Patrick Derdeyn is a marketing technology sales executive who lives in Dallas, TX with his wife. They began learning more about wine together through their travels and love of cooking. They try to expand on both of those loves through hosting and participating in several local wine education groups and through an annual trip to explore and learn more about individual wine regions. Delectable: What sparked your passion for wine? Patrick Derdeyn: Growing up my father always had a fairly substantial wine collection which was filled with representative bottles from wine regions around the globe. Wine was a staple at our dinner table and always paired with the meal. Through this experience I acquired a passing knowledge of wines which I would later expand upon as my own interests grew. D: What wine region are you wild about right now? PD: Santa Cruz Mountains. The region offers so much variety of world class wines. Everything from a Judgement of Paris champion BDX blend to world class Pinot Noir , Chardonnay and Syrah . The region has something to offer for everyone. D: What is the most unusual wine you’ve ever tried? PD: A 2007 Jean Bourdy Cotes du Jura . I purchased a case on release and had one immediately, and then tried the second one recently now that the wine has a decade on it, and it has not progressed an inch. On release it was said that these are 50+ year whites, and I’m now a believer that is the case. D: What is your golden rule for wine? PD: Serving temperature is the most overlooked aspect in wine service. Whites are muted and linear when too cold, and reds tend to have the fruit overwhelmed by alcohol when too warm. It’s a simple aspect to manage. When at home, put your reds in the fridge 15 minutes before you want to drink them and take your whites out of the fridge 15 minutes before you want to drink them. At a restaurant just ask for a chiller with your bottle of red. D: Say you’re not allowed to have wine, what is your second option? PD: Craft Beer. I like everything from Barrel Aged Stouts to obnoxiously hopped IPAs. Beer is so much like wine in that there is a style for everyone as long as you’re willing to keep exploring, and exploring is half the fun of the pursuit. D: Choose a movie, book, quote, or song and pair it with a wine PD: My highest rated wine on Delectable was a 2005 Colgin Cariad so I’ll choose that. As that also happens to be a very critically lauded bottle from last decade, I will also choose a critically appreciated song from the same decade, and one that sums up the wine perfectly. Everything In Its Right Place by Radiohead. D: If you were a wine, what wine would you be? PD: I wish I could be more like Champagne . Always ready to party, puts a smile on everybody’s face, and pairs well with absolutely everything.