The Tim Ferriss Show #110: The Tattooed Heretic of Wine and Whiskey, Richard Betts
FEW Method for Wine Tasting
- Use the "FEW" method: focus on fruit, earth, and wood to analyze wine consistently.
- Make the same observations every time to build a reliable tasting method.
Affordable World-Class Wines
- For quality wine under $20, explore Grenache from Spain or rosé from southern France.
- Look beyond trendy varietals to find affordable, world-class wines.
Color Misleads Wine Quality
- Wine color indicates grape type, not quality.
- Color has no bearing on taste or quality, so avoid judging wines by color alone.
Richard Betts (@yobetts) served as the wine director at The Little Nell in Aspen from 2000 to 2008. Much more interesting to me, Richard passed the Court of Master Sommeliers' Masters Exam on his first attempt, becoming the ninth person in history ever to do so. I first met Richard through investing wunderkind Chris Sacca, and we immediately hit it off. Richard can help you train your senses for anything, including wine, whiskey, his current love of mezcal, and far beyond. He's also done a lot of wild experiments, got a lot of tattoos, almost been shot in Mexico, and developed an incredible ability to simplify the complex. We get along. In this conversation, we talk about nearly everything, ranging from the value of quitting to tricks of the trade, travel tips (he's traveling 300+ days per year), and "starter" wines. We also drink a boat-load of whiskey, me tasting and Richard teaching. The pictures below show a sample. Side note and cool rule of thumb: did you know it's spelled "whiskey" when from countries that have "e" in their names (e.g. America) but "whisky" when from countries that don't have an "e" in their names (e.g. Scotland, Japan)? Richard taught me that. Last but not least, Richard is the author of a brand-new book, “The Essential Scratch & Sniff Guide to Becoming a Whiskey Know-It-All,” which is sitting on my kitchen table with whiskey stains all over it. It distils (see what I did there?) a couple of lifetimes worth of study down to 24 pages...then makes them smell good. Definitely check it out. At the very least, it gives you a bunch of rules of thumb (like the whiskey vs. whisky trick), so you can impress your friends and not look like a dumb-ass at the bar. Sweet! Less dumb-ass and more smart-ass is always good. Get 'er done. Show notes and links for this episode can be found at www.fourhourworkweek.com/podcast. This podcast is brought to you by MeUndies. If I’m not going commando, then I’m wearing MeUndies. I’ve been testing out pairs for about 3 or 4 months now, and, as a result, I've thrown out my other underwear. They look good, feel good, have options for men and women, and their materials are 2x softer than cotton, as evaluated using the Kawabata method. Not only does MeUndies offer underwear, but they also have incredible lounge pants. I wear them when I record the podcast, and when I’m out and about grabbing coffee. If by some chance you’re not happy with the first pair you try on, they’ll refund your purchase completely. Check out MeUndies.com/Tim to see my current faves (some are awesomely ridiculous) and, while you’re at it, don’t miss lots of hot ladies wearing MeUndies. This podcast is also brought to you by Athletic Greens. I get asked all the time, “If you could only use one supplement, what would it be?” My answer is, inevitably, Athletic Greens. It is my all-in-one nutritional insurance. I recommended it in The 4-Hour Body and did not get paid to do so. Get 50% off your order at Athletic Greens.com/Tim.
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