Cheers

July/August 2014

Cheers is dedicated to delivering hospitality professionals the information, insights and data necessary to drive their beverage business by covering trends and innovations in operations, merchandising, service and training.

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www.cheersonline.com 39 JULY/AUGUST 2014 | compressed watermelon with house-made ginger ale vinegar and Bourbon-barrel-smoked sea salt. Getting closer to autumn, Tunstall suggests pairings like the earthy 2012 Lioco "Laguna" pinot noir from Sonoma Coast ($15 a glass) with a confit North Carolina duck leg served with creamy Anson Mills oats, butternut squash, bourbon apples, Brussels leaves and brown-butter jus. "e challenge is finding the temperature change and weight of the food," notes Tunstall. As the days become crisper, chefs increasingly turn to heavier dishes—which require more weight and concentration from a wine. He especially likes how flavorful braised meat dishes can stand up to richer wines with a healthy tannic structure in the early fall. When putting together a wine selection for a season, Tunstall says, you have to cover the flavors, produce, proteins and style of the chef. He cites open communication and a sommelier's working knowledge of a chef 's style as integral to this process. Sherman believes every successful wine and food pairing has one thing in common: "Wine pairing is about balance, finding a complementary relationship with wine to food. e wine enhances the flavors, yet washes it away too, readying the palate for the next bite." at philosophy holds true, no matter what the thermometer or calendar says. Kelly A. Magyarics (@kmagyarics), DWS, is a wine and spirits writer and wine educator in the Washington, D.C. area. She can be reached through her website, www.kellymagyarics.com. Hyper Local, or Just Hype? Menus at restaurants that have a seasonal or sustainable slant typically list ingredients sourced from nearby locations, touting the freshness and quality of produce, meat, poultry and fish that doesn't have to travel far as proof of their commitment to buying and serving local. But is hyperlocal always feasible? And how does location and seasonality come into play? "For me, it's about the flavor of the food and the quality first," says Bruce Sherman, chef at North Pond in Chicago. "I'm not more interested in where it comes from than how it tastes when properly treated." Maintaining a seasonally focused wine list is another element of keeping up with the evolving nature of agriculture, he notes. Matt Tunstall, sommelier for Husk restaurant in Charleston, SC, is more adamant about adhering to this culinary mantra. "To be honest, I am surprised the term 'hyperlocal' is still being used and questioned. Food in season tastes better, it's less expensive and it's better for you," he notes. It could be stifling, from a wine pairing stance, if an operator is locates in an area that had trouble growing produce year round, Tunstall admits. "But what is life without challenges?" And as for local wines, they must pass muster, just like ones from any other region in the world, says Brent Kroll, wine director for the Neighborhood Restaurant Group in Washington, D.C. "Hyper local is only good if the product is good, too—being local just to be local isn't enough for me to feature a wine on one of our lists."—KAM

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