Have you ever wondered what it is like to be the wine director of a restaurant? Of course, in some ways it sounds like a fantasy job. One can imagine the pleasures of having distributors visit your restaurant, bringing you fabulous wine to savor and discuss …

Yet of course this is really only a fantasy. The reality is that most restaurant wine directors are so stressed with so much to do they must limit visits from distributors, and even then, savvy wine directors tell the distributors in advance exactly what they are looking for so as to save time.

Yet if you ever wanted an inside peak into the restaurant world – including how wine is bought and priced and sold  – you may want to check out the new book RESTAURANT MAN by Joe Bastianich, even though  the focus here is more on the mechanics of creating a restaurant more than the responsibilities of a sommelier.

Joe is the son of Lydia Bastianich, who runs Felidia and is a famous TV celebrity chef and cookbook author. I met him once at Felidia, Lydia’s top-end restaurant, when he was giving a presentation to the Wine Media Guild about the family’s vineyard in Italy. In the book he spends countless pages describing his childhood helping out in his parents’ earlier restaurant in Queens – and his dreams of being a ‘restaurant man.’

His first restaurant, Becca, was wine focused … Joe explains his goal was to find a variety of interesting Italian wines from all over the country, and introduce them to American customers at a price point of (then) $16 dollars. According to Joe, though the “restaurant math” was wrong because restaurants typically price of a glass of wine what they pay for a bottle (and mark a bottle up 3x the wholesale cost), what he lost in margin he made up in quantity.

Some of the more interesting parts of the book concern Joe’s wine education traveling around Italy, buying wine for the high-end Felidia, and basically self-educating himself about the best Italian wines. You can also find some interesting restaurant gossip, such as the passage when he says “selling wine is all about sizing people up, and it takes a certain amount of chutzpah. The tableside bottle sell is a very funny thing – you take a look at the guy’s blazer, what kind of shoes he’s wearing, what kind of broad he’s with … is he trying to be a hero? A cheap #S#D? Who does he want to impress?”

Another colorful passage is when he compares tasting wine to looking at women. “Tasting  the first wine in the morning is like seeing the first pretty girl of the day – the impact is clear, the impression vivid, there is little ambiguity. Beauty is apparent and it lingers.  But with every wine tasted after the first one, it is the same with every girl you see on the street – you’re more likely to observe a ripple or a wrinkle, a blemish, poor posture …as you taste through a massive quantity of wines, what was crystal clear becomes a blur of sensations, tactile and olfactory.”

Written in a style slightly similar to Anthony Bourdain in Kitchen Confidential, it is a “must read” for anyone who is considering starting a restaurant – or perhaps, even being a sommelier though the focus here is much more on Joe’s intriguing life.

And after reading it, well, all I can say is that you’ll never walk into a restaurant the same way again.

"What a fabulous resource!"

This was my first thought when clicking into the fabulously detailed online course called "Discovering the World of Wine" co-authored by highly credentialed writers/educators Patricia Savoie and Ron Kapon (also Fairleigh Dickinson University's wine course professor for 16 years) and underwritten by Fairleigh Dickinson University's school of International hospitality and The New York Times Knowledge Network.

In contrast to a written book, this upbeat, engaging resource consists of many types of media, including videos (both long and short) and charts.  It is a valuable resource to a seasoned professional as well as a novice apprehensive about what to buy and how to order.

You will find many well-organized chapters (most containing helpful videos) that go over basics like the different kinds of red and white wines, as well as more sophisticated topics such as how to buy wines at auction.

My favorite chapter though was titled "The Social Side of Wine" because what is wine if it's not social?

In this chapter, you will discover many important things, especially with regard to food and wine pairing.

You will also be able to download (and stash in your purse or pocket!) a very helpful "cheat sheet" in the form of a chart that helps you figure out what wine to order to match your food.

In short, this online resource consists of 26 self-paced classes each focused on a specific wine topic.

One of the key benefits in contrast to a heavy book is that it is portable ... you can read the material on your ipad while waiting for appointments or at the airport ... and come off sounding like an expert!

Discovering the World of Wine is ideal for:

Wine Lovers

•     Build the foundation for a lifetime of wine appreciation including: techniques for evaluating wine, the most important grapes and the wines they produce, the world’s most significant wine-making regions, and easy ways to pair wine with food.

