> Taste of the Bay Article

AN INTERVIEW WITH PATRICK BOUCULAT

The month of September marks the third anniversary for Wine Cellars of Annapolis. Wine Cellars, owned by Patrick Bouculat, has become much more than just another package store. It’s huge selection of fine wine, beer and liquor will satisfy anyone from casual novice to experienced collector. More dynamically, the store’s participation in a myriad of civic and charity events, including the annual Feastival to benefit Maryland Hall, has established Wine Cellars as an integral part of the Annapolis community. We caught up with Patrick to get his views on wine, food and living in Annapolis.

TOB: Patrick, you were born in France. Did your interest in wine begin at an early age or was it something that developed later in your life?

PB: Wine was always part of my parent’s and family’s dinners, but I really developed a taste for wine in my late teens and early twenties when I was playing rugby in the Bordeaux area. I started to take wine classes at the “Academie du Vin” in Paris, owned by the great English wine expert Steven Spurrier. Living in Paris also allowed me to take frequent trips to Sancerre, the Touraine, Champagne and Burgundy.

TOB: How often do you get back to France?

PB: I usually go to France once a year and also to Italy and Spain. I like to develop relationships with small wineries. I like to personally know the owners of a vineyard, how they care for their land, share a meal with them and discover the area where they live and work. I learn a lot from these experiences and enjoy sharing them with my customers. We now bring about 40 different wines to Wine Cellars from these producers, who have become great friends along the years.

TOB: Food is an essential part of the wine experience. Do you like to cook or would you rather leave it to someone else?

PB: Wine and food go together. I was fortunate to grow up in a family where my mother and grandmother were phenomenal cooks. Everything came from the garden, freshness was the key. Yes, I love to cook, but due to the long hours I work, I cook mainly on Sundays. Thank God my wife Martha is a wonderful cook and she makes sure that we have fantastic, diverse meals all week long.

TOB: We hear about “matches made in heaven” with food and wine, such as oysters and Chablis or foie gras and Sauternes. Do you have a hands down favorite food and wine pairing?

PB: Of course you have these “matches made in heaven”, but what I like most is to seize the moment according to who you are having dinner with or what mood you are in. Nothing is better than a summer dinner with friends and a chilled bottle of dry Rosé.

TOB: Owning your own business must be a 24 hour a day, seven day a week job. On the rare chance you get some free time, what do you like to do with it?

PB: Yes, owning your own business is a 24 hour a day job. When you have a retail operation and you are dealing with the public, you have to make sure that the customers are the priority and that they are happy to patronize your establishment. Without the customers you do not have a business. You also have to take care of your staff. You cannot think about just yourself, you have to think about the team and you are the captain of the ship. I am very fortunate to have the best team working with me right now. I like to spend my free time gardening, fishing, cooking and spending time with my wife and friends, talking about life over a good bottle of wine.



TOB: You’ve lived in Annapolis for 20 years now and opening a business here is quite a commitment. Do you see yourself living here indefinitely? Would you ever want to move back to Europe?

PB: Twenty years is a long time but it gives you the chance to build great, strong relationships with people. Annapolis is such a wonderful place to live and the Chesapeake Bay is so beautiful that it is difficult to think of being in a different place. I arrived in America in 1985, married Martha here in Annapolis and became a U.S. citizen in 1991. I feel very fortunate to be in this great country. I do not have any intention of moving back to Europe.


TOB: What aspect of the wine business gives you the greatest satisfaction? What’s your favorite part of the job?

PB: I love a good challenge. When a customer comes to the store and asks for help pairing a wine with their menu for friends, business associates or for a romantic dinner for two, nothing is more fun than putting it all together. I also enjoy helping customers create their own wine cellars. The size of the cellar is not as important as having a good variety of wines. At the end of the day, though, education is what it’s all about. Teaching the customers and watching their enthusiasm grow is so satisfying. My staff feels the same way. We don’t want customers to be afraid of wine, we are here to teach and help. That’s the whole motivation behind our “Try Before You Buy” barrel room.

TOB: Do you have any inside tips or predictions for the wine market that may benefit the average Annapolis wine buyer?

PB: What we see happening around the world is amazing. Everybody is making wine now and my job is to make sure that the customer takes advantage of it. My predictions from the past year have been to take a good look at Spanish wines, the South of Italy and the South of France. These days, wineries are making better and better wines, wines that will go wonderfully with food and are great values. We are experiencing a glut of wine that is keeping prices down. Pinot Noir from Oregon, Sauvignon Blanc from California and Grenache from Australia are proving to be good values right now.

TOB: The annual Feastival held every June at your store has taken on a life of its own. It has become a major event on the Annapolis calendar and makes a lot of money for a really great cause, Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts. Have you considered holding it more than once a year?

PB: No, once a year is enough. Everybody at Wine Cellars starts to prepare for this event in the early part of January. We have to make sure that we have the restaurants and the wineries ready to participate and it’s a huge commitment on their part. This year 11 local restaurants and 25 wineries from all around the world were involved and it’s a big task to organize this event.

TOB: Now it’s time for a little pressure. For some reason, it’s your last day on planet earth and where you are going there is no wine. What bottles are you opening at your going away party?

PB: There is no going away party if I’m going to a place with no wine. Wine is a compliment to our daily meals, our daily lives. Going away to a place with no wine is unthinkable to me. Wine is happiness, not by the amount you are drinking, but in the act of sharing it. Wine is meant to be enjoyed with your closest friends, who I would never want to leave.

TOB: Could you ever see yourself in any other kind of profession?

PB: In one word, no. I love this business, but I could not do it all by myself. I have to thank my wonderful staff for making Wine Cellars of Annapolis a great experience for me. My goal is that everybody in Annapolis feels comfortable coming to the store to shop and I think my staff has a big part in this.

TOB: Patrick, thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule. Congratulations on your success with the store and we look forward to seeing you at Wine Cellars of Annapolis for many years to come.