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Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/504798
www.cheersonline.com 21 May 2015 • says, along with guidance from the server or sommelier. The sweet spot on the wine list is a price of $50 to $80 a bottle. "I think when you are in those price points, it is worth spending that extra dollar," says Arnold, who also guides the wine programs of dining concepts such as Summer House Santa Monica and Stella Barra Pizzeria, both with locations in Chicago and North Bethesda, MD; Hub 51 and Paris Club Bistro and Bar in Chicago. All are owned by Lettuce Entertain You, a Chicago-based multiconcept operator with more than 100 restaurants in Illinois, California, Arizona, Maryland, Virginia, Minnesota and Nevada. Arnold encourages the Sancerre drinker to sample the greater complexity of Pouilly-Fumé, made just across the Loire River in France. And he urges the fan of 100% -varietal California sauvignon blanc to experience the added richness and weight of a sauvignon blend with semillon or viognier. Hand-selling spurs guests' interest in unfamiliar wines and helps them feel comfortable trying something new. For example, Arnold may tell a table of guests how the Napa Valley producer Matthiasson blends sauvignon with semillon and the traditional Italian varietals ribolla gialla and tocai friulano to make an intense and aromatic blend inspired by the wines of Friuli. "It's a marriage of the best that Northeastern Italy does with what they do best in Napa Valley," says Arnold. Matthiasson 2012 Napa Valley White Wine, as the blend is called, is a winning match for Lobster Caprese at RPM Italian. Arnold notes that it has the richness and acidity to complement the dish's lobster, buffalo mozzarella and fresh basil. "I find that sauvignon blanc really plays well in matching that intensity," Arnold says. The wine is priced at $78 on the RPM Italian list. Arnold turns to New Zealand sauvignon to pair with ahi tuna tostadas on the menu of Summer House Santa Monica in Chicago. The dish is a California-style riff on ceviche made with marinated ahi tuna, watermelon and Thai chile on corn tostadas with avocado crema. Infamous Goose 2013 Marlborough sauvignon blanc, priced at $44, has the structure and acidity to work with textures and piquancy of dish, Arnold says. W. SCOTT HARPER, MASTER SOMMELIER, BRISTOL BAR & GRILLE, JEFFERSONVILLE, IN Sauvignon blanc is a go-to grape for summertime food matching at the Bristol Bar & Grille in Jeffersonville, IN. The casual dining concept offers a diverse menu of American and international dishes and a wine program marked by variety, discovery and value. Master sommelier W. Scott Harper fields a regular list of 60 wines—40 poured by the glass—plus a 60-bottle reserve list. Together they represent more than four-dozen growing regions around the globe, a selection as broad as the dining room's panoramic view of downtown Louisville, KY, just across the Ohio River. Harper offers sauvignon blancs from Napa Valley, CA; Marlborough, New Zealand; Sancerre, France; and Casablanca, Chile. These pair well with casual dining Ryan Arnold pairs a 2012 Matthiasson Napa Valley White Wine blend with Lobster Caprese at RPM Italian in Chicago.