For Da Kine Wine owner Daniel Braun, wine-pairing and sampling is something to be done with zeal and appreciation. “There is a thin line between having a passion for wine and being obsessed,” Braun said at the weekly Saturday wine-tasting
For Da Kine Wine owner Daniel Braun, wine-pairing and sampling is something to be done with zeal and appreciation.
“There is a thin line between having a passion for wine and being obsessed,” Braun said at the weekly Saturday wine-tasting he hosts in his store, for residents and visitors alike who are over 21.
The tastings are designed to offer some wine education to Eastside residents and beyond, if possible, Braun said.
A certified sommelier, Braun gained much of his wine-related experience working at the Maui Hyatt and from running the beverage program at the Maui Four Seasons.
The Da Kine Wine tastings, always themed, usually draw about 50 people each, mostly residents, he said.
Last week’s sampling featured the Hedges Family Estate vineyard from Washington state of the Groving wine region from the Red Mountain area, one of the world’s great wine regions because of its perfect climate for stellar wine-producing grapes, as well as a well-developed “terroir,” or combination of soil, climate and geography that makes all wines distinct.
Braun said previous tastings have covered wide geographical ranges, including regions such as Champagne or Burgundy. Past themes have included an all-organic selection he put together for the Kaua‘i Farmers Co-op, he added.
The next wine tasting is slated for July 3, and is themed around sparkling wines from across the globe: France, Italy, Spain, Australia and the United States.
