FINE WINE // Part 3: Erin Fitzpatrick Takes Wine From The Restaurant To The Airwaves To The Countryside

We're thrilled to return to our ongoing Fine Wine series, which explores local wine culture and its many manifestations. Today we feature Erin Fitzpatrick, co-host of "Unfiltered," a program on the Heritage Radio Network that covers the latest news and developments in the wine industry.

That is by no means the only role that Fitzpatrick plays in the wine world. She is accredited by the American Sommelier Association  and has worked at acclaimed restaurants such as Boston's Radius and Manhattan's Waverly Inn.

She also runs her own consulting company, Esse Consulting, helping launch NYC restaurants such as Bar Carrera and Bobo and serving as a wine consultant for Hong Kong's Lily/Bloom and Manhattan's Fat Radish. Most recently Fitzpatrick has opened Fork & Anchor, a general store in Long Island's North Fork.

Hit the jump now for our full interview.

Fitzpatrick's interest in wine was first piqued while she was in school. "I studied abroad in Paris when I was a junior in college and it wasn't until then that my affection for wine took hold," she says. "I was on a mission to see as much as I could, which often led me to countrysides peppered with vineyards, and I was intrigued." And while most of her work has been based in New York, she has remained connected with Europe, working on marketing relations for emerging French wine regions such as Cahors and Jura.

With everything that New York offers, Fitzpatrick says developing a relationship with wine is primarily a matter of taking advantage of the plentiful opportunities. "The range of event offerings, classes, wine bars to frequent is vast, and like anything else, it simply is a decision to immerse one's self in the dedication to learning about it," she says. "I am constantly reading about wine, tasting, traveling to new vineyards and learning new things; the journey is endless, and that is something I really value in what I do."

It's not necessarily about experiencing as much as possible, but more about savoring and paying close attention to those experiences and developing your own personal tastes. "Taking notes on what wines you've tasted and enjoyed so that you can remember them and experience them again is a good way to discover what wines suit your palate," Fitzpatrick says. "Taking a pause to smell herbs, fruit, and tobacco, for example, and recount the aromas and qualities that surface in the wines you drink will help make you a better taster. Grape varieties have prevailing characteristics regardless of where they are planted in the world and when you familiarise yourself with these characteristics it becomes easier to define the grapes and the style of wine you like."

Fitzpatrick sees the philosophy that has driven her career as one that holds true for anyone pursuing their passion. "Live and breathe it and be open to the opportunities that exist to further expand your knowledge," she says. "Be mindful of the ways in which you can serve others who are interested in your same field and determine your own way of effectively and generously sharing the information. Don't be afraid to form your own opinions. Have a sense of conviction about what you like while keeping an open mind to explore new things and keep current."

With Fork & Anchor, which has been featured in Vogue, Fitzpatrick has followed her passions to their source. "A happy place for me is amidst vineyards and the sea and this part of the country offers both," she says. "The North Fork has inspiring energy and an evolving community of people who are as passionate as we are about supporting the local food system." With business partner Lucy Muellner she is renovating a barn near the store to start a CSA with a network of local farmers. "We have formed wonderful relationships with fantastic growers, dairy and chicken farmers, vineyards and even brewers and it will be a meeting place for locals and visitors on a year-round basis," she says.

Keep up with Fitzpatrick by listening to "Unfiltered" and following her blog, Bohedonist.

-- John Ruscher