KEY POINTS:
Poring over a restaurant wine list only to panic at the last moment and opt for the familiar is an experience many know all too well. As wine lists become more complex and cosmopolitan, what's increasingly required is a knowledgeable guide: enter the sommelier.
Don't be intimidated by the fancy French term, the sommelier is a wine waiter whose expertise should be part of the service provided by a good restaurant. They're there to help diners find their way through the list to the wines best suited to their tastes, chosen dishes and budget.
"The sommelier's there to create links," explains Cameron Douglas, Australasia's sole Master Sommelier and senior wine and beverage lecturer at AUT. "All too often, people are left to their own devices with a wine list, which is often too big. They then go for what they know, as they don't know what they're dealing with."
Even if you're one of the few au fait with all the wines on a list, the sommelier should know the menu's dishes and be able to suggest the most appropriate match. A sommelier's recommendations can also lead diners out of their comfort zones into new wine territory.
"I want to turn people on to new wines," says The Grove's owner-sommelier, Michael Dearth. "It's important to get the customer a wine they'll be excited about and New Zealanders are getting more adventurous about trying different wines."
Nevertheless, Kiwis are still reluctant to take advice. "The approach to sommeliers in New Zealand is very different to the traditional European model, where the dining public is more accustomed to calling on their services," says O'Connell Street Bistro sommelier, Eric Perejda. "In New Zealand, there's maybe a bit of a reluctance to trust someone to make the wine decision for them."
Sommeliership is still in its infancy in our country. Here, general waiting staff often adopt the role in the absence of an allotted individual, and, if appropriately trained, can still be well able to assist.
However, many restaurants let themselves down through their wine service, with staff too often appearing as ignorant of the wines on their list as their customers. If your questions are met with hesitancy and a general lack of confidence, it may still be best to go it alone.
That said, standards are on the up, and should be boosted further by the now regular visits of the Court of Master Sommeliers to the country. This month, Douglas is joined by fellow foreign Master Sommeliers to teach its courses in Auckland and Wellington.
This is helping to create a growing band of beverage professionals who've met an international standard and are better equipped to help restaurant-goers with their increasingly sophisticated wine selecting needs.
SOMMELIERS' PICK
Three leading sommeliers have paired a wine I've chosen to recommend from their lists with a dish from their menu. All prices quoted are retail.
A MASTER'S MATCHES AT MEREDITH'S
Clifford Bay Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2007 $20.50
It's the soft texture and savoury undertone of this elegantly intense Awatere sauvignon, with its bright citrus, ripe tropical fruit and flinty note, that Cameron Douglas thinks makes it a great match with the yellowfin tuna, panzanella salad, black olive & boquerone at Meredith's, for which he advises: "It pairs well with the weight and sweetness of the tuna and the crisp flavour spikes off the crunchy croutons, flavoursome olives and anchovies, which marry well to the freshness and texture of the wine."
(From specialist wine shops and selected restaurants.)
O'CONNELL STREET CHOICE
William Thomas Marlborough Pinot Gris 2007 $27.50
Ripe pear flavours on this dry, fresh, exotically spiced and minerally pinot gris partner well with the chutney in the O'Connell Street Bistro's chicken liver parfait with apple and pear chutney and chargrilled ciabatta, says its sommelier Eric Perejda. "The texture of the parfait first works with the silkiness and richness of the wine, with the acid cutting through it at the back palate and the yeasty and flinty flavours work through the chargrilled ciabatta," he says.
(From La Barrique and selected restaurants.)
THE GROVE GOES FOR LAMB
Puriri Hills Estate Clevedon 2005 $37.50
According to The Grove's Michael Dearth, lamb's the best pairing with this savoury, well-structured merlot-dominant blend, with rich but fresh blackcurrant and berry fruit, toasty undertones and nutmeg spice. It has the fruit and structure to work well with the Grove's lamb loin with garlic ravioli, pumpkin and chermoula, its star anise and chilli infused master stock and rich veal jus, thinks Dearth.
(From Kemp Rare Wines and selected restaurants.)
