GaryMrMets
05-06-2003, 01:35 AM
http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/nym/news/nym_news.jsp?ymd=20030505&content_id=305597&vkey=news_nym&fext=.jsp
05/05/2003 4:34 PM ET
Resident wine connoisseur
Trachsel talks about his extensive collection
By Kevin T. Czerwinski / MLB.com
NEW YORK -- Veteran right-hander Steve Trachsel is known for his ability to chew up innings. The underrated hurler has been one of the Mets most consistent pitchers for the last two seasons and rarely gets kudos for his effort. Another area in which Trachsel fails to get recognized is his ability to determine a good wine. He has an extensive collection and has become the Mets resident expert on the matter. He recently sat down with MLB.com to discuss his collection and his love of wine.
MLB.com: How and when did you get interested in collecting wines?
Trachsel: I started drinking wine probably 10 years ago and began collecting it in the last three. The opportunity was just there and I started meeting people. I bought a house and it had an area in it where I could put a little unit. Before I knew it, it was full and it kind of just grew from there. I've met people that helped me get things at good prices as well as the right type of wines that will age, that type of stuff.
MLB.com: What's the greatest length to which you've gone to get a bottle of wine?
Trachsel: I've hit up people at Ritz Carlton in Atlanta looking for a bottle for a dinner that I've had the weekend after we played the Braves. I get stuff in auctions on on-line. Most of it I get through wholesalers in New York and Connecticut.
MLB.com: What's your favorite bottle?
Trachsel: Probably the best bottle I've had in the last year and a half would be the 1985 Sassicaia. I liked that one a lot. There's vineyard in Napa called Backus that Joseph Phelps makes a cabernet from, that's probably my favorite California wine. It's up on a hillside in Napa Valley. I have a lot of stuff looking forward to drinking that I'm just waiting on. My collection is between 70 and 75 cases, just waiting.
MLB.com: What city is the best in the National League for collectors?
Trachsel: New York is definitely the best. They get everything from Italy, Australia and France and it all comes in there before going anywhere else. Chicago has a couple of large places and San Francisco is great for California wines.
MLB.com: Would you like to own a vineyard someday?
Trachsel: I doubt it. The people I know that own vineyards mostly oversee it and it's a lot of work. They are working constantly. It seems like a lot more work than I want to get into when I'm done playing. I want to go to vineyards around the world instead of working them.
MLB.com: Do your teammates appreciate your passion or do they give you grief?
Trachsel: They appreciate it now. It started out as a big joke. I carry around a case that holds two bottles on the plane. And everyone just thought it was a computer bag for a while. They didn't really notice I was drinking different wines. And Mikey [Piazza] and I kind of picked it up a notch my first year here. I would bring something on one flight and he would bring something on the next flight. We were basically tasting a bunch of stuff. As I started meeting people in New York, I had a friend that worked for a company called Colbrun. I came home from a road trip and there were three mixed cases of wine in my apartment. I don't know who let them in the apartment but they were all from him -- a box from Italy, a box from California and a box from France. It had notes and all kind of stuff and it was like one giant learning experience going through it all. It was awesome.
MLB.com: How can you tell the difference between a good wine and a bad wine for the uninitiated?
Trachsel: Price has nothing to do with it. I think that's probably the biggest thing. People assume that a $100 bottle of wine is going to taste better than a $10 bottle of wine. That's not always true. It's often not true. I think the biggest thing is to learn what you like first is go from there. I know wines I really enjoy Mike doesn't like and [Scott] Strickland doesn't like and Tom [Glavine] doesn't like. You have to find out what you like and go from there. Price and label don't always guarantee a good bottle.
MLB.com: How frustrated are you with all these no-decisions?
Trachsel: I'm not overly frustrated. If we were winning the games it would be a lot less frustrating. I'm more frustrated by fact I'm not getting decision but losing games at same time. I kind of look at how I've pitched and I'm happy. But there will be times where I'm going to give up five runs and get a win even though I probably shouldn't. Overall, though, I feel like I'm throwing the ball well.
