Ted Habiger, Part Three: Why wine is about what you feel

Chef Ted Habiger approaches wine tasting a bit differently from most. For him, it’s about getting the picture of the wine before it was bottled.

“My wife and I joke about it all the time. I understand earthy, but I don’t necessarily understand chocolate or vanilla flavors. Instead of flavor, I try and think about the winemaker’s planting decisions, the taste of the grape, and the underlying flavors of what’s in the soil,” Habiger says. 

Today, he gives his own take on a few of his favorites from the wine list at Room 39. On Wednesday, he discussed his career in and out of Kansas City, and yesterday, he explained why fish presents the greatest challenge to him as a chef.