're telling me or not. Right? And that's it's as simple as what do you like? You know, I could do the pairing, but I'm not so anal about that. It's more important that it works with their preferences because that's going to enhance their experience. Yeah. They're mood on the evening. For Sure. Yeah. You know, you have someone who doesn't go out to eat too much. I'm not gonna regale them with like the most interesting one in the world they've never heard of when they, you know, don't drink about it. They're just looking for a really great experience and value for dollar. And you can do that by learning a bit about their knowledge, just asking what do you drink at home normally? And if it's, you know, they're drinking, you know, a massive buffalo or something like that, that's cool. I understand where you're at. I'm not gonna bring you something. I'm not gonna bring you that nebula that I wanna drink. Right? I'm gonna bring you something a little bit lighter fruitier or judge their personality. Hey, are you adventurous? These these conversations are just little exploratory things. And if I need to buy time, I mean, you bring up wine for them to try for free. Yeah. Like, what's two ounces of wine that, you know, hey, I've got this while I think about that. Like, no one says, I'll forget it. Right? This is a terrible else. So Yeah. More often than not, they'll tell you that because they feel they feel reassured. Yeah. It's a trust factor. You know, these things these days, everything is about trust. At least in my mind, it's it's gotta be about trust. You have to trust is earned. You you can advertise, you can sell all your want. But, like, in the end, these people need to know that that you have their best interests in mind. I mean, they're going out. They have expectations. You need to be able to find a way to meet or exceed those ones, but just by earning that kind of trust where it's like, Hey, I've always said, if you don't like it, I'll bring you something. I'd like I'll find another way to to work with that wine. It's fine by me because there's two hundred other people coming in, but I, you know, I, I want you to enjoy it. And let's switch it up. Cool. Let's have some fun with it. I've had, like, count on two hands over that ten years have been a simile where I've had people have problems. And, you know, I've had only once where someone I couldn't find them a wine that they would like. They would like. Yeah. Well, you probably could find any of the lights. So, That's precisely. They were super weird. And they would just, like, ship their hands and, like, can't find anything for you. Have a good day. Yeah. But I listened there. I was listening to one of our listeners actually, they're hoping. Yeah. That'd be that'd be great. It's it. What are you gonna do? Right? Here's a beer. Enjoy. It's a beer. A horrible repair. Yeah. Exactly. That's what they wanted. They wanted to enjoy one where they hated it. Oh, dear. Well, maybe the door. Yeah. Yeah. Anyway, we'll put on some from Canada. Great talk to you. We could go on all night. I'm terrible at food and wine matching. Really? Yeah, I really am. I just kind of I just cook what I have in the cupboard and I drink what I have in the in the cupboard. At home, that's what I tend to do. Yeah. You know, it's like chefs, you never see them cooking the food at home. They're eating grilled cheese at the time. I'm the equivalent of that where it's, I have something that I wanna drink at home and something that I want to eat, I'm going to do that. And that mentality has extreme value generally, right? But you don't need to be an expert. You just gotta like what you do. And if not, it's your fault. Right? Yeah. Nice of all. Alright. Well, thanks very much. Well, for coming to talk to us today on the my podcast about Canada and about being a sommelier and strategies for dealing with customers. Thanks a lot. And strategies for dealing with podcast host like me. Yeah. You're very patient. Really? Yeah. I don't know how this I like to, having conversation I can't stand writing, been asked to write about myself before. Got it. And and it comes out, like, like, first of all, I ate it, and then it comes out, like, cheery sunshine. But you're a mutual bastard, right? So, you know, it's a really, really angry all the time. I just normally did too. So as I thank you to my guest today, Will Pridon. I'm all the way from Toronto in Canada to tell us about life as a Sommelier over that. Great to see you all, and have a safe journey back, and hopefully see you again on the podcast sometime. Thanks, Marty. Follow Italian wine podcast on Facebook and Instagram.