Kevin Czerwinski is a reporter for MLB.com. This story is not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
05/05/2003 4:34 PM ET
Resident wine connoisseur
Trachsel talks about his extensive collection
By Kevin T. Czerwinski / MLB.com
NEW YORK -- Veteran right-hander Steve Trachsel is known for his ability to chew up innings. The underrated hurler has been one of the Mets most consistent pitchers for the last two seasons and rarely gets kudos for his effort. Another area in which Trachsel fails to get recognized is his ability to determine a good wine. He has an extensive collection and has become the Mets resident expert on the matter. He recently sat down with MLB.com to discuss his collection and his love of wine.
MLB.com: How and when did you get interested in collecting wines?
Trachsel: I started drinking wine probably 10 years ago and began collecting it in the last three. The opportunity was just there and I started meeting people. I bought a house and it had an area in it where I could put a little unit. Before I knew it, it was full and it kind of just grew from there. I've met people that helped me get things at good prices as well as the right type of wines that will age, that type of stuff.
MLB.com: What's the greatest length to which you've gone to get a bottle of wine?
Trachsel: I've hit up people at Ritz Carlton in Atlanta looking for a bottle for a dinner that I've had the weekend after we played the Braves. I get stuff in auctions on on-line. Most of it I get through wholesalers in New York and Connecticut.
MLB.com: What's your favorite bottle?
Trachsel: Probably the best bottle I've had in the last year and a half would be the 1985 Sassicaia. I liked that one a lot. There's vineyard in Napa called Backus that Joseph Phelps makes a cabernet from, that's probably my favorite California wine. It's up on a hillside in Napa Valley. I have a lot of stuff looking forward to drinking that I'm just waiting on. My collection is between 70 and 75 cases, just waiting.
MLB.com: What city is the best in the National League for collectors?
Trachsel: New York is definitely the best. They get everything from Italy, Australia and France and it all comes in there before going anywhere else. Chicago has a couple of large places and San Francisco is great for California wines.
MLB.com: Would you like to own a vineyard someday?
Trachsel: I doubt it. The people I know that own vineyards mostly oversee it and it's a lot of work. They are working constantly. It seems like a lot more work than I want to get into when I'm done playing. I want to go to vineyards around the world instead of working them.
MLB.com: Do your teammates appreciate your passion or do they give you grief?
Trachsel: They appreciate it now. It started out as a big joke. I carry around a case that holds two bottles on the plane. And everyone just thought it was a computer bag for a while. They didn't really notice I was drinking different wines. And Mikey [Piazza] and I kind of picked it up a notch my first year here. I would bring something on one flight and he would bring something on the next flight. We were basically tasting a bunch of stuff. As I started meeting people in New York, I had a friend that worked for a company called Colbrun. I came home from a road trip and there were three mixed cases of wine in my apartment. I don't know who let them in the apartment but they were all from him -- a box from Italy, a box from California and a box from France. It had notes and all kind of stuff and it was like one giant learning experience going through it all. It was awesome.
MLB.com: How can you tell the difference between a good wine and a bad wine for the uninitiated?
Trachsel: Price has nothing to do with it. I think that's probably the biggest thing. People assume that a $100 bottle of wine is going to taste better than a $10 bottle of wine. That's not always true. It's often not true. I think the biggest thing is to learn what you like first is go from there. I know wines I really enjoy Mike doesn't like and [Scott] Strickland doesn't like and Tom [Glavine] doesn't like. You have to find out what you like and go from there. Price and label don't always guarantee a good bottle.
MLB.com: How frustrated are you with all these no-decisions?
Trachsel: I'm not overly frustrated. If we were winning the games it would be a lot less frustrating. I'm more frustrated by fact I'm not getting decision but losing games at same time. I kind of look at how I've pitched and I'm happy. But there will be times where I'm going to give up five runs and get a win even though I probably shouldn't. Overall, though, I feel like I'm throwing the ball well.
Kevin Czerwinski is a reporter for MLB.com. This story is not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.