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Higher Education When it comes to teaching people about wine, restaurants are taking it upon themselves. |
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posted on August 23, 2007 |
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For SF’s sommeliers, it’s no longer enough just to have a gracious tableside manner. Today, you have to take wine education into your own hands. Sommelier John McDaniel at the Vietnamese restaurant Bong Su (311 Third St., 415-536-5800) is doing just that. Diners who already believe that an encounter with a sommelier is as stressful as getting pulled over by a cop might find the sight of the wine room’s 270 bottles, visible behind glass doors, more intimidating than inspirational. What a disarming gesture it is, then, to be welcomed inside the room by McDaniel, who acts more like a chauffeur than a highway patrolman. When I was last there, he led our group into the cellar and, after a brief tour, poured us numerous tastes, including a glass of Heidi Schröck Muscat, an aromatic and herbal white. As we swirled, he showed us jars filled with aromatics commonly used in Bong Su’s cuisine—ginger, star anise, rice-paddy herb—and invited us to smell them next to the wine. “You can see how this wine might fit some of our dishes.” While Bong Su’s tasting comes, amazingly, free of charge (the restaurant schedules no more than two dining parties a night, and they must be set up beforehand), the newly instituted Sommelier Suppers at Bacar cost $55 per person—but the experience they afford is unique (for more on Bacar, read “The New Order”). Once every two months, wine director Mickey Clevenger opens the downstairs wine salon and cellar and offers guests tastes of more than two dozen wines and a family-style meal cooked by chef Robbie Lewis. The program serves partly as a preview of wines not yet on the list, and partly as a glimpse into the selection process. In this open, casual discussion, one gets to see the intricacies of running a major wine program. Along the same lines, Pres a Vi (1 Letterman Dr., 415-409-3000) extends an invitation to diners to visit the wine room. Wines can be tasted and decanted in the cellar, all while you’re hanging out with the sommelier. Likewise, Mike Pierce, wine director of Maverick (3316 17th St., 415-863-3061), hosts focused wine seminars every two weeks. And at the Fifth Floor (12 Fourth St., 415-348-1555), a guest can pay $250 to be a “weekend sommelier,” spending a full day with wine director Emily Wines—choosing wines for menu pairings, trailing Wines on the floor and finishing up with a late-night meal. “People discover that the job is a little harder than standing around and drinking wine,” says Wines. “It’s a great way for people to understand what I do.” LESSON LEARNED: RED WINE WITH ASIAN FOOD? Conventional wine wisdom says that Riesling is always the best pairing for Asian food. At Bong Su, however, John McDaniel insists that red wines also have a place. The biggest challenge in pairing reds with Asian food is the spice in the food igniting what may be high alcohol levels in the wine. So he looks for wines that are balanced and medium bodied. Here are his top picks for pairing with Bong Su’s signature dishes: Shaking beef with Broquel Malbec 2004 “The blackberry-boysenberry fruit supports the flavors in the beef, and a peppery aspect to the wine captures the spice.” Hoisin lamb chop with Alain Graillot Crozes Hermitage 2005 “I love the way Syrah goes with the lamb. The alcohol is medium and the black-olive character in the wine pairs beautifully with the lamb’s savory-sweet side.” Five-spice duck with Badge Pinot Noir 2005 “The cherry and plum and the spice in the wine are perfect flavor matches, and the medium-light body of the wine doesn’t overwhelm the duck.”Mam ruoc pork with Dashe Zinfandel Dry Creek 2004 “The pork dish isn’t too spicy, making it a great match for Zinfandel. Both have bright, zesty flavors, as this Zin isn’t jammy—it’s more balanced, in a claret style.” Mam ruoc pork with Dashe Zinfandel Dry Creek 2004 "The pork dish isn't too spicy, making it a great match for Zinfandel. Both have bright, zesty flavors, as this Zin isn't jammy—it's more balanced, in a claret style."
For SF’s sommeliers, it’s no longer enough just to have a gracious tableside manner. Today, you have to take wine education into your own hands. Sommelier John McDaniel at the Vietnamese restaurant Bong Su (311 Third St., 415-536-5800) is doing just that. Diners who already believe that an encounter with a sommelier is as stressful as getting pulled over by a cop might find the sight of the wine room’s 270 bottles, visible behind glass doors, more intimidating than inspirational. What a disarming gesture it is, then, to be welcomed inside the room by McDaniel, who acts more like a chauffeur than a highway patrolman. |
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