Food Service Professionals

•     Restaurant Sommeliers, wine buyers and wait staff

•     Executive Chefs, Sous Chefs, Banquet Chefs, Chefs and Cooks

•     Wine Importers and Distributors and their Sales Representatives

•     Convention Managers, Catering Directors, Meeting and Banquet Planners

•     Retail Wine and Liquor Store Owners and Staff

Benefits of the course

•     Develop wine knowledge and increase personal or staff credibility

•     Impress clients and customers and increase wine sales

•     Learn wine the way people drink it -- by the grape, not by geographic area

•     Discover easy approaches to wine and food pairing

Registration and additional information can be found at http://fdu.edu/wineonline.

Cost: $149 plus optional purchase of wine.

If you are looking to explore a delicious value priced wine with refreshing acidity and minerality, this wine is an excellent choice. The grape is Melon de Bourgogne, and it is a "classic" from Nantes in the Loire Valley.

An aromatic mineral, almost saline nose leads to a medium-bodied palate with pleasant fruit flavors. Refreshing crisp dry finish.

"Krug champagne!"

Well, what else would you expect when having dinner with Jean-Michel and Jean-Charles Cazes at the restaurant inside the exclusive Cordeillan-Bages hotel in Pauillac.

The hotel (managed by Relais & Chateau) is gorgeous and the atmosphere is very refined and relaxed.

We are gathered together to experience the talent of the new chef, Jean-Luc Rocha.

We start out with Foie gras mi-cruit, pain d'espices et pulpe de Maracuya

As you can see, it is quite a work of art and delicious. This is paired with Chateauneuf du Pape 09, Domaine des Senechaux.

Then, we have Lamprey a la Bordelaise paired with Saint-Estephe 2000, Chateau Ormes de Pez.

Suckling lamb in a zesty Viennoise crumb, grilled chop,(above) is served with a golden carrot.

A member of our group found it interesting that there were precisely fourteen people at the table, and we all had golden carrots made extra gold by the gold sauce.

14 carat gold, you see.

And also interesting that a vast percentage of the guests were Asian, and the Hong Kong VinExpo is just a few months away.

Well, I have no idea what this leads up to, yet it is quite clever.

Dessert -- pictured below -- is like a classic Russian doll, with the various layers of delicious flavors breaking open and leading to layers of other flavors. It is called Fraicheur de fruits exotiques, verveine-citron.

It was a fabulous introduction to Chef Jean-Luc Rocha and his style, which is quite intricate and complex.

Yet what I especially relished from this dinner was the opportunity to get to know Jean-Michel Cazes. He is one of the most brilliant and affable men I have met ... very impressive with his combination of charm and business savvy.

... and though he must meet hundreds of people a week, and certainly dozens every day, this morning he recognized me by name when the sea of journalists he must have met from then till now must have been a blur.

Also at my table that night were some really fun people from Hong Kong ... a lively pair of guys that produce a radio show about wine, Chi Sun Lau and Wilson Kwok (Wilson also has a restaurant in Hong Kong).

... so I don't usually drink white wines, yet who can turn down a Sauvignon blanc (SB) from Italy? Fattori Vecchie Scuole had an amazing acidity that went so well with grilled branzino. It's 100% SB fermented in stainless steel with lots of tropical ripe yet crisp fruit and a long, dry, mineral finish. So refreshing. The acidity might be due to the high altitude vineyards.

Our friends at Mazzocco also sent us some of their new Dry Creek Zinfandels and asked the question: Mountain Zin vs Valley Bench Zin Fruit: Can you tell the difference?

I am still working my way through them, but tried the 2009 Reserve Zin Smith Orchard vineyard (mountain fruit, $52) and the 2009 Reserve Zin Pony vineyard ($52) and found it quite a challenge. Both were delicious ... very rich and intense with massive fruit and a dry finish.

Before I try the others I am going to call winemaker Antoine Favero and talk to him about it.

Stay tuned!

Clos de la Siete 2009 (Michel Rolland)

This is a luscious, full-bodied wine (50% Malbec, 30% Merlot, 10/10 Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah) from Mendoza with a rich, ripe, perfumed nose of deep luscious black fruit, a very intense palate of dark fruit, very balanced tannin and acidity, and long finish with more dark rich ripe fruit. Great with steak. Powerful.

