Petaluma master sommelier behind ‘Uncorked’ TV series

Geoff Kruth is co-producing a new reality show that follows sommeliers through the extremely difficult ‘Master Somm’ exam.|

Geoff Kruth’s palate has been tested, and it has a high IQ.

Kruth passed one of the most grueling tests on the face of the Earth, one of only 230 people in the world who have passed the master sommelier exam in its 40-year history.

Now Kruth of Petaluma is taking viewers into the world of wanna-be master sommeliers in “Uncorked,” a new reality television show that premiered this month on Esquire Network. The six-week docu-series debuted Nov. 10 and continues at 10 p.m. Tuesdays through Dec. 15.

“Uncorked” follows six New York City sommeliers as they prepare for the exam, while also teaching viewers how to navigate a daunting wine list or how to work with a sommelier without sounding like a fool.

As co-producer, Kruth devised many of the weekly competitions that prep the contestants for the painstakingly detailed test that will require them to pinpoint the year, the grape variety and the region of individual wines, down to the village where the grapes were grown. They also will be required to answer questions about wine theory and serving skills.

At New York City’s Eleven Madison Park, for example, Kruth presented each taster with three glasses and required them to name the village and the price of each wine. The winner of each practice round walks away with valuable prizes.

In the first episode, for example, the best contestant was given an all-expense paid, five-day trip to Provence. Awards in other episodes include a free trip to Premiere Napa Valley in February 2016, as well as cash prizes of up to $3,000.

Contestants from throughout the country were interviewed and selected by Left/Right Productions. The six chosen were:

Jane Lopes, 28, who works at Eleven Madison Park. She was named Wine & Spirits “Best New Sommelier” 2014 and is taking the exam for the first time.

Dana Gaiser, 36, is key accounts director for Lauber Imports, a division of Southern Wine & Spirits. He studied mechanical engineering at Stanford University but ultimately realized wine was his passion. Gaiser is on his third attempt to pass the exam.

Josh Nadel, 38, is the executive beverage director of Andrew Carmelli’s restaurants. He’s also co-founder of Gothic Wine, a boutique winery in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. This is Nadel’s fourth exam.

Morgan Harris, 29, is a sommelier at the Michelin-starred Aureole restaurant in Las Vegas. He is taking the exam for the second time.

Jack Mason, 27, was born and raised in Texas but now serves as a sommelier at Marta in New York City. He has been named to Zagat’s and Forbes’ ”30 under 30” lists and Wine & Spirits’ 2015 “Best New Sommeliers” list. This is Mason’s third time taking the exam.

Yannick Benjamin, 37, had a car accident in 2003 that left him paralyzed from the waist down, but he continues to serve as a sommelier at the University Club in midtown Manhattan. Benjamin is on his ninth attempt.

Kruth, 40, oversees this tribe of masters-in-the-making, but he wasn’t always a wine geek. He moved to Sonoma County in 1993 and earned degrees in music and computer science from Sonoma State University.

“I had a good early career in the ‘90s in the software business, but essentially I just thought that drinking wine for a living sounded like more fun,” he said. From 2005-2014 he worked at Forestville’s Farmhouse Inn & Restaurant, and in 2008 he created GuildSomm, a website with 10,000 members that serves as an informational hub for wine professionals. After the documentary “SOMM” became a cult hit in 2013, Kruth was among seven sommeliers to appear in the sequel, “SOMM: Into The Bottle.”

While he was in Napa this month for that film’s debut, Kruth talked about the cast of “Uncorked,” surprises and making Julia Child proud.

Q: Was the idea for the show yours?

A: After the success of the first SOMM film, it became apparent that a network was going launch a show based on a similar concept. Jason Wise (director of the “Somm” films) and I worked together to pitch an idea to NBC Universal, which owns the Esquire network. That eventually led to the TV show “Uncorked.” It was important to us that the show was both entertaining while also treating the profession and the people in it with respect. Esquire’s instinct of what type of show would work for them really fit well with our vision for a TV show based on sommeliers.

Q: What is your exact role in this docu-series?

A: Jason and Christina Wise and I pitched the original idea, and are co-producers of the show. The show itself is shot and edited by Left/Right Productions out of New York City. I am heavily involved in the conceptual, casting and wine elements of the show and act as a consistent judge throughout the season.

Q: What does a sommelier do, and what makes it interesting enough to hold an audience?

A: There are many ways to define a sommelier, but for me it is someone who is trained as a wine professional. People apply that training in many different ways, whether through restaurant service, sales or education. It’s honestly a pretty interesting job and multifaceted. The viewer gets a chance to learn something about wine and become invested in the characters and their goals and challenges.

Q: What is the plot line of each show?

A: In each of the first four episodes you get to know the characters and their personalities, and we create a competition that pits their skills against each other as they prepare for the Master Sommelier exam. Episode five and six focus on the exam itself. It gets pretty stressful, and by that point you are invested in the success of the characters.

Q: What is the most enlightening thing people will see?

A: Honestly, I think everybody will get something different out of it. Some people will like the characters and some will like the facts they learn about wine or just ideas of new regions or grapes to taste. I think by the end of the show everybody will be rooting for someone in particular.

Q: Who is the market for this show?

A: Hopefully the public at large and people who like food and wine. It’s pretty hard to sustain a TV show unless you can appeal to a fairly broad audience. The wine people who have seen the show really have liked it, but I think it also adds an element of human interest and competition that will appeal to anyone with even a vague interest in wine.

Q: Would the late Julia Child be proud of the way our country is embracing food and wine right now?

A: Absolutely. She paved the way for exposing people to the culture of food and wine through media. Although she might cheer our progress with a little hit of bourbon.

“Uncorked” airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on Esquire Network, available through cable television providers, EsquireTV.com/Now and other streaming partners.

UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy:
  • This is a family newspaper, please use a kind and respectful tone.
  • No profanity, hate speech or personal attacks. No off-topic remarks.
  • No disinformation about current events.
  • We will remove any comments — or commenters — that do not follow this commenting policy.