Sylvia Ansourian Kruizenga – Publisher of Krush! The Armenian Wine Newsletter
How did you get interested in wine? I’ve always been more interested in food than wine. We started to buy and cellar wine in the 1980’s and I learned how wine can compliment a dish and enhance a meal. It wasn’t until we started our first wine tasting group in the 1998 that I knew I needed to learn more about wine; the grapes, the regions, etc. These blind tasting events gave you the chance to taste really great wines side by side and appreciate the differences. But, the events are always competitive (you need to be able to guess the grape, country of origin, vintage, etc.) I had to learn more about wine to keep up and win my share of wine tastings!
What’s in your wine cellar? Ask Derek! There are always boxes of wine arriving at the house and I don’t keep track of it. Right now most of the new stuff is from wineries we have visited in California or Oregon. Hopefully more Armenian wine in the future!
What’s your favorite wine? I don’t have a favorite wine as much as I have favorite wine & food pairings. One pairing we continually work on is American Thanksgiving Dinner. Of course this meal centers on roast turkey & stuffing. After many years of experimentation we decided on only serving American wines for this holiday, but we still haven’t found the perfect wine/food combination. We generally start with a Pinot Noir, move to Cabernet Sauvignon and finish with a Syrah (thankfully it’s a long meal!). This year we had a Syrah from Alban Vineyards that stole the show, so maybe that will become our new Thanksgiving Dinner tradition.