Mazzocco 2009 Dry Creek Pony Vineyard,

Very lush and rich, with fragrance of jam, black cherry, and violet and jammy palate with additional flavors of ripe fig and spice. Technical data points to deep clay/loam soil and that the grapes were hand-harvested and fermented with native yeast in stainless steel tanks - aged unfined for 18 months in french oak barrels. 14.8% alcohol, 12 RS

Aurielle 2008

A very smooth and well balanced California cab marked with "restraint" in terms of keeping med+ acid, smooth tannins, richly concentrated fruit in balance. The use of oak is only apparent from its benefit in terms of giving oxygen to the wine (new french oak and used). Lots of Bordeaux cherry, some zesty cranberry, and interesting layers of flavor.
 

N.V. Pommery Champagne POP Earth (France, Champagne)

bubbles: gorgeous, fast moving, tiny ... beautiful to behold
nose: med+ intensity, brioche, toasty, very delicious
palate: dry ... seems like at least under five grams/litre RS, possible just 2 or 3, acid is med tannin is low body is med alc is 12 estimate finish is med with minerals, citrus notes, hazelnut skin ...

Style note: The gorgeous light gold color, fountain of bubbles, and aroma make a gorgeous presentation. The palate is medium bodied with citrus as well as brioche and baked apple. Good with dessert. By Josh Raynolds
Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, December 2009
(NV Pommery Pop Earth Brut) ($55; made from sustainably grown grapes; L91870) Bright yellow with a strong bead. Orange rind and green apple aromas are straightforward and fresh. Juicy orchard fruit flavors become drier in the middle palate and pick up a hint of white pepper. Pleasantly bitter and refreshing, with good finishing clarity, spiciness and a slightly hard edge. This wine has a dosage of 10 g/l, which is far lower than that of the other current Pop bottlings. 87 points

Wilson Winery Carl's Vineyard 2009 Zinfandel

Interesting story about this spicy delicious Zinfandel ... the vineyard is named after Ken Wilson's father, an electrical engineer ... a vineyard named after his mother, Dorothy, is nearby. The wine is very well made, medium-bodied yet rich and extremely well balanced at the same time, with layers of flavor and a medium + finish. Perfect with grilled lamb.

596 Cases, $34

2009 Black-Sears Vineyard Zinfandel Howell Mountain V. Sattui Vineyard

Coming from the highest vineyard in the Howell Mountain sub appellation, this gets more sunlight yet has cooler mountain air, so the wine is full and rich yet has bracing acidity and a long finish. The rocky porous volcanic soils provide excellent drainage.

Winemaking: Grapes de-stemmed without crushing the berries, fermented in stainless steel, racked to French oak barrels and aged for 18 months. Only 329 cases produced $42. Wine is extremely well balanced without being too jammy, very elegant with lots of finesse. $42

2009 Crow Ridge Vineyard Zinfandel Russian River, V. Sattui Vineyard

White chalk soil from volcanic ash deposits is one of the more unique aspects of the terroir. The wine is very old world in style, with excellent balance, med+ acidity, and med+ length. Aged 18 months in 20% new American oak and 70% new and seasoned French/American oak. 727 cases produced. Delicious. $37.

2009 Quaglia Vineyard Zinfandel St. Helena V. Sattui Vineyard

This plot used to be where Italian growers planted "field blends" and you can still detect some Petite Sirah and Carignane in this delicious spicy wine. This was barrel-aged for 18 months in both new and seasoned American and French oak barrels. 446 cases produced. $39.

Curious about what wine to bring for Thanksgiving dinner?

The most important consideration is to find a good "food wine" -- especially wines that will pair well with thanksgiving foods like turkey and sweet potatoes that also have that elusive quality of "balance."

Below are three wines, a white and two reds, that you can find in a store near you that have incredible balance and can pair nicely with your holiday meal.

Suavia Soave Clasico DOC 2009 Veneto, Italy

"Very mineral rich!" said the man at the next table, helping himself to a glass of the Soave I brought to a popular BYOB restaurant in Manhattan. The gentleman in question was actually a VIP in the wine business, and in actuality we were exchanging wines in true wine lovers' fashion.

Yet he was right about the minerality of this wine ... the soils are volcanic and the wine shows a definitive sense of terroir. You will find ripe peach fruit on the palate and high acidity and finish of more minerals and lemon zest. Grapes are 95% Garganega and 5% Trebbiano di Soave (Verdicchio). Grapes are hand harvested and fermented for 15 days in stainless steel vats - no malolactic fermentation.

