Caroline Gilby

Keeper Collection @keepercoll: Welcome to #SommChat everyone! Tell your friends to join us to learn from Caroline Gilby, #MW on @keepercoll!

Keeper Collection @keepercoll: We’d like to introduce you to #Author and MW Caroline Gilby on @keepercoll #SommChat today

Keeper Collection @keepercoll: We're about ready to dive in w/questions, so shout out to Caroline Gilby @keepercoll to say hello & so she knows you're here! #WineWednesday #SommChat

Keeper Collection @keepercoll: Don't forget that EVERY tweet during this chat should include the #SommChat hashtag in order for everyone to see it!

Keeper Collection @keepercoll: As we ask our Qs, you can ask Caroline your Qs as well! She'll do her best to answer all Qs in the order they come #SommChat

Keeper Collection @keepercoll: W so many participants lots of gr8 Q's R asked! Even if u dont ask 1--give a S/O 2 @keepercoll 2 let us know u R here! #SommChat

Keeper Collection @keepercoll: Let's start talking #Bulgaria #Romania & #Moldova #wines with Caroline Gilby MW on @keepercoll #WineWednesday #SommChat

Caroline Gilby @keepercoll: From Caroline - Hi everybody gr8 to meet you and so glad to have you interested in the #wines of #romania #bulgaria and #moldova - areas of #wine that i am very passionate about #SommChat

Sandy Wasserman CS @SandWasserman: Good morning Caroline @keepercoll how did you get your start in #wine writing & who are your mentors? Thanks #sommchat

Caroline Gilby @keepercoll: My start in #wine writing was BC Tom Stephenson asked me to write about #wine specifically about Eastern #European #wines for a new book called the #wine report he was doing in 2003 #SommChat

Caroline Gilby @keepercoll: Since 2003 ppl who have been mentors for me in #wine writing are @JancisRobinson has given me the opportunity to write 4 some of her books, Hugh Johnson who I have written for his books, & #winemakers Istvan Szepfy in #Hungary Ogy Tzvetanov who is now deceased #SommChat

Keeper Collection @keepercoll: @keepercoll You worked as a #wine buyer for 7 years before starting your own business as a consultant and freelance #wine writer in 1995, can you tell us your inspiration behind wanting to transition into those new positions at that time in your life? #SommChat

Caroline Gilby @keepercoll: when I started as a #wine buyer i was working for a group that had a large #of shops and needed a large # of inspiring #wines - when I left the number of #wines had dwindled and chain was sold. So i decided to move on to something that would better utilize my #MW #SommChat

Courtney Quinn @Path2Wine: A belated happy #sommchat 8th anniversary to @keepercoll Hello to Caroline too and a question for her. I know you wrote the Bulgaria, Romania & Moldova sections for Oxford Companion to Wine. Since that book was published, what have been the biggest changes to those regions?

Caroline Gilby @keepercoll: The areas changed significantly when they began to own their own vineyards which meant upgrading equipment and learning the vineyards which resulted in improvement in the grapes and the #wines #SommChat

Caroline Gilby @keepercoll: well diff BW the 2006 edition & entries for the 2015 education have been dramatic. the #wine world in these countries has changed Byond all recognition. Winemakers have invested lot of money in upgrading & concentrating on knowing their terroir and in their vineyards. #SommChat

Keeper Collection @keepercoll: You wrote a book about the #Wines of #Bulgaria, #Romania and #Moldova with @cwl_library ! Can you tell us what inspired you to write about these countries? #SommChat

Caroline Gilby @keepercoll: There was little written about #wines of #bulgaria #romania and #moldova so I wanted to spread the word about the beautiful #wine from these areas and I wanted to tell some of the personal stories having worked with these countries 4 over 3 decades #SommChat

Caroline Gilby @keepercoll: Those three countries have been impt to me in both my #wine buying and #writing - in 1980s the wines were selling in #UK in big volume so I feel I grew up with wines from these countries as I started with them when the #IronCurtain came down so we both grew together #SommChat

Keeper Collection @keepercoll: Q fr #SommChat #Somm Your book is available at the @cwl_wine but I’m really curious to know how long it took you to write the book and did you ever suffer from writers block?

