What happens when a Master Sommelier rewires how he sees, smells, and thinks just to pass one of the hardest exams in the world? In this episode, I sit down with Tim Gaiser, Master Sommelier, author, educator, and possibly the only human who tastes Zinfandel and visualizes cafeteria trays of fruit.

We dive deep into Tim’s decades-long obsession with wine, his uncanny tasting method (involving internal IMAX theaters and invisible buttons), and why tasting exams are NOT creative. He also opens up about the “evil dwarves” of wine confusion, the service skills that separate the good from the great, and how to bring hospitality back into focus after the pandemic.

From jellyfish and pig’s blood in China to white Russians paired with soup in dreamland, this episode covers wine, culture, memory, service…and rats. Yes, rats.

Whether you're a seasoned sommelier, a server with wine anxiety, or just a curious wine drinker who likes good stories and better pizza, this one’s for you.

Expect to Learn:

• How to beat test anxiety with a technique called “clearing the mechanism”
• The #1 trait that separates great servers from forgettable ones
• What’s wrong (and what’s right) with natural wine
• How Tim Gaiser built his tasting method by hacking his own brain
• The role of visual memory, structure scales, and internal cafeteria trays in blind tasting
• Why wine education could be more available and how the Court of Master Sommeliers could evolve
• The moment Tim knew he had “restaurant eyes” (and why that might be a curse)
• What “evil dwarves” are and how they ruin your deductive tasting exam

Links:

• Tim’s Tasting Book: Message in the Bottle
• Tim’s Essay Collection: Strong Water  
• Tim’s Blog
• Substack – Hits and Missives
• GUILD SOMM

 

Service starts now.

Follow the show:⁠ ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠,⁠ ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠,⁠ ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠

I talk mostly to people in and around the service industry space. I'm looking to hear from the people I wish I could have talked to when I was coming up in restaurants. Said another way: I am trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life, and help others that are feeling similarly confused and/or lost. You can find more of my work at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠my blog⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and all my social links are at the bottom of that page.

Classic Episodes You May Like:

-#10:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Nat Harry, cocktail expert!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

-#14:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Dr. Shalini Bahl, mindful marketing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

-#22:⁠⁠⁠⁠Doug Frost MW MS⁠⁠⁠⁠

-#23:⁠⁠⁠Jeffrey Morgenthaler⁠⁠⁠

As always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.

Cheers