"sommeliers" news and stories

The latest wine trend to hit the restaurant scene? Sommeliers getting out of the cellar -- and into a winery. They are spending time in vineyards and wine-production facilities with a goal of developing a wine label; in some cases these wines will be (or already are!) poured exclusively at their restaurant.

For instance, Brian Duncan, a sommelier at Chicago's Bin 36, paired up with Hahn Family Wines' winemaker Adam LaZarre. Keeping Bin 36's food menu in mind, the two worked in tandem on blending and crafting the wines at this Monterey, Calif., winery (despite the Central Coast location, fruit is sourced from all over California). The list of 15 Bin 36 wines is a mix of reds and whites, including 2009 Dry Creek Valley Sauvignon Blanc with fruit from Mauritson Vineyards (we've actually sipped this winery's Sauvignon Blanc a couple vintages past and it knocked our socks off) and two proprietary red-wine blends (2005 and 2006 vintages).

At least two Colorado restaurants have tapped into the trend. Master Sommelier Richard Betts -- who until 2008 was the wine director at Montagna inside The Little Nell Hotel -- wanted to take this Aspen place up a notch. He snagged a business partner, Dennis Scholl, and now the two have a line of wines under the label Betts & Scholl, with selections containing grapes from Australia, California and France. Wines can be ordered via the web site, BettsandScholl.com.

The Philadelphia Daily News recently ran a column by beer reporter Don Russell, a.k.a. Joe Sixpack, about the growing number of restaurants that employ beer sommeliers. As the name suggests, these are folks that orchestrate a restaurant's beer selection, from consulting with the kitchen to helping diners pair beer and food. Russell has no problem with the existence of such a position, but he takes issue with the title, saying that the French term (and its connotations) has no business being paired with the word beer. His answer? Cellarman (or cellarwoman), an old British term for the person charged with the upkeep of a pub's beer supply and equipment. Personally, I'm just excited by the prospect of more restaurants having such a person. I don't much care what they're called. Still, Russell's piece is fun and definitely worth a read.

[Via Fark]

On the day of the big turkey feast, sommeliers have a serious job -- pairing wines with the wide range of flavors, fragrances, and textures of a Thanksgiving meal. However, in the post-Thanksgiving afterglow, sommeliers have a chance to let loose, having fun with pairings with the natural post-Tgiving food choices, which are either 1) Turkey, The Remix, or 2) something completely opposite of anything related to Thanksgiving (I eat sushi for five days straight). The LA Times finds out what kind of quirky, non-traditional picks they make to go with leftovers, or not to go with anything and just to drink. Just a few from their list:

• 2000 Baltieri "Sortilegio" Amarone della Valpolicella
• 2004 J.P. Dirler Sylvaner
• 2004 Dönnhoff Oberhauser Leistenberg Kabinett Riesling
• 2004 Martínez Fuente "Pucho" Bierzo
• 2005 Pasil Verdejo