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Pomona College Magazine is published three times a year by Pomona College
550 N. College Ave, Claremont, CA 91711
Online Editor: Mark Kendall
For editorial matters:
Editor: Mark Wood
Phone: (909) 621-8158
Fax: (909) 621-8203
PCM Editorial Guidelines
Contact Alumni Records for changes of address, class notes, or notice
of births or deaths.
Phone: (909) 621-8635
Fax: (909) 621-8535
Email: alumni@pomona.edu
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Expert Advice
The Well-Stocked Wine Cellar
 Napa Valley winemaker Cathy Corison ’75 encourages wine novices as well
as connoisseurs to get past the stigma of thinking they need to find the
“right” wine to enjoy at that special moment. “Wine can intimidate
people,” said Corison. “One shouldn’t feel the need to know something
about wine to enjoy it.”
Corison, who produces two handcrafted, limited-production Cabernet
Sauvignons at Corison Winery, said her interest in wine began when she
took a wine appreciation class at Pomona, on a whim, and was instantly
hooked. Within a few weeks after graduation, she was living and working
in Napa Valley. Soon she was taking winemaking classes at UC Davis and
received a master’s degree in enology two years later.
Her advice is to have fun with wine. Discover individual likes and
dislikes. “People obsess about finding the perfect wine and food
combination,” said Corison. “Every once in awhile, the perfect match
happens, and it’s magical; the wine can make the food taste better and
vice versa. But one shouldn’t take it too seriously.”
Corison’s husband, William Martin, keeps it interesting at home by
bringing a new bottle of wine to the table every night for dinner. For
13 years, Corison has tasted each new wine “blind.” She guesses the
variety, the region it comes from and the year it was made, and then
rates it on a four-star scale. Only then is its identity revealed.
A wine cellar, she says, can be anything from a case or two of carefully
chosen bottles tucked away in an interior closet to an elaborate,
climate-controlled space with hundreds of treasured bottles. The
important thing is that the storage space be dark, with an even, cool to
moderate temperature and no vibration. Corison said finding a trusty
retailer is key to selecting wine, but she offers a few suggestions for
those who want to have something on hand to accompany almost any meal.
White Wines:
• Riesling and Grüner Veltliner are fruity and dry and go well with
cheese dishes and Asian foods.
• Chardonnay and Pinot Gris are full-bodied, rich and dry to accompany
fish or fowl with rich sauces.
• Sauvignon Blanc is full-bodied, crisp and herbal for lighter fare such
as vegetables.
• Gewürztraminer and Viognier are spicy for charcuterie, unadorned fowl
and spicy food.
Red Wines:
• Pinot Noir and Sangiovese are light and fruity to accompany salmon,
duck and simple meat dishes.
• Cabernet Sauvignon, Nebbiolo and Merlot are big and full-bodied and
are great companions to lamb and beef dishes prepared in a hearty
manner.
• Zinfandel and Syrah are spicy and full-bodied to enhance savory
dishes.
Pink Wines
• Rosés such as Grenache, Syrah and Pinot Noir can be dry and complex
and also have an audience, as do sweet pink wines though Corison said
they don’t go as well with particular foods.
Sparkling Wines:
• “These wines are not just for weddings,” Corison said. “Nice, dry
Méthode Champenoise from Champagne or elsewhere are wonderful with a
wide range of foods.”
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