Episode 145: The Spanish Wine Guy, Rick Fisher

Rick Fisher is the program director of the Wine Scholar Guild’s Spanish Wine Scholar program (launching Fall 2018) and lover of all things Spain. His Catalan roots have certainly had an influence, but his passion for Spanish wine, food & culture is infectious. And what do Boise, Idaho & little plastic bulls have do with any of this? Pure, unadulterated wine edu-tainment for the books.

[Recorded November 2017]

In Our Glasses

Rick: Familia Nin-Ortiz, Planetes de Nin Blanc, 2014, Priorat, Spain. The wine is made with Carinyena Blanca 100%, and aged in amphorae, followed by French oak.

Steph: Goldeneye Brut Rosé, 2014, Anderson Valley, CA. This is a Duckhorn brand sparkling wine, made with 78% Pinot Noir & 22% Chardonnay.

Val: Angostura 1824 Rum, Trinidad & Tabago, aged 12 years in bourbon barrels.

Interview With Rick Fisher on the Spanish Wine Scholar Program

Rick Fisher, Spanish Wine Scholar Program Developer

Rick Fisher lives and breathes Spain. Part Catalan, Rick’s passion for his Spanish heritage and a desire to educate others about Spanish culture, food, and wine led him to create Bodega: Eat. Drink. Explore. ESPAÑA! (www.bodegaspanishwine.com) in 2009. He has also been a contributor to the Spanish and Portuguese wine site, CataVino as well as Glass of Bubbly, a UK-based magazine focusing on sparkling wine.

Rick earned the WSET Advanced (with Merit) from the Wine & Spirits Education Trust in 2015 as well as the American Wine Expert certification in 2016. He also holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix (2009).

Over the past decade he has dedicated countless hours volunteering for organizations promoting Spanish wine in the U.S. While not obsessing about Spain you can find Rick cooking or road cycling.

“It’s always been there for me” (Rick Fisher)

Rick’s love for Spanish wine began before he was old enough to drink. While he is of Catalan heritage, the culture has always been of interest to him. He also believed that Spanish wine was under-reported.

Having lived in Spain, he was able to travel around Spain and truly experience Spanish wine, food and culture. There was a particular moment where Galician cheese and wine was a particularly moving experience for him, and he shares that in this interview as well. It turns out that being asked to work with the Spanish Wine Scholar program was a culmination of the years Rick spent following his innate passion for Spanish wine.

Spanish Wine Scholar

It was the one of the owners of Catavino who first alerted Rick to the opportunity to submit a chapter for consideration to work as the program developer for the program. It seemed like a great fit for someone who loves people, writing, and talking about Spain. He was officially offered the position to go forward with the Wine Scholar Guild’s program in Summer 2017.

The program will launch in Fall 2018. For more information, visit https://www.winescholarguild.org/spain/.

Xs, Wine & Little Plastic Bulls

The conversation turns to Basque about 17 minutes in, as we discuss language (Euskera), terminology, and a little culture. A little factoid: Boise, Idaho has the one of largest concentrations of Basques in the U.S.

The embarrassing wine story segment turns to Torres at 24 minutes. Rick is a fabulous storyteller, and he has us laughing almost to the end of his interview.

Contact

Twitter: @bodegawine

Email: rfisher@winescholarguild.org

Website: www.bodegaspanishwine.com

Instagram: TheSpanishWineGuy

Learn

Special offer! The Wine Scholar Guild is extending a 15% discount on membership, all manuals, and all study programs (excluding the study abroad trips) until 24 January, 2018. The coupon code is W25Wine.

Rick also recommends:

– Winesfromspainusa.com

– The September 2017 issue of Food and Wine which was all about Spain, and available in .pdf format

Reminder: Wine Two Five Book Club

Our next book is a recommendation from Patron and friend Cathey Love in Tennessee. It is the autobiography A Glass Full of Miracles by Mike Grgich. 

We love this suggestion Cathey posted on our Facebook community page because of two reasons: Mike’s daughter, Violet Grgich, was a guest on this podcast a year ago in Episode 79; and 2017 marks Grgich Hill’s 40th anniversary.

• Please use the #W25BookClub on social media!
• You can easily order the book right here.
• The Book Review Episode will record next week, so you still have time to get in your comments (before 10 a.m. Mountain Time on 23 January)!

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