 What the heck is a "Rogue Sommelier?"
Well, a classic Sommelier is a highly paid trained wine professional. Yes, there are actually schools where you can go learn this stuff. The Rogue Sommelier is NOT one of these. Wine is an incredibly complex subject. To be a competent sommelier, you must possess an exceptional memory and spend hours training your pallet to the nuances of wine. Yes, there are people that can tell you that THIS wine was made from grapes grown on the NORTH side of the vineyard. (And crushed by the gentle feet of left-handed virgins to boot.) This is all well and good. But just like that brilliant doctor that can tell you everything you want to know about fungal foot spores… you just want someone to help you find the right treatment without feeling like an idiot for asking. For us… we can certainly ENJOY a $100 bottle of wine. We can also enjoy a $15 bottle of the same varietal wine. Does it make us bad people that we can’t justify that extra $85? Perhaps. Please ask us again when we win the lottery. The Rogue has nothing against the classic Sommelier. I'm sure they are very nice people that treat their mother with respect and help take the garbage out on Thursdays just like you and me. But if they intimidate the average wine drinker with their expansive knowledge and holier than thou attitudes, ehh… the heck with ‘em.  Wine should be fun.
Gosh. That sounds profound. The Good Lord gave us a pleasantly intoxicating way to enjoy fruit. He gave it endless variety. He made it healthy. He made it so simple that you COULD make it in your bathtub. (Note: Those Zinfandel bathtub rings are murder to get out.) Wine has been everyman’s drink for at least six millennium. Wine comes before beer… except in the dictionary. A sommelier should be your tour guide to wine. Not a gatekeeper. Enter the Rogue Sommelier. We call him the Rogue Sommelier because he's not quite conventional (think Wine Steward meets Highwayman meets Robin Hood). Actually, the Rogue Sommelier is the brain child of Morgan Shea of Lancaster, PA. Morgan Shea is the Rogue Sommelier, a modern-day Zorro who believes "There is a wine for everyone." The Rogue is bringing his message to the masses through education and entertainment, one glass at a time. Morgan is a true renaissance man with a wide array of interests in the fine and performing arts. He began working at renaissance faires back in the 80's where he developed skills both as an actor and artisan. From street improv and stage combat to leather work and blacksmithing, the faires provided an ideal training ground for the Rogue Sommelier, not to mention a lot of first hand experience with wine-tasting. Today, Morgan is the Wine Manager of a 60,000 patron a year dinner theater and Co-Producing Director of 2-Shea Productions. Morgan is the founder of the Independent Fight Directors Guild and he teaches stage combat and choreographs for theaters all over central Pennsylvania. A specialist in classical fencing, Morgan has worked with such venues as Dutch Apple Dinner Theater, Theater of the Seventh Sister, Valley Forge National Historical Park, and Wyomissing Institute of the Arts. He is also a Middle Eastern Dancer and builds a heck of a Leather Mug - visit Blackleaf Leather for a closer look. "A Sip... Shall We!" Truly… we welcome your comments. Just drop us a note
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