Author Archives: taylorpond

  1. A Love Letter to Riesling

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    love-letters-riesling

    Dear Riesling, I am usually pretty secure with my sexuality.  I have been known to have an eye on more than one grape.  Each grape has its own special quality, an endearing aroma, a lasting impression.  It has been so difficult for me to stay true to one grape.  Some people may say that I am a grape chauvinist, but it is something thing I cannot control.  I have always felt secure and comfortable in a social setting amongst grapes. I’ve never had a problem approaching a grape and dropping a good line.  It has never been an issue, until now.

    Riesling you are so beautiful and kind-hearted.  You have gone unnoticed by the average wine drinker and dismissed as just being sweet.  It was not until Master Sommeliers openly divulged their love for you that everyone started to take an interest in you.  My sweet Riesling, you probably don’t believe me.  I have been known to be a grape-enizer.  My history with Grenache, Tempranillo and Chardonnay probably makes you roll your eyes when I say this.  But this is the first time I have felt insecure.  Yes. I too am a Sommelier, but just a lowly certified Sommelier.  I cannot compete with the all-knowing, cultured Master Sommelier.   It might be that I have pin envy.  I see those guys flaunting their large, shiny oval red pins proclaiming their love for you.  It makes me so mad!  I just hope that you can see past the size of the pin, and know that true love is not based in ego.

    details_of_the_arc_de_triomphe__le_dpart_de_1792_or_la_marseillaise_by_franois_rudeSince the day that your vater, Traminer and your motehr, Gouais Blanc conceived you in their mother land, Deutschland along the Rhine River; you’ve picked up a few admirers.  The first were those Romans wielding their shields and spears, marching down the Rhine planting your roots into black rock.  Their sheer power turned you on.  These were strong men whom you left crossed-eyed with jaws hanging wide open when they drank your sweet juice.  They transported you throughout their empire.  You were flattered by all the attention you received throughout the empire.  You were still only a girl; unfortunately, you could not see what was about to come. (more…)

  2. Food and Wine Pairing: Weight, Bridge & Volume

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    A few weeks ago a good friend of mine, Aaron Epstein of Le Metro asked me to contribute to his newsletter with an approach to pairing food and wine.  Le Metro is a new wine club for the hip and cool kids in wine.  Aaron looks for wines that are hard to find and presents them in an underground newsletter, Le Metro.  When he told me that his July newsletter was the “dark side of Sancerre” I was excited to jump in and help.   The Le Metro newsletter is just down right cool!  The design is chic yet urban.  The wines are wines that I enjoy drinking.  And the writing, well, a lot better than mine.

    My task was to taste through the Sancerres presented in the newsletter and offer a food pairing for each wine.  Aaron wanted it to be simple, straight to the point and visual.  That  was easy for me to do.  I hate over complicating wine.  We tasted two whites (Sauvignon blanc), two roses (Pinot Noir) and two reds (Pinot Noir).  My approach to pairing these wines was based on Weight, Bridge and Volume.

    Weight pumping_iron

    Weight is directly correlated to the weight of the protein and the body of the wine.  Let’s take white fish filet, this is a protein of a light weight.  When pairing a wine, you need to choose a light bodied wine, usually a white, such as Sancerre or Riesling.  Reds with a lower alcohol have a lower weight, such as French Burgundy or Sancerre Rouge might also work with white fish (reds work with fish if the Bridge allows for it).  A dish of a heavy weight would be red meat such as Ribeye or New York steak.  These proteins demand a full-bodied wines, typically wines with a higher alcohol such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah.  Sancerre would just get lost, the weight of the protein is over powering, like walking on stilts made of crystal. (more…)

  3. When should you return the wine in a restaurant?

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    The question, “what do you do when a guest wants to return the wine”, came up in a recent twitter conversation on #WineChat a few weeks ago.  The real question was, “what do you do when a guest says the wine is corked?”  My answer was simple, take it back.  “What if the wine is not corked?” The answer again was, “Take it back”.   This led me to think more about the many times I am at the table doing the wine presentation and anticipating the guests reaction.  I know there are times when the guest tastes the wine and I see that they are not too pleased, but hold back from saying anything.  There are also times when the guest already has it in his mind to return the wine.  I’d like to share my opinion of when a guest should return the wine.

    There are two typical scenarios.  The first is the guest looks over the list and selects his/her own wine without help of the server or sommelier.  The other is when the server or sommelier suggest a wine to the guest.

    Lets take the first scenario, the guest picks his/her own wine.  In this situation it is assumed that the guest knows what he/she is looking for and picks a wine which he/she is familiar.  The guest tastes the wine and the wine is not as fruity, not as sweet, not as dry, not as tannic; it’s not what they expected.  The guest then decides to return it.  That is a No-No.  If the wine does not have a fault, (something we will address later) then he/she should keep the wine.  The wine should only be returned is the wine is faulty.  Just because the wine doesn’t taste as you thought it might, you do not have the right to return it.  If you would like that right, then buy insurance and ask for a recommendation.

    Now lets take scenario number two, purchasing insurance, where the server or sommelier recommends a wine based on the guests preference.  The guest says I want a dry red wine, with soft tannins and fruity.  The server then recommends a young Cabernet from Howell Mt because he remembers the sommelier praising it.  However, upon tasting the wine, it’s obviously not soft and fruity.  At this point, the guest has every (more…)

  4. A Summer of Riesling in San Diego

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    summer-of-riesling1Every Monday I have a tasting group where I meet with several sommeliers from San Diego and we practice blind tasting.  One of my colleagues is Tami Wong, wine director at the La Valencia Hotel in La Jolla.  About a month ago she came to the tasting super excited about signing up for the Summer of Riesling program.  It immediately sparked an interest in me.

    The Summer of Riesling is a summer long event started by Paul Grieco of Terroir Wine Bar in New York.  Paul is a crusader for Riesling and what once began as a rash decision one summer has spread countrywide.  In the summer of 2008 Paul felt that people were not drinking enough Riesling.  So in a totalitarian way, he removed all his whites on his by the glass list and replaced them with Riesling!  What the “F”?  If I were to do that here in San Diego people would stop dining with us.  But Paul is in New York, and he can do as he wishes.  Well it worked.  The next year others followed suit.  Today there are over 500 restaurants, wine bars and retail shops serving Riesling all summer long.  Not everyone is going to the extremes of removing all whites, but they are serving at least 4 Rieslings by the glass.

    I was excited to jump aboard.  I love Riesling because it is so diverse and there is a style for every wine drinker.  Working with food all day, Riesling just makes sense.  I always have a hard time pairing Chef Deborah’s food with wine because it is so out there.  Some dishes have so many components that a perfect pairing is very daunting.  She loves her spice and dishes like the Skirt Steak Salad in C-Level is down right HOT! Well, Riesling is my saving grace.  It is so versatile with its high acidity and residual sugar, there isn’t anything I cannot pair with Riesling.  It is one of the few white wines that I can even pair with a steak at Island Prime.

    So this summer, I am excited to promote Riesling to San Diegans.  Imagine sitting in this patio, sipping on Riesling all summer long! TAKE THE VIRTUAL TOUR HERE.  This is what I have up my sleeves for the Summer of Riesling:

    • Throughout the summer we will be serving 4 Riesling by the glass: (more…)