 Karen started her career as a food writer in the early seventies. Born in Boston, she had studied English literature which helped her in writing. ‘I had a big career in New York,’ but she wanted to understand the whole world of gastronomy.
In the groove
‘So I started studying about all beverages like tea, coffee and wine which, culturally speaking, is one of the most important beverages by virtue of its place in religion, culture and western philosophy. So I began to study wine on my own,’ says the well-known wine educator who had no formal education but began to read everything she could find, though it was not easy, she says.
‘At that time five guys controlled the wine world in New York, including the columnist Frank Prial who was the most important wine critic in New York for 30 years. One of them was a friend who kinda snuck me in the group. Typically all tastings in New York those days used to be with these five guys. That gave me a big break in the wine world,’ she confides.
Karen had her own Radio Show in the late seventies and early eighties. She had a food show on TV and later it included wines as well. In the early '80s, she became the food and wine editor for the daily newspaper USA today, which required her to shuttle between New York and Washington.
Jancis Robinson of America
Would it be naive or unfair to compare you with Jancis Robinson MW as a wine educator and writer and author? I ask her. ‘Certainly many people in the US think so and tell me that,’ she says as she bursts out into a chuckle. But with a serious face she says, ‘ I am certainly the senior-most woman writer in the wine industry. Although Jancis is a couple of years older at 60 years, I started writing before she did and I am the one with a national reputation.’ Not an easy job, one admits and one would not want to initiate a debate especially since the career graph of Jancis catapulted after she became the MW.
Wine Bible vs. Oxford Companion
How would you compare the Wine Bible which you brought out in 2001 with the Oxford Companion to Wines by Jancis? I quiz her. ‘They are both excellent wine books in their own right. Hers is more of a reference book that can be used as a source material whereas mine is a very practical book in soft cover that can be used on a daily basis. In fact, I find it very complimentary when I meet sommeliers who have the book in a soiled and mutilated condition due to excessive use.’ Hers is hard bound and much thicker and more expensive.'
I own both - “Companion’ is great when you want to look at the entries. One can read the ‘Bible’ as a book. For a beginner, it is easier to understand," claims Karen. Debra Meiburg MW and Chairperson of the HKIWSC is an ardent supporter of her book. ‘I wrote for South China Morning Post for 10 years. I had both the books and referred to them often. Karen’s book is so easy to read.’ Debra says.
The New Bible
Talking of the price and the quasi-religious title, she admits that those two parameters are the prerogatives of the publisher only, ‘in my case, Markman in New York. It took me 10 years to start writing the book that I started in New York in 1991 and finished in Napa Valley in 2001. When I took it to my publisher suggesting the title Wine Primer he was so impressed with the size and contents that he instantly decided to call it 'The Wine Bible'. When I looked shocked he said: trust me, I know these things. He must have been right; the book has sold over half a million copies!’ While clarifying that the book avoids illustrations to keep the costs under check, paper costs, photography and maps cost so much, hinting that the next edition to be out by December 2013 would be more expensive but also asserting, ‘we don’t any barrier for purchase. Since a lot of young sommeliers read this book and they don’t have too much money, we want to keep the price low enough so they are not constrained to buy the book.'
She was thrilled when her friend Bob (Robert Parker) told her that he would like to position the book on his website and offer it to his subscribers. Her publisher and she are not too hot on selling it in the electronic form though.
That must have made her a rich woman, I wondered. ‘You’d be surprised! The book priced at $24 (the current discounted price on amazon.com is under $13) gives me enough royalty to pay me 6 cents an hour, according to the calculations made by a friend!’
Bordeaux Palate
 Spending her time in New York and a major portion of her wine drinking time, she must have a Napa palate, both powerful, fruit forward and oaky wine, I surmise and she surprises me by asserting that she prefers Bordeaux type of wines-elegant and lower alcohol. She does defend the fruity preference of the Californians aided by higher alcohol. 'At the end of the day, they are looking for a flavour which comes naturally with alcohol as the grapes ripen fully due to higher temperatures. There is nothing wrong in having slightly higher alcohol if it comes naturally with the process. There are two factors people don’t understand,' she says. 'Yeast is playing a more important role and the fruit is being picked later to help the phenolic ripening.'
Global Warming and Climate Change
Talking of global warming, she says she is not convinced that California is a victim of the warming, though the climate change is here. The last few vintages have been in fact cooler climate, she asserts. Most Californians don’t want to enter the discussion, she claims. Sugar levels are going up ending up in bold and big wines which is ok if there is acidity to balance the sugar. ‘I would rather have an ounce of a German Beerenauslese, it’s o-h so pure!’ she admits. 'I have a European palate. I love high acidity wines; I love Riesling, Champagne Vouvray. I really love Syrah - especially from Rhone. But I recommend the people to go with climate. I love whites in summer when we eat lighter. Since we eat richer in winter, I prefer the reds in winter.'