Quivira 2009 Mouvedre from Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma

"Very elegant and delicate!" says my companion, taking her first sip of this wine. "I always thought it was deep and brooding ... like it is in France and Spain," said a friend, sharing a bottle of this wine with me at a trendy restaurant. Though Dry Creek in Sonoma County can be a hot area, this grape fits in well with the warm, dry Mediterranean climate. The wine has a soft, supple spicy character that goes well with a wide variety of food, including lamb though being a "red wine with fish" sort of person I thought it paired very well with salmon. A unique style that will change whatever your thoughts are about what most people think of as a rustic grape.

Wilson Winery Ellie's Old Vine Vineyard 2009 Zinfandel

Really delicious wine - very pleasantly surprised by the intense red cherry high notes and refreshing, lightweight texture of this wine which resembled a top cru Burgundy more than a heavy, saturated California Zinfandel. Its elegance may be attributed to the old vines, or perhaps the "Mollisol" soil which is said to contain abundant organic matter in the topsoil and subsurface layers. The nose had notes of cherries, spice, cloves, and cola and the palate intense cherry fruit and well-integrated oak (it was aged in American and French barrels for 18 months).

Only 590 Cases are produced, $34.

Want to see how sommeliers pair wine in the UK? Click here to read my article on Palatepress.com

Some excellent wines this week, an assortment of reds and whites from around the globe. Though diverse as a group, what unites them is their distinctive terroir.

Terrezas de los Andes
Reserva Malbec 2009

I visited this winery in Argentina last year and happy to have the chance to review it again, this time paired with a variety of dishes at The Modern. The winery has been around since 1960 under "Bodegas Chandon" and 1997 was the first commercial vintage under the Terrezas de los Andes label.

The wine, with its purple opaque color and intense fruit notes of black cherry, raspberry, blackberry, and spice, paired very well with steak, especially with its med+ acidity and tannins. The vanilla notes from Barrel aging provided elegance and made this a fabulous food wine - especially for its under $15 price.

The Climber 2010
Red Wine from Clif Family Winery

Social climber? Vines that climb? Curious name yet a very good wine from the people behind Clif Bar & Company, headed by winemakers Bruce Regalia and Sarah Gott.

This wine is a blend of five varietals ... not a "Bordeaux" blend but Zinfandel based, so you know it is spicy. Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon round it all out, along with Petit Sirah and Merlot. It's a fruit driven wine with lush blackberries and cherries, along with seductive vanilla touches from barrel aging. A bargain at $14.00.

Kit's Killer Cab 2008
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Intense black cherry on the nose and palate, and incredible balance of deeply concentrated fruit, oak, tannin, and refreshing acidity are the hallmark of this top tier wine from winemakers Bruce Regalia and Sarah Gott.

It's a rich, succulent wine that demands rich, succulent fair ... of course, it works well with lamb and steak, yet can  work for "pescatorians" who like red wine with fish by adjusting the weight of the sauce and manner of cooking. The Cabernet Sauvignon fruit comes from an alluvial fan on Ritchie Creek in Calistoga, and the 8% Merlot and 8% Malbac comes from a vienyard along the Napa River. Only 250 cases produced $38.

Craggy Range Sauvignon Blanc 2010
Martinborough, New Zealand

This wine, sourced from several exclusive parcels of vines growing on a stony, limestone influenced soil adjacent to the Huangarua River in Martinborough, New Zealand, is remarkable as it is unlike most 'generic' fruit-driven Sauvignon Blanc wines from Martinborough on the market. Almost like an expensive Chablis, one can sense the minerality and long racy finish.  Great for delicate dishes like sole. $21.99.

Craggy Range Chardonnay 2010
Hawke's Bay, New Zealand

Delicious and elegant wine that comes from the exclusive Kidnappers Vineyard in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand,. It is a cool yet sunny environment alllowing the development of  the subtle yet elegant flavors one usually associates with the mineral-rich, high acidity Chablis region of France.  $21.99

When you think of sparkling wine, what comes to mind? Champagne with its limestone soils? California sparklers with their bright sunny flavors?

How about sipping a sparkler from an ancient land, with vines grown on a site filled with concentric circles. Archeologists believe this area was used as an ancient calendar and that the alignments of rocks may have been used to determine the dates of the equinox and special ceremonies. 

This Israeli sparkling wine, Gilgal Brut, is made from a blend of 50% Chardonnay and 50% Pinot Noir grown in the cool climate of the Golan Heights. Produced in the classic Champagne method, it is aged for a minimum of one year in the bottle on the yeast.

Beyond the exotic story of its vines, the wine reveals bright lemon notes nuanced with characters of crisp green apples and pears, fresh flowers, and hints of wild strawberries from the pinot noir