Restaurants: wine pros

Sunset, Jan, 2005 by Kate Washington

Sommeliers have long had a reputation as the Mt. Everest of restaurant staffers: chilly, remote, and lofty to the extreme. But they're coming down to earth; now you don't need to spend a bundle on a bottle to get some education. The new breed of young sommeliers is opening up wine lists to diverse regions, fresh interests, and a new generation of wine drinkers. Here are some favorites.

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THE SOMMELIER           THE WINE LIST   THE PHILOSOPHY   THE HOT TIP

VANCOUVER, B.C.         Small,          "Everything we   Riesling is a
Cru                     approachable    do with the      great match for
Mark Taylor             list is color   color coding     holiday fare.
1459 W. Broadway        coded to make   is designed to   "Riesling is a
www.cru.ca or           pairing easy.   make it easy     classic, noble
604/677-4111            "Nobody has a   to pair wine     grape--a good
                        half an hour    and food. We     Riesling should
                        to read a wine  have about 40    have beautiful
                        list."          wines by the     fruit and
                                        glass, so        refreshing
                                        people can       acidity."
                                        try a different
                                        wine with
                                        each dish."

BELLEVUE, WA            "I wanted to    Anything goes.   For the
Seastar Restaurant      appeal to wine  "Drink the wine  holidays, look
& Raw Bar               geeks and wine  you love with    for Cerdon du
Erik Liedholm           beginners       the food you     Bugey, a
205 108th Ave. N.E.     alike. The      love! Take wine  low-alcohol
www.seastarrestaurant.  list reflects   seriously but    sparkler from
com or 425/456-0010     the menu,       not yourself."   southeastern
                        which thinks                     France that
                        global and                       tastes "like
                        cooks local."                    a strawberry
                                                         Creamsicle."

SAN FRANCISCO           "I found a lot  "It's important  Try Aglianico,
A16                     of great        to be open to    a varietal
Shelley Lindgren        quality and     tasting wines    from Campania.
2355 Chestnut St.       value-priced    that you         "It has a
www.a16sf.com or        wines from      wouldn't         spice-cabinet,
415/771-2216            southern        normally buy.    baking-spice,
                        Italy, and      It's fun for     and evergreen
                        people have     me to have       quality to it.
                        benn really     people trust me  It's great for
                        open to         to find wines    the holidays,
                        exploring the   that will        with all the
                        region."        really suit      season's
                                        their palate."   aramatics."

DENVER                  "My wine list   "It's easy to    "I like
Adega Restaurant        is always       build a wine     southern Italy,
& Wine Bar              being           list entrenched  a region that
Chris Farnum            developed       with blue        has spent a lot
1700 Wynkoop St.        because we      chips. I look    on facilities--
www.adegadenver.com     change the      for wines that   stainless
or 303/534-2222         menu six or     drink well       fermentation
                        eight times     beyond the       vats, new oak
                        a year."        price tag--a     barrels, and
                                        $60 bottle that  temperature
                                        drinks like      controls. Great
                                        $100."           prices on these
                                                         wines too."