This the seventh and final part of my video interview with Mac McDonald of Vision Cellars.  In this segment, Mac McDonald talks about his biggest "Pet Peeve" in the wine business..

• The first part of the interview is here.  "From Rural Texas to Napa Valley Wine Country."

• The second part of the interview is here.  "How (and Why) to Grow Pinot Noir."

• The third part of the interview is here.  "What Makes Sonoma Pinot Noir Special?"

• The fourth part of the interview is here.  "What Does Wine Mean to You?"

• The fifth part of the interview is here. “Pairing Diverse Foods with Pinot Noir.”

• The sixth part of the interview is here. “Advice for New Pinot Noir Drinkers.”

Please enjoy this quick four minute video or read the transcript underneath it. 

This is Episode #61 of Understanding Wine with Austin Beeman.

Mac McDonald:

My pet peeve really about this is I have this all this thing about all of this stuff where people just write about wine and all these wine magazines and they tell you what you do and by the way, we get great press on all of our wines. And I always have this bottom line about this wine stuff, no matter what the press says about it.

You know, our wines have been served at the White House since President Clinton administration. On the President George Bush administration, our wines was served there at least three times a year in all the eight years he was there which is phenomenal for a small winery like Vision Cellars.

And I say with all of that stuff said, the bottom line is you either like the crap or you don't. I totally believe that. And it don't matter what the scores say, you do that.

I like for folks to really understand you are the knowledgeable person about what you're drinking and it's okay to get opinions about stuff but you know you make your own decisions about what you like.

And I see it's leaning towards that. More and more folks are saying, I like this. Or they'll say, I wouldn't have ever tried a Pinot Noir. I just like for folks to do that.

The other part of this whole thing I like to see folks say, you know, if I'm having fried catfish and I want to have an 18.5 % Zinfandel with it, by God, it's my money and I oughta be able to have whatever I want with the food that I want.

But that doesn't mean that certain pairing wouldn't go better. I'm not gonna say that wasn't. But that may be in my own mind that I think that'd go better. But for the person who is the consumer that's coming in to buy a bottle of wine or a case of wine, if they want to have one thing with they dinner, that's perfectly okay. I'm not saying, again, that it wouldn't be better to have another wine with it but hey, my taste buds not the same as yours maybe.

So that's what I like to see folks do and appreciate and go out on a limb. Start enjoying what they like with the food that they have. Personally, I drink more wine without food than I do with food because it's relaxing, it's enjoyable for me and I like the flavor of wine.

I'm not stuck on Pinot Noir. I try a variety of wines, Cabs and I try Sauvignon Blanc,, I try all types of stuff because I want to try all the different flavors of wine. Just explore this wonderful world of wine.