One of the great moments of the Wine Curmudgeon's career came during my semi-regular appearances on Darryl Beeson's all too short-lived Dallas radio show. Every Sunday afternoon, Darryl would lead travel expert Kevin Kalley and myself through two hours of wine, food and travel. Darryl actually made me sound knowledgeable.
Darryl died last week at 54, after complications following a car accident. He will be much missed.
One of the best things about this business is that there are so many good people in it. When I started writing about wine, Darryl was one of the leading wine experts in Dallas. He had worked for many of the top restaurants in town, and his work had appeared in a variety of prestigious publications. He knew everyone, and everyone knew Darryl. He was The Wine Guy, always nattily attired in sport coat and bow tie.
But Darryl always had time for people like me, then and now. I called him once when I was starting out to ask him if Beaujolais was a part of Burgundy. It's a simple question, but Darryl was happy to answer it, and he explained the differences to me without getting annoyed. I'm grateful we chatted on the phone about a month ago, and he was as generous as always with his kind words and advice.
His old pal Jim White, who runs the Savor Dallas wine festival and gave Darryl his start on radio in the 1990s, said it best: Darryl was a good soul, and there weren't many like him.
In an industry that is rapidly undergoing change Darryl's accessible and easy going nature will be missed indeed. One could always learn something of value from even a brief conversation with him. I considered him a friend.
May he rest in peace...
Posted by: Carmen | February 01, 2010 at 08:59 AM