LINCOLN PARK — The nose knows, at least Gary Weber's does.
The 57-year-old Lincoln Parker won the amateur category in the 43rd annual Professional/Amateur Wine-Tasting Contest at Geja's Cafe.
The yearly contest at Geja's, 340 W. Armitage Ave., claims to be the oldest event of its kind in the nation, and Weber's victory on Nov. 6 was his second triumph after winning 10 years ago.
He denied being a "supertaster," one of the people with extraordinarily sensitive taste buds who so often wind up working professionally with wines, instead saying, "I'm a superdrinker. You only learn from what you've had."
The 30-year Lincoln Park resident and real-estate developer has worked to refine his taste, however, since catching the wine bug taking a "gut course" in wine appreciation at Cornell University. In Chicago, he took many classes from Patrick Fegan of the Chicago Wine School, whom he called his "mentor."
Weber's triumph could be considered a dedication to Fegan, who died earlier this year, with a memorial held at Geja's.
In any case, Weber came ready to play and outclassed the amateur competition and almost beat the winning pro.
"I kind of surprised myself," he said.
Faced with eight carafes of unidentified wines, four reds and four whites, the contestants had to name the grape, where it was grown and the vintage of each, as well as a number of other particular categories that have to be answered exactly right.
"You have to do everything perfect, which is impossible," Weber said.
The questions yielded a possible 13 points for each wine, 104 total, and Weber got seven of the eight varietals correct, missing only a French Alsatian pinot gris, which he thought was a French chenin blanc.
He came in with 58 points, "a personal best," only four points behind the top pro at 62 and well ahead of the amateur runner-up at 44.
Not to give away his trade secrets, but Weber said he loaded up on bread and water ahead of competition, and also took unusual care to examine the wines in glasses side by side.
"You find out more about the wine from smelling it and viewing it than you actually do from tasting it," he added.
They also had to put some skin in the game with a $30 entrance fee, but Weber didn't lose his amateur standing in accepting an engraved crystal wine decanter for his first-place finish. And, with his 2006 trophy, he said he now has "matching decanters."
Weber said he plans to be back next year to defend his title and not go a decade between triumphs this time.
"It's fun. It's a labor of love," he said. "I hope to be a contender barring any sinus or illness or cold."
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