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Mark Esbeck, president of Andrick & Associates. He and his wife, Jane, purchased the Sarasota printing and direct mailing business in 2015. Since then he’s added new equipment, acquired two other printing businesses and expanded the company’s design and digital marketing services. He’s also brought on his daughter and son-in-law in vice president roles.
Wine. Esbeck estimates he has 1,500 to 1,700 bottles in the refrigerated wine closet at his home — and he’s not afraid to enjoy them. “Over time I’ve developed the attitude that life is too short to drink less than good wine,” he says.
The college try: Esbeck took a class on wine making while a college student at the University of Iowa. “I thought I would be able to taste wine, and it was all about geography instead,” he says. But the professor wrote a weekly wine column in the newspaper, so Esbeck followed that and started sampling wines on his own, kicking off his interest in vino.
On the ground: Esbeck has visited most of the major wine producing areas in the world, including Bordeaux, Napa and the Central Otago region of New Zealand. “Having grown up in agriculture, I like returning to the country,” he says. “Wine makers are essentially farmers, and the best have adopted techniques that make their products exquisite.” Two regions he hasn’t been to yet? Mendoza in Argentina and the Willamette Valley in Oregon.
Why wine: “Wine is about romance,” says Esbeck. “It’s about the stories that make up the winery experiences, along with the stories that I have from wine tasting experiences and wine consumption experiences. Wine provides so many opportunities that are interesting and joyful…I always believe that drinking wine is fun, but drinking really good wine is joyous.”
In the know: Esbeck loves that there’s always more to learn about wine, the people who make it and his own preferences and taste profile. “And it’s nice to be able to review a wine list when dining out and to know the wines, know the vintages, know the market prices and be able to match them with foods so you get that wine enhancing the food experience,” he says.
Cost factor: Esbeck declines to disclose how much he has spent on his wine passion. He says out of the 25 years he's been collecting wine, "certainly, I invested more in the first 10 to 15 years than I have recently." He adds that the amount he spends varies from year to year. "If you add all the purchases and do not subtract the hundreds of wines that I have used for dinners and tastings – the value of what remains is probably double what I have spent in total," he says.
A taste for Bordeaux: Esbeck is particularly drawn to wines made in the Bordeaux region of southwest France. “When the wines are created and made, they age wonderfully,” he says. “So drinking an old Bordeaux is completely different than drinking a younger Bordeaux you might buy off the shelf.”
That’s because the wine’s tannins soften over time. “As long as the wines are made well, the fruit stays vibrant,” he says. “So you have a soft elegant taste on your palate where you get the remnants of the fruit and get this nice sweet long finish…Bordeaux has finesse. The wines are just much more approachable than some of the fruit bombs that you might buy from other places.”
Sharing the love: Esbeck serves as “maître” (essentially the president) of the Sarasota chapter of the Commanderie de Bordeaux club devoted to wines from that region. Events that take place at local spots like Michael’s Wine Cellar and Mattison’s Forty-One help teach others about the wines often found in Esbeck’s glass. “We do four to five wine dinners per year where we match Bordeaux wines with some of the best local cuisine, and then discuss how the wines work with the foods during our dinner,” he says.
Favorite sips: There are two Bordeaux wines that Esbeck rates as reliable go-tos: Château Ducru-Beaucaillou and Château Pavie. “Those are two wines that I have acquired and have in my cellar,” he says. “When I want to find my happy place, I go to them.”
Developing a taste: Esbeck advises wine newbies to learn by doing. “If you have a friend that likes wine, start drinking wine with them and discuss together about it and sharing your opinions,” he says. “Share what you like and what you don’t like. But try to experience a lot, some Old World wines, some New World wines. Try to experience some you drink by themselves and some you drink with food…If you find it enjoyable to continue to learn about wines, then keep doing it.”
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