Caroline Gilby @keepercoll: to write this book @cwl_wine it took me about 30 years and 9 months with my head down writing and yes I did suffer from writers block sometimes - my solution to this is to go for a run & it is amazing what words will pop into your head when you are running N the woods #SommChat

Keeper Collection @keepercoll: Q Fr #SommChat #Somm what made you decide to go for your MW and how has it helped you in your career?

Caroline Gilby @keepercoll: When I joined the #wine trade I was fresh from Academia and MW was the thing to do if joining the trade. it has helped me by establishing a credibility about knowing about #wine including grape growing, enology, winemaking as well as tasting #SommChat

Keeper Collection @keepercoll: Q fr #SommChat #Somm what are the main grapes in each of the 3 countries and what sets their wines apart from each other?

Caroline Gilby @keepercoll: Big Question! all 3 countries have 1 main official grape that is similar - #merlot but more interesting is the native grapes that each country has. #Bulgaria has #Mavrud, #Melnik,#RUBIN, and #Gamza all of which are capable of exciting & high quality red #wines….. #SommChat

Caroline Gilby @keepercoll: #Moldova has specifically a grape called Rara Neagra which is their flagship red grape variety & #Saperavi which is famous as a #georgian grape but does very well in #Moldova. #SommChat

Caroline Gilby @keepercoll: #Romania & #Moldova share a lot of same main grape #varieties. on red front #Tuscan Feteasca Neagra is producing a lot of flagship red #wine. #Romania has #negru de Dragasani & white grape called Cramposie - both have #Seteasca Alba & Seteasca Regala making good #wines #SommChat

Keeper Collection @keepercoll: Q fr #SommChat #Somm are there any mainstream grapes that you would describe as similar to the native grapes in #Bulgaria #Romania and #moldova?

Caroline Gilby @keepercoll: #gamza can have something like Pinot Noir about it because of its light color & when well made can be a very elegant #wine. #rubin is a cross of #nebbiolo and #syrah and created in #bulgaria in 1944. It offers a spiciness of Syrah with backbone of nebbiolo #SommChat

Caroline Gilby @keepercoll: Point is Native grapes in these countries offer something distinctive, historical, and special that make them attractive. Sytlistically the #tuscan Neagra can be similar to Sangiovese or even Primitivo depending on where grown. #SommChat

Keeper Collection @keepercoll: Q fr #SommChat #SommChat how would you advise a #wine retailer or resto #Sommelier to best educate so people will try these #wines from these countries?

Caroline Gilby @keepercoll: I think that what these #wines have to offer is a new story on an old authentic tradition. but there is no substitute for trying the #wines and try food pairing and BTG so ppl will try something different #SommChat

Keeper Collection @keepercoll: Q fr #SommChat #Somm what #foods do you think pair overall best with wines from the regions?

Caroline Gilby @keepercoll: Big question - each #wine is different - the local foods tends to be #meat heavy and lots of cheeses which pair well with the red #wines Fresh vegetables like aubergine cucumbers & more all in salads are gr8 with the white wines #SommChat

Keeper Collection @keepercoll: Q fr #SommChat #Somm Are there any #wines that you could share to start off trying to learn the regions?

Caroline Gilby @keepercoll: not familiar with all current distribution in #US but start looking for these: #romania look 4 Liliac, Avincis, Davino, Serve, Metamorfosis, Prince Stirbey,,,, #SommChat

Caroline Gilby @keepercoll: 4 #bulgaria look 4 Borovitza, Logodaj, Villa Melnik, Better Half, Bessa Valley, Miroglio. 4 Moldova look 4 Purcari, Et Cetera, Gitana, Fautori #SommChat

Keeper Collection @keepercoll: Time to wrap up! Hope you enjoyed this hour of #wine talk with Caroline Gilby MW @keepercoll #WineWednesday #SommChat

Keeper Collection @keepercoll: It was great to have Caroline join us today for #SommChat. We hope everyone learned as much as we did on the #wines of #Bulgaria #Romania & #Moldova! #WineWednesday

Keeper Collection @keepercoll: Please join us in thanking Caroline Gilby MW on @keepercoll for her time #SommChat

Caroline Gilby @keepercoll: TY to everybody for being here and showing your interest in what I believe is the last undiscovered beautiful parts of the #wine world & I hope i inspired you to learn more about the #wines of #Bulgaria #Romania and #Moldova #SommChat