Anyone who loves both writing and wine will inevitably be aware of Kermit Lynch. From an eponymously named retail shop in Berkeley, Calif., Lynch has managed to build a small wine shop into an influential wine import operation specializing in petite, family-owned European wineries, the type steeped in tradition and resistant to pandering.
Along the way, he wrote Adventures on the Wine Route: A Wine Buyer's Tour of France, a book that encouraged a lot of people to get into the wine business, and he has gathered a handful of awards, principally France's Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur award and the James Beard Foundation's Wine Professional of the Year. I had the opportunity to speak to Lynch about a month ago, and he mentioned that he would be in Austin to pour some wine, chat with consumers, and play music from his new CD.
CD?
"Yeah, it's actually my second," he said. "The first was produced by Boz Scaggs. The new one is called Man's Temptation. Ricky Fataar is the producer this time." (Fataar is one of the writers of the Beach Boys' great lost classic, "Leaving This Town.") The CD is on the Dualtone label, musical home to such luminaries as Darden Smith, Charlie Robison, and Guy Clark.
The music is steeped in the traditions of Americana with a strong seasoning of love lost and found. But while the songs are definitely worth a listen, the main attraction will be the wines. Vino Vino will be offering all of Lynch's wines in stock by the glass, a wonderful opportunity to taste through one of the most carefully chosen and lovingly coddled European wine catalogs in the business.
Lynch will be at Vino Vino (4119 Guadalupe, 465-9282, www.vinovinotx.com) on Monday, Nov. 9, at 7pm. Reservations are strongly recommended owing to limited space. Admission is $20, which includes a glass of wine. Foods specifically paired to Lynch's wines will also be available.
