Kermit Lynch’s portfolio
one of many revelations

Over the years, one of the most profound influences on wine for me (and I am sure a sizable chunk of the American public) has been a pioneering Berkeley, Calif., importer named Kermit Lynch.

Since the '70s, Lynch has created quite a niche importing interesting, handcrafted, artisan wines from Europe, although mostly from France.

I have not always readily understood his discoveries.

As an example, one of his most profound projects has been the wines of Domaine Tempier, from Provence, France. Pre-Lynch, I was not that familiar with the wines of the Bandol region. When I actually tasted Tempier's red Bandols, I was not impressed. They smelled of funk, earth and something unclean. To my uneducated palate, they certainly showed miserably in blind tastings against the likes of Napa Valley cabernets.

What was the big deal?

I then made it a point to read Lynch's "Adventures on the Wine Route: A Wine Buyer's Tour of France" (North Point Press, 1990, $16), which I encourage all wine lovers to read.

His writings on Domaine Tempier wines and the Peyraud family that owns the winery made me better understand the wines, at least intellectually. I still had a problem with the off-putting smell and taste of the wine.

Later, on a visit to the great Chez Panisse Restaurant in Berkeley, I noticed both the Tempier rosé and the red by the glass on their wine list. I asked our server why, with Napa Valley only an hour away, they would serve this wine instead of a highly acclaimed Napa Valley merlot or cabernet. The response was short, but enlightening. "Our food comes from Provence and Tempier comes from Provence. They belong together."

So simple ... so matter-of-fact ... yet what a revelation! This small incident added a sense of culture to my growing understanding of the Tempier wines.

The piece de resistance of my learning curve happened at a wine tasting late one evening with a few friends. In defense of the much-maligned 1983 Domaine Tempier Bandol in front of us, Andre Ostertag, one of my favorite winemakers in the universe, quite simply retorted, "You all worry too much about winemaking, the science. This wine is much more than that. Would I make a wine like this? Absolutely NOT. But this wine has been made like this for generations and generations, by a family, passed on from father to son. It has culture. It has heritage. It is revered."

Another revelation! Wine can be tasty, interesting, intellectual, have a sense of culture AND a sense of heritage.

This has made me look at all wines in a different manner. I now appreciate uniqueness more and more. There is no other wine like Tempier Bandol in the world. I was finally getting it.

It's like the first time I had goat cheese. I thought -- whew -- something is wrong with that cheese! Or the first time I had lamb. I thought-- whew -- something is very wrong with that meat. I did not consider that lamb is different from beef and the gamey nuances were part of that difference. I now better understand and appreciate both lamb and goat cheese.

That is what Lynch has shown me over the years about wine. He has opened a new world for me to explore -- from Bandol to Cornas to Gigondas to Cassis -- and the list goes on. Each tasty, interesting, intellectual and with a sense of culture and heritage. He has made it easy for us.

Just this fall, Lynch released a new book, "Inspiring Thirst: Vintage Selections from The Kermit Lynch Wine Brochure" (Ten Speed Press, 2004, $40), a collection of the most inspiring, provocative excerpts from his monthly newsletter. I am hoping each of you will read it, too.

For me, it was a trip back in time, a collection of wine snapshots of years past. A retrospect of enlightening discoveries and corresponding insights.

For you, I am hoping it will inspire a venture into Lynch's world and thus open a new horizon in wine.