Wine pairings: Two wine gurus take our questions | spanishchef.net

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Worldwide somm competitions might say someone who excels in wine-recognition tests and food-and-wine pairings. I?d say someone who?d make good company on a desert island (personable, adventurous, resourceful ? like they can make their own desert island wine).

Here are two of San Diego?s celebrated wine gurus. They?re both sociable, daring, and have amazing wine wits. (One even works on creating exclusive bottlings! Wine making? Check.) So we paired up Megan Yelenosky, the wine program director of the vibrant Hilton San Diego Bayfront, and Jesse Rodriguez, wine director at the upscale Grand Del Mar, for some wine insight.

MEGAN YELENOSKY, Hilton San Diego Bayfront (noted for its signature restaurant, Vela)

Yelenosky?s certification: advanced sommelier by the Court of Master Sommeliers.

Previous post: general manager and sommelier at Roppongi Restaurant

Bottles in her inventory: At home, 600; At the restaurant, about 1,500

Inventory leans toward: At home: Burgundy, Germany and Austria. At the restaurant: ?It is a global list, I try to keep it well balanced. But Pinot Noir definitely has the biggest share of the reds.?

Your go-to varietal? This is a hard one for me! It would be like picking your favorite friend in front of your other friends. It would depend on the time of year and what I was eating. In the winter I find myself leaning towards the fuller-bodied wines, and in the summer, the lighter wines: This usually matches how I am eating. Right now in the middle of the summer I am enjoying Ros? wines from France and Spain made from Grenache.

What?s the up-and-coming wine region? I would say that Spain is the hot region right now. They have wonderful whites and reds and the price-to-quality ratio is fantastic. Within Spain I would say Priorat for reds.

If you could give us armchair wine lovers any simple advice, it would be:Branch out more and try new things. Get to know the owner of the local wine shop, let them know what you like and don?t like. Ask for recommendations. There is a giant world of wine out there, and it really makes for a fun night with friends as you explore them.

What goes well with a light summer meal? For whites I would say Gr?ner Veltliner from Austria. It has the ability to go with all of the summer foods we are enjoying like salad greens, asparagus and artichokes. Since most of us are enjoying the outdoors and our grills at this time of the year, I would suggest Grenache for reds. It loves the grill and is light in body.

JESSE RODRIGUEZ, The Grand Del Mar (noted for its signature restaurant, Addison)

Rodriguez?s certification: Certified Wine Educator (Society of Wine Educators)/Advanced Level Certificate (Wine and Spirits Educational Trust)/Advanced Sommelier (Court of Master Sommeliers, Americas)

Bottles in his inventory: 37,580

Inventory leans toward: Burgundy, Spain, Rh?ne, Bordeaux, Champagne, Austria, Germany and California

What goes well with a light summer meal? I like high-acid, low-alcohol wines such as Riesling, sparkling wines and Gr?ner Veltliner. This is not a testament ? so, to each their own. If you like Cabernet Sauvignon with fish, I say, ?Go for it!?

Name some hard-to-pair foods: It?s not really the food itself that is hard to pair. What becomes difficult are two major things:

First, the progression of proteins and weight and textural richness of courses served. When you read menus that have beef before fish and salads after a rich pasta course, it truly becomes difficult to pair beverages that are elevated in style and profile.

Secondly, when courses are too busy and have a lot going on, that again can take away from anything that we?re looking to accomplish with beverages. Sometimes in one course there is a protein and then eight different flavors from the sauce, the accoutrements, the spices and secondary oils (like a truffle-infused oil). Have you ever seen ?Paris Je T?Aime?? It?s similar to that ? deciphering a foreign movie with subtitles and 18 different stories going on. Essentially, the course loses its core idea and theme. When menus are clean and straightforward, it becomes a great pleasure to compose a wine pairing. You can start slowly with exotic aromatic beverages or wines for the beginning courses, then hit the crescendo at the main course.

Tell us about the style of wine you?re making under your own label: We?ve been working with leading winemakers to develop 17 extraordinary proprietary private bottlings. Our two newest ones, slated for release in September, include: Tor, Grenache, Sonoma County 2009; and Kaizen, Pinot Noir, ?Silacci Vineyard,? Monterey County 2009.

keli.dailey@uniontrib.com (619) 293-1541 Twitter @kelidailey

Source: http://spanishchef.net/spanishchefblog/2011/08/23/wine-pairings-two-wine-gurus-take-our-questions/

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