The CIA Connection
Karen has been involved with the CIA from the very start of their operation in California. The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) dates back earlier than the often heard about Central Intelligence Agency. ‘It predates the CIA which is how we are allowed to use the acronym, ‘ she explains. The CIA started operations in 1996 when they were ‘gifted’ the Greystone building then owned by Heublein, Inc. ‘Actually, they sold it at a tenth of the price-the main reason being that according to the Californian law that requires every building to be earthquake-proofed, it required $20 million to complete the job.’
Karen, who is still the chairperson of the wine programme, started as their first wine teacher. As the Chairperson of the wine department she goes to the CIA at least once a week. Her consulting office is barely 5 minutes away from the center which was opened in 2004. Incidentally, she was involved in the re-designing of the building, spending ‘$3 million for re-design. Each taster has great lighting, own space, own light switch, own sink and expectorations. Everyone say that apart from the excellent curriculum it is the most comfortable wine center in the USA.’
Through Karen MacNeil Consulting, she does private seminars for the HNW (very affluent) individuals and small groups. She also works with corporations like GE, Mattel, Merrill Lynch - financial companies in particular, but not for the employees, she clarifies. The top staff which needs to entertain important clients are her subjects. She travels all over the US, sometimes in South America and Asia for such programs. ‘Perhaps there is a Board meeting, say in Mexico city. I will fly there. Each programme is different with a different flavour,’ she adds.
VIP Guest Judge at HKIWSC
How did she happen to be invited as the VIP Guest Judge and what does she think of the competition?
'I have judged several competitions in the past. I don’t generally take part anymore because of time constraints. In 2008, I won the IWSC International Communicator of English Language Award. Allen Gibbons, Managing Director of IWSC, who was responsible for founding the HKIWSC, told me it was traditional that one of the years I would need to be a guest VIP judge at this competition. I was excited to see what happens in such international competitions. With Debra as the chief organiser, there was lot of draw to the competition. I tried to come last year but it was possible only this year.
‘I find the competition interesting-especially with judges of such diversified background and from Asia. But I am not used to so many people in the room judging so many wines every day; and there is not so much noise and talking. The people would certainly not be scoring themselves where we have such competitions. The proctor or someone like that would do the compilation.’
'In most of the competitions the President of the jury does the compilation and this is fed into the computer. Big competitions like MundusVini, Vinitaly, Concours Mondial du Bruxelles have up to over 100 judges in a room at the same time. In OIV-based competitions no more than 50 wines are judged every day. But in Australia, we taste around 140 wines a day,' says Debra; on an average there are 80 a day at HKIWSC. And the sounds? 'In China there is usually an audience of 200 and with many chatting away there is a lot more noise,' says Debra who tells the judges to have a laugh and be light-hearted and not take it all with melancholy. The system in HK calls for laying the glasses filled with wine on the table with each judge focusing on the wines and rating them. Then, seated on the chairs around a table, the scores are entered by the President who encourages the judges to discuss their reasons to be out of the general consensus and that does get a bit noisy for those who are still at the tasting bench.
Importance of Social Media
Unlike many of her compatriots, especially younger ones like Gary Vaynerchuk who became almost an international phenomenon by using the power of social media, Karen has not taken a fancy to it, with no Twitter account and a nominal presence on Facebook. She uses it more for professional communications than personal and is not averse to using it. ‘At some point you have to make a decision - at my stage in life, unless it makes money, I don’t do it. It does not convince me that there is a direct connection with making money.'
 ‘Of course your brand has already been established. For newer people it is very important. And If you like to sell your book,Twitter is quite important,' feels Debra. Karen admits, ‘we have done a lot of media in the last few years. When we do anything on Facebook, it is done strategically. The message must be compatible with our brand image.’ Being so close to the Silicon Valley, she feels many have diminished their importance as they constantly spin their wheel. 'People already know what these guys do and what they think, so they are already over-exposed. I am slow but not unhappy about it.’
Well, one of the offshoots of social media would be that she could post this interview for the Facebook ‘Public’ and share a few things about herself, including that she had been to Hong Kong, where she had judged at the interesting HKIWSC and met so many non-American, Asian wine professionals who might or might not have thought about her as being the Jancis Robinson of America.
Subhash Arora |