You don’t sling booze in a town like Columbus for close to 60 years without people learning your name. But a man like Roger Gentile only needed a minute of your time to make a lasting impression – whether it was good or bad it was always undeniably hilarious, and often a little too honest.
Whether you’ve bought wine at Gentile’s for a wedding, grabbed a six-pack before a game, stopped in for homebrew supplies, or met Roger through the countless other activities and charities he participated in, you couldn’t possibly mistake him for another man.
Roger hired me under the assumption that I was quick witted and resilient. I had no real experience with wine. My beer knowledge was barely sufficient. But Roger liked my sense of humor and he thought I could sell homebrew supplies. “Those guys won’t know what to do when a pretty girl tells them how to brew,” he quipped. We talked about Victor Hugo, he accused me of being sassy, he told me to come in on Tuesday.
It only took about six months for me to become entrenched in Roger’s world of wine. His instructional methods were enjoyably aggressive.
“Drink this!” “Smell this!” “Have you tried this? You should.” “I am going to have you pour at this tasting. I don’t care if you don’t know how. You’ll learn.”
French reds. German whites. California Cabs and Pinots from Oregon. A never ending list of wineries and varietals crossed my lips as I learned to love the nuances of silky Tempranillos, the robust spices of Cali Zins, and the seductivity of trendy Malbecs from Argentina. I despised Bordeauxs and their French brethren, their yeasty finishes lingering slightly too long on my untrained palate.
Roger taught me how to pair wines with foods, how to make recommendations to men and women, young and old, from all walks of life, about what they should drink with their dinners. And I succeeded! Most of the time, at least. I faked it ‘til I made it, and then some.
Anyone could tell right away that Roger was loved. Friends, students, local lushes, industry professionals and socialites galore make up the motley crew of Gentile regulars who often stop in for a bottle, to place an order, for relationship advice, or to drop off something for Roger to try.
When he was in, customers were delighted, lingering past their self-imposed time limits to squeeze one last joke or story out of the store’s primary purveyor. When Roger was gone for the day, slight disappointment would wash over a customers face. “When will he be in next?” they’d ask in anticipation, looking forward to their next encounter with the self-proclaimed Madman of Wine.
Roger’s accomplishments and legacy extends far beyond the wine preferences of the inexperienced and the surprise laughter of his customers. He touched the lives of many industry professionals and groups, having taught at Ohio State and participated in myriad wine societies and clubs. He hosted tastings and dinners, he spoke at events, he donated to charities all while caring for his family and closest friends. He was courageous yet classic, taking risks in certain areas while maintaining tradition in others.
He loved his craft so much, retirement was never an option. A news clipping hangs on the wall in Gentile’s with Roger’s thoughts on the matter:
“My hope is that I never need to retire. I just can’t wait to go to work in the morning. Wine, culture, history, food, travel, interesting places, intriguing people – that’s what people retire to do – and I do it every day. I don’t want to leave it.”
And so it goes that Roger stood behind the counter of Gentiles, the Wine Seller’s for the last time this past Monday. How fitting for him to leave this world after a satisfying day’s worth of work, this eccentric and joyously manic man who relentlessly honed his skill and taught others all the way up until the day he passed.
Calling hours and obituary are posted online
8 Comments on "Remembering Roger"
Nicely written, Deb. He certainly pushed your budding interest in wine more than he did for me… I think he understood early on that my interest was in beer and brewing, and that’s what he hired me to be able to sell and talk to customers about. That being said, EVERYTHING I do know about wine has come from working for Roger.
My hiring story is similar, in that Roger must have seen something in me that he liked, and based his decision on that. I never submitted an application or resume… I knocked on the door at 6:30 AM and said that I’d heard he was hiring. Roger interviewed me on the spot, and called me later in the day to tell me to come in the following Tuesday to learn the ropes.
Roger’s humor was often irreverent, and he took great joy in talking to anyone who would listen, on a wide variety of topics. Except perhaps for telemarketers… he had a particular way of dealing with unwanted calls.
“Oh, I’m sorry, you’ll have to call back and talk to Bob, he handles all of those decisions. *CLICK* I tell them to ask for Bob so when the call back, I know it’s a telemarketer and can just hang up on them… the downside is I’ll never be able to hire anyone named Bob. Which is a shame, had this guy in here the other day and he really would have been a good fit for the store.”
Love the telemarketer story, Ry. Roger definitely thought you were the bee’s knees.
“See ya next week, wear something sexy!”…but he didn’t say that the Deb, he was talking to me. That was the kind of humor that was Roger. I’ve worked for a fortune 100 company for 17 years, but I learned far more about running a business during the four years I worked for Roger. Nice article Deb! Thanks for writing it.
Thank you, Debra. That was beautiful and well thought out. Roger must have seen the creative writer in you.
I met Roger nearly 25 years ago when I decided to learn more about wine. I took an extension class at OSU on Italian wine. Roger was, as always, wildly entertaining. I started hanging out at the Flags Center store to learn as much as possible. It was on a bar stool in that store that I decided to study winemaking as a profession. I moved to California and started UC Davis in 1995. Of course I stayed in touch as much as possible and when I eventually had wine to sell with my name on it, Roger was among the first to carry it.
Roger’s style and passion are a constant inspiration in my daily world. I will miss him terribly.
Thank you Deb for writing this.
Just one line from Roger will forever make me smile. ” You wanna see my Emmy?
You caught the sprit of Roger perfectly. At least what I remember of my experience from working there fourteen or so years ago. I encouraged him to carry the brew supplies after working there for a year or so. At first her have me constant grief about that side of the business followed by constant praise. And the praise continued long after I left his employment.
Their for the excellent depiction of him.
“I’m gonna hire you because you’re a nerd and you’re not afraid to admit it!” I remember my interview vividly even though it was two years ago. It was remarkable how I felt like he figured me out before we even reached to top of the stairs to his office.
I’m very fortunate to have the last two years getting to know Roger. Deb has done a wonderful job painting the image of him with this article. It was a fun challenge to keep him entertained because he was always doing the entertaining first.