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Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/504798
www.cheersonline.com 22 • May 2015 favorites like fried calamari as well as more elevated entree options, such as ahi tuna seared rare and served with a tropical fruit glaze. "It is an awesome food wine, and that is what we do," says Harper, who is general manager of the Jeffersonville restaurant, as well as managing partner/corporate wine and beverage director for Bristol Bar & Grille, which also has four Bristol locations in Louisville. With an appetizer of pan flashed shrimp with artichoke and roasted red pepper chipotle sauce, Harper suggests Quintay Clava 2013 Casablanca sauvignon blanc. Bristol prices the wine at $6.50 a glass, $22 a bottle. The Quintay Clava is a good expression of cool-climate Casablanca fruit made without oak treatment, helping to keep the price reasonable, Harper notes. Its citrus and herbaceous notes and touch of fruitiness complement the crustaceans and their zesty sauce. "The wine is dry, but not crazy dry," says Harper. "And that little bit of fruit helps quell some of the spice of the chipotles." Harper also recommends Honig 2013 Napa Valley sauvignon blanc, priced at $8.50 by the glass, $30 by the bottle, with shrimp and scallops basilicato. The Honig's ample body and acidity—plus a touch of minerality—make it a congenial companion for the shellfish, which is prepared with garlic butter, white wine and pesto and served over linguine. Sesame seared tuna with pineapple-ginger-soy glaze, priced at $19, is an ideal match with Spy Valley 2012 Marlborough sauvignon blanc, priced at $35. The wine's trademark sauvignon acidity and medium-to-full body stand up to the meaty fish, while its fruit nuances are compatible with the pineapple-ginger-soy glaze. The better expressions of sauvignon blanc offer consistently high quality and value for the money, Harper says. That is also true of his wine program in general. "I don't mean everything here is priced at $20," says Harper. "But if it's 20 bucks, it's gotta rock it out for 20 bucks. And if it's a $50 bottle of Sancerre, it should be damn good for 50 bucks." LAUREN LATHROP, SHAKER & SPEAR, SEATTLE If early indications hold true, sauvignon blanc-based wines will be hot properties this summer at Shaker & Spear, a new Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants seafood spot in downtown Seattle. The varietal was already selling well in early spring, says Lauren Lathrop, general manager/wine director of the cozy, 60-seat restaurant. For Lathrop, it's a varietal in tune with executive chef Walter Pisano's menu, which is fresh, frequently changing and focused on simply prepared seafood and local produce. The wine list, which Lathrop assembled with Emily Wines, Kimpton's master sommelier/national director of beverage programs, numbers about 60. The selections emphasize high- acid white wines, hence the role for sauvignon blanc. "Brightness and minerality are the things that are the most consistent across the wine list," Lathrop says. "That is what elevates the chef 's food." Sauvignon, with its herbal qualities, has a special affinity for spring and summer produce. Lathrop describes Chateau La Freynelle 2013 Entre-Deux-Mers, a Bordeaux Blanc priced at $10 by the glass, $40 by the bottle, as "the perfect salad wine," especially for spicy, peppery-tasting greens with herb-enhanced vinaigrette. Nobilo 2013 Marlborough sauvignon blanc, priced at $7 by the glass, has a traditional New Zealand grassy style with some roundness that works well with simply grilled whole fish, Lathrop says. Also a good match with many seafood dishes is a home- state favorite, Cadaretta 2013 SBS sauvignon blanc/semillion from Columbia Valley, WA. Priced at $50 by the bottle, it's a blend in the style of Bordeaux Blanc. An example of a pairing that Shaker & Spear may feature in the summer is herb-stuffed branzino, grilled and served with a pickled radish and shaved asparagus salad, with Domaine Bristol Bar & Grille in Jeffersonville, IN, offers sauvignon blancs from Napa Valley, CA; Marlborough, New Zealand; Sancerre, France; and Casablanca, Chile. Summer Sauvignon Blanc for