A Gentleman's Lesson: Interview with David Keuhner
David Keuhner with Chef Michael Chiarella
Very few times in life do individuals make their passion their career. David Keuhner is one of these rare exceptions. Starting Destination Cellars in 2006, Mr. Keuhner provides exclusive and luxurious trips to esteemed wineries around the world for wine and travel enthusiasts alike. What makes this membership only club so utterly original is that each trip is catered specifically to the member's desires. Want a wine maker to show you his private cellar in Australia? Perhaps a picnic lunch with a wine maker on a hillside in France? Mr. Keuhner can make it happen. With his remarkable knowledge and unparalleled taste, David Keuhner can make your fantasy wine vacation a sparkling reality.
In between flights, Mr. Keuhner took the time to answer a few questions about his business, inspiration, and of course....wine!
1)Why did you start Destination Cellars? Four years ago after trying to coordinate my own “private wine experiences” around the world, I noticed a major challenge in having “private and exclusive experiences” just for my wife and I. We wanted to meet owners and wine makers and learn about the world of wine from them. We truly wanted to hear it and experience it through the people that live and breathe it 365 days a year.
2)How does an individual become a part of the Destination Cellars experience? Individuals or corporations can have a private membership with us or we have alliances with companies such as YPO, Exclusive Resorts, Tiger 21, Merrill Lynch and most recently a global partnership with MasterCard. If you’re a member of these respected organizations, you gain “access” to Destination Cellars. So our business in essence has two strategies under one umbrella: working with individuals/corporations or alliance partners.
3)Describe the membership of Destination Cellars in 3 words: Private, exclusive and customized
4)How did you become so knowledgeable about wines? I had the pleasure of running a few Ruth’s Chris Steakhouses over 15 years ago so that’s where the “wine bug” bit me. Also, my uncle William Phillips was the wine sommelier of the 21 Club in New York, NY. I had the pleasure of learning a lot from him as well.
5)What are a few David Rules of Thumb when visiting a vineyard? Respect the property and enjoy because sometimes when you are visiting a winery, you are visiting someone’s personal home. Also, don’t be afraid to ask questions, wine can be challenging but it should be fun!
6)At restaurants I tend to have difficultly navigating through the wine menu, what advice can you give to this gentleman novice? Well, I think wine should be simple. For example. If you are having an Italian meal, perhaps you should enjoy a bottle/glass of Italian wine. Everyone has a different price range and a different taste for wine. Wine should be shared and experimented. Think of when you were a child and your parents said, “Try it, you won’t know if you like it or not”. I feel the same way about wine. If you don’t try something you won’t ever know. Also, price does NOT always determine if it is good. Just because it is expensive or inexpensive doesn't determine if it is going to be good. I’ve had a $10 bottle of wine on top of a mountain in Montalcino, Italy and it tasted damn good!
7)Hands down, the best glass of wine you've ever had. This is so hard for me to answer! Well considering, I tend to get a bottle when we are dining with friends or family, I would have to say there are two bottles. We generally get a bottle of white and red. I believe pinot noir is more food friendly and I would probably lean towards Burgundy, France. One of my favorites is Domaine Joseph Voillot from Volnay/Burgundy, France. Wine maker Jean Pierre, makes some incredible wines! He’s an amazing man! One our clients just said, “I want to take him back home to LA with us.” Plus, there’s a nickname for him “Dr. Love”. He’s always smiling! Next I would say is on the chardonnay side. I would go with Lail Vineyard's Georgia Sauvignon Blanc from Napa Valley. They make roughly 100 cases of this wine a year but it tastes like I’m sitting in Bordeaux drinking a Sauvignon Blanc. Plus, Robin Lail is one of the best women of wine I’ve ever met. She also has one of the top wine makers of Napa Valley, Philippe Melka.
8)What are some of the best vineyards in the area? Best restaurant wine selections? This is pretty hard for me to answer. We don’t have any winery partners in VA at this time. I’ve had the pleasure of having some wine from Boxwood Vineyards recently. I believe one of the biggest challenges in VA is figuring out what grows best. Long Island wines struggled with this for many years but they’ve started to figure some things out recently. With the growth of the wine industry in VA, I believe that will bring in many talented wine people and consumers. As far as the best restaurant selections, I would say Citronelle and INOX. In a restaurant, I look for variety. Both of these restaurants accomplish this.
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