Eric Asimov on Kermit Lynch

I've been meaning to post about Eric Asimov's story about Kermit Lynch, the Berkeley wine merchant, for the last couple of weeks.

Here's the original story in Dining In/Dining Out. Asimov tells Lynch's story well. His passion for French wine and his focus on discovering French producers is inspiring. In a follow up blog posting, Asimov continues the story and tells of tasting Beaujolais with Lynch.

Lou and I have been over to Lynch's wine shop several times, including once for the festive Beaujolais tasting in the fall last year. It was a lovely afternoon in the Bay Area, and we basically stumbled upon the festivities with no advance planning or preparation. My main memory of the tasting is of the rawness, the grittiness even, of the Beaujolais wines we tasted that day. The wines we tasted were thick with sediment. I also remember the deep rose-purplish color of the wines. They were beautiful, even if not spectacular to taste.

Be that as it may, I admire Lynch for his passion and for his determination and success in educating Americans about French wines and in pushing French producers to make better wines. His shop is well worth a visit if you find yourself in Berkeley.