Strip House at the Westminster Hotel, Livingston, NJ
Featured Wine Region: New Jersey/New York
Number of Wines on the Menu: 100
Number of Regional Wines on the Menu: 9
With the current uptick in shopping local and supporting local farms, dairies and gardens, it makes sense to offer great regional wines, says director of food and beverage Jono Moratis. “It opens the door to many possibilities,” he notes. “Having a great meal with a fantastic wine from the area may prompt a guest to visit the local farms and wineries, as they are accessible and usually within a few hours’ drive.”
Moratis selects regional wines that—first and foremost—prompt a sense of surprise. He also seeks quality, consistency, pricing, availability and any opportunities for cross-promotion with the winery in the form of tastings or dinners.
The 136-seat steakhouse offers nine wines from New York and New Jersey. One is the 2012 Unionville Vineyards Big O Red Montage ($75 a bottle) from New Jersey, with leather, blackberry jam, vanilla bean and mango notes. Soft and creamy yet tannic and well structured and balanced, Moratis calls it “a little bit of heaven” with a charred strip steak or ribeye.
The 2015 Hermann J. Weimer dry riesling ($36 a bottle) from New York comes from one of the country’s best riesling producers. Vibrant and aromatic with signature minerality, great acidity and a lingering finish, the wine pairs nicely with a variety of dishes.
“Malbec is a rising star on Long Island, with early ripening times, intense color and dark, sultry fruit,” Moratis says. He is partial to the 2014 Bedell Cellars malbec ($65 a bottle), made from sustainably farmed, estate-grown fruit and indigenous yeasts.
It’s always nice to support the local wine industry, but Moratis admits that price point is a consideration and reference. “Is the $50 or $70 local wine equal or better than [that] from California that they already love to drink?” he asks. “It is up to us to educate and ensure that we exceed expectations in our recommendations.”
Solage, Calistoga, CA
Featured Wine Region: Napa Valley
Number of Wines on the Menu: 35 by the glass, 400 by the bottle
Number of Regional Wines on the Menu: 26 by the glass, 300 by the bottle
“Napa Valley is a culinary and enological destination for gourmands worldwide,” says Solage sommelier/beverage director Scott Turnbull. “Having the list reflect the wineries (both large and small) that we have just around the corner is key to being relevant for our visitors.”
At the 130-seat, globally inspired restaurant whose cuisine is influenced by the growing seasons, the list naturally skews heavily in favor of Napa’s finest. Turnbull calls the 2013 Coquerel Winery verdelho ($10 a glass, $45 a bottle) “an exotic treat from just up the road.” Its light floral and stone-fruit notes and elegant richness go well with chilled sweet corn soup with three-seed croutons, haricots verts, nduja and thyme.
The bright strawberry- and water-melon-tinged 2015 Shypoke Winery Rosé of Grenache ($40 a bottle) comes from a Calistoga producer with more than 100 years of experience. With local heirloom tomatoes, it’s “a perfect foil with its clean, crisp finish and slight touch of cherry pit tannins,” Turnbull says.
And the 2012 Chateau Montelena Estate Zinfandel ($80 a bottle) is “more restrained than other full-bodied versions, classic and correct with the high alcohol and extraction.” Turnbull recommends it with wood-grilled Sakura pork tenderloin with jasmine rice, ginger, chile-laced cashews tamarind sauce, coconut and mustard greens.
Curating the list in such a rich wine region is clearly a challenge, but Turnbull seeks balance. “Balancing classic and popular varietals with more unusual but still locally grown wines is a great way to show the variety of what we have here. Thus, chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon co-exists with gewürztraminer and refosco.”
In an area so full of local products for the table, Turnbull views regional and local wines as the key to the success of Solage’s beverage program. “There is only so much time that people can spend going to wineries and tastings,” he admits.
“Being able to enjoy a meal with a bottle of wine, and be able to spend time with it as it changes and opens is a way to better understand both wine in general, as well as the wine that we can make here.”
Enolo Wine Café, Chicago
Featured Wine Region: Michigan
Number of Wines on the Menu: 40 by the glass, 50 by the bottle
Number of Regional Wines on the Menu: 3
General manager/sommelier Tony Rossi seeks out bottles that have a “classic, Old World aesthetic and balance” for the 60- seat Mediterranean-infl uenced café.
He believes Larry Mawby makes the best sparkling wine in the U.S. The NV L. Mawby Blanc de Blancs ($16 a glass) is made in the Leelaneau Peninsula, where stable summer temperatures are perfect for bubbles. It boasts aromas of orchard fruit and light spice, juicy acidity and a dry, crisp and clean fi nish that’s great with fried chicken or pancetta pizza with Bosc pear and brie, he says.
Northern Michigan has a cool climate and long growing season that’s akin to that of Alsace. Rossi says the 2012 Bel Lago Vineyards Auxerrois ($12 aglass) is similar to its French counterpart.
“Eight months spent on the lees gives the wine a subtle nutty and yeasty aromatic balance to the ripe fruit,” he says. “It’s a great fall wine that pairs well with scallops and butternut squash or wild fall mushrooms.”
Leelanau’s climate is also fitting for high-acid and low-tannin cabernet franc. The 2011 Black Star Farms Arcturos cabernet franc ($16 a glass) balances juicy fruit and savory herbaceousness, he says. It’s a winner with game fowl like pheasant, quail or duck.
Michigan wines are flying under the radar right now, but that will most likely change as word about Leelanau’s quality spreads, Rossi says. “What is great about Leelanau is the porous soil and cool temps, which are not ideal for agriculture, but perfect for the vines, which need to struggle.”
Kelly Magyarics is a wine and spirits writer in the Washington, D.C. area.