Meet Sandy Kalteyer, founder of The Curated Cellar and the bottle expert behind the Tidbits Wine Club.
I have been in the wine industry for more than 10 years on the supplier and procurement side. With my love for wine and hosting, I created a wine subscription model offering a quality product and significant savings compared to retail, with the convenience of delivery in Texas.
You are the partner behind the Tidbits Wine Club, our new quarterly subscription. How do you source wines?
Focusing on small producers driven by female founders for the Pick-Up Parties for the Tidbits Wine Club has been so much fun! The wine club offers seasonal bottles from the Pacific Northwest, California and beyond that we have tasted and selected, at a fraction of the cost.
Your go-to summer sip.
An Assyrtiko, pronounced (ah-seer-teeko) from a Santorini vineyard that I will be visiting in July. The Assyrtiko grape varietal is one of the oldest varietals and has a similar style to sauvignon blanc. Perfect for the toasty Texas summers. Wonderful wine to enjoy on its own or to pair with spicy food or sushi.
Next hot thing in wine.
The continued presence of “natural” wines. I have had so many conversations with members and friends who are so excited for natural wines. However, I feel a lot of the “natural” wine buzz must be thoughtful in its existence. There are a lot of wine producers that are creating small production, organic and biodynamic wines that will help hold the larger producers to a stricter standard.
Bust three myths about wine.
1. Expensive does not always equal quality. You can find amazing small producers that the vineyard might neighbor to a well known established brand for a fraction of the price.
2. Food must be paired traditionally. Drink what you like with what you like! If you like white wine with steak, that’s fine. Life is too short to drink what other people tell you to drink. Wine has no rules.
3. Twist top does not equal low quality. Many wineries are transitioning from cork to twist top as the cost is more efficient. Screw caps also assist in solving the “corked bottle” syndrome that ruins thousands of bottles each year. Of course there is a certain charm to the ceremony of opening a bottle of wine using a cork screw, however having a cork is not necessary unless you are truly aging a wine
Wine we think we don’t like that we should be drinking.
The Zinfandel variety in my opinion has gotten a bad rap but there are some amazing single vineyard producers, for example Black Rock, a small producer out of Napa that creates delicious Zin at an affordable price point.
What are you pairing with your wine at home?
A favorite pairing I’ve had lately is Cote du Rhône with chocolate. I have a horrible sweet tooth. This French light red holds up to a yummy piece of chocolate and has been a favorite of mine.
Tips on storing wine?
Purchase yourself a good wine fridge if you can. Temperature control is ideal and it doesn’t have to hold a million bottles or take up tons of space. When you open a wine that has been properly stored as the correct temperature, especially a red, it can make such a difference.
Why is The Juliana the right setting for the Tidbits Wine Club Launch Party?
The Juliana is intimate and screams luxury, just as I love for my wine subscription and curated experiences to be. All three (Tidbits, The Juliana and The Curated Cellar) have strong women running the business and what a fantastic way to celebrate!
Join today to attend at The Tidbits Wine Club launch party at The Juliana on Wed, June 28, from 6-8 p.m. All wine club members will be gifted a permanent sterling silver bracelet at the event. Choose annual billing rather than quarterly and you’ll also snag a wine candle.
@curatedcellar