Today, wine is more accessible and abundant than ever before. Gone are the days when only the finest mom and pop spirit stores carried a select offering of wines, offering one on one personalized service. And to that, eliminate the aged belief that sommeliers or cellar managers were the only ones who could pair wines, the task too complex for the mortal man.

Wines of nearly any varietal, be it domestic or international and price category, can be located at local spirits establishments, at discount powerhouses such as Costco or Trader Joes or even through the internet. While easy access to domestic and international wine is a boon to buyers, it also presents a dizzying array of choices that borders on the overwhelming, leading some people to retreat to safe, simple and predictable wine and food pairings (a domestic Cabernet with a steak, for example).

As well, you have only to dine locally at Janos to understand how modern chefs have blown the roof off of conventional dishes, offering new and creative cuisine unfamiliar to us only 20 years ago. Who, but Janos would have dared to offer dishes such as lamb with mole sauce, Oaxacan Barbarcoa Lamb tamale, and Barbarcoa soup or spicy lamb tongue taco? While cuisine preparation used to focus upon the core dish itself, such as steak or seafood, today it is more likely to be about seasonings, sauces and styles of preparation that drive the dish and in turn, influence the choices of wines. It’s not at all uncommon for today’s cuisine to be innovatively spiced or sauced with international flavors never entertained in the past. Globalization has weaved its magic into the world of cuisine and wine and in the end, it is all to the benefit of our palates.