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Tuesday, November 28, 2017

TEH_03 . GOING NATIVE with Miquel Hudin




TEH_03 . GOING NATIVE with Miquel Hudin

TODAY at our listening test with The English HOUR, Neil Stokes interviews Miquel Hudin sommelier, writer and wine expert Miquel Hudin


http://www.elpuntavui.tv/video/162403164.html162403164 


(115/04/2016 -- 31 min)   Correspondent: Maria Roca 

For our first part, listen up to the minute 10:020 and answer the 12 questions:


Q1. How did Neil Stokes break the ice at the beginning of the interview?

Q2. Why did Miquel Hudin become interested in wine?

Q3. Why did he enter the professional side, and when did he move to Catalonia?

Q4. Is there any anecdote that he remembers related to his wine interest?

Q5. Related to his profession, why did he come to Catalonia?

Q6. What does he think about Priorat wines? Can they be considered as important as French wines, for example?

Q7. When he says Catalonia is a "crossroads" in the wine culture, he means ...  
Q8. How did he start to write guide books about wines? 
Q9. How did the outcome turn out? 
Q10. From 2007 until now, what has he written about wines?

Q11. How come the edition ended up printed (in paper)? 
Q12. Have these guides been successful?


TASK 2. Check your work with the key.





TEH_03 . GOING NATIVE with Miquel Hudin _____   KEY  



Q1. How did Neil Stokes break the ice at the beginning of the interview?
He accepts his limitations in the universe of wine... very limited: " I like it", so he asks for patience to understand the breath and depth of the sommelier in this matter (0:20 --->)

Q2. Why did Miquel Hudin become interested in wine?
He first took wine as a hobby, and then he became more and more curious about this beverage. So he started finding some more information related to wines . (1:10 - -->)

Q3. Why did he enter the professional side, and when did he move to Catalonia?
He worked on the internet in California, and finally he started working in the wine industry, made some research for wine firms, for a couple of years, ... as the wife is from Figueres, he set up shop here in 2012. (1:50 --->)

Q4. Is there any anecdote that he remembers related to his wine interest?
Yes, the first time he visited Croatia (as his family background comes from there), he tasted wine for the first time. That was like a fire that opened his curiosity. In fact, it sounds strange, because he grew up without wine. His favorite beverage was beer. (3:10 --->)

Q5. Related to his profession, why did he come to Catalonia?
From a professional point of view, he says that in California there’s not much possibility to develop in this sector; however, Catalonia offers plenty of possibilities. There are many wine regions in this country, all of them very near to the capital, Barcelona, which is an advantage. (4:40 --->)

Q6. What does he think about Priorat wines? Can they be considered as important as French wines, for example?
From all "regions" in the French sense, Yes, there is clear the quality of Priorat, for instance. The main factors that influence the quality of grapes are the type of soil and the climate. (5:55 --->)

Q7. When he says Catalonia is a "crossroads" in the wine culture, he means ...
Catalonia, in general, has good grapes (LLeida, Montsnat, Penedes, ...), and the conditions to grow the grapes are fine. A crossroads between Iberian and French wines. (6:45 --->) 


Q8. How did he start to write guide books about wines?
The main reason was that he started travelling across Europe (like American people usually does), and he wanted to write two pages related to wine for each country that he was visiting, as he considers that food and wine define a country well. (7:35 - -->)

Q9. How did the outcome turn out?
However, this was a frustrating idea, because the result wasn’t good enough (7:55 - -->)

Q10. From 2007 until now, what has he written about wines?
He has published different guidebooks related to wines from Croatia area, plus the ones after 2009 Empordà, Priorat and Montsant. The information was in a digital version. (8:35 --->)

Q11. How come the edition ended up printed (in paper)?
As some cellars asked him to write in paper, and so did he. However, these guides should be up-dated, as the type of wines evolves and they become old-fashioned. (9:00 --->)

Q12. Have these guides been successful?
Yes, They are running in their second edition. (9:40 --->) 




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