In the Drink

Co-founder of Best Cellars, Joshua Wesson is one of the most highly sought after wine talents in the industry. Mr. Wesson is a leading authority on the pairing of wine and food. Tune in to this week’s episode of In the Drink as host Joe Campanale talks with Josh about everything from sparkling wine to the history of sommoliers in New York City. Find out what Josh enjoys drinking the most and what makes a good wine and food pairing. Hear about his wine retail business with Best Cellars and get some great insight from one of the most well respected authorities on wine in the country. This program was sponsored by Heritage Foods USA

“If i was shipwrecked on a desert island and could olny have one bottle, it would be a sparkling red wine with a little sweetness.” 11;00

–Joshua Wesson on In the Drink

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This week on In the Drink, Joe Campanale is chatting with Pascaline Lepeltier, the Wine Director at NYC’s Rouge Tomate. Why did Pascaline abandon a promising future teaching philosophy to become a wine expert? Despite her upbringing in the Loire Valley, Pascaline did not discover wine until her late teens; find out why Pascaline was so isolated from the wine culture around her. Pascaline gives some tips on how to determine wine authenticity and consistency from distributors. Later, Joe and Pascaline talk about the quality of food at Rouge Tomate, and why a certain level of gastronomy is important when pairing with good wine. Hear some of Pascaline’s experiences studying for the Master Sommelier exam! This episode has been brought to you by Underground Meats.

“Wine might be the only thing that can do that- connect me with my friends, connect with something from so long ago, and give so much pleasure.” [9:20]

“You always want to meet the face behind the label.” [12:15]

— Pascaline Lepeltier on In the Drink

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This week on In the Drink, Joe Campanale sits down with Food & Wine‘s Executive Wine Editor, Ray Isle. Prior to joining Food & Wine in 2005, Ray was managing editor of Wine & Spirits. He has also worked in sales and marketing for a wine importer, and taught fiction writing at Stanford University. Ray’s articles about wine, food, and spirits have appeared in a wide range of publications including Wine & Spirits, the Washington Post, Martha Stewart Living and Gastronomica. He has been nominated for a James Beard Award, the highest honor for food and beverage professionals in the U.S. Ray regularly conducts wine-tasting seminars at Epicurean events throughout the country and abroad and appears as a wine and spirits expert on national television. Tune into this week’s program to hear Ray talk about his transition from the world of academia to writing about wine and food. Find out how Ray’s experiences in Northern California inspired him to work in vineyards during harvest season. How did Ray’s experiences in wine production inform his writing? Later, tune in to hear discussions regarding Ray’s recent trip to Portugal. Find out about the different wine regions in Portugal, and why the nation should be known for more than just port! This program has been sponsored by GreatBrewers.com. Music has been provided by Obey City.

“Having worked on the business side and production side of wine, it’s really nice because I get this whole picture. If I think back, I can still smell the pinot noir grapes in the MacroBin!” [9:00]

“Some of the small artisan importers that usually bring in off-beat European wines are starting to pick up on some of these unique Australian wines.” [26:40]

— Ray Isle on In the Drink

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On today’s episode of In the Drink, host Joe Campanale welcomes sommelier Rajat Parr, wine director of the Mina Group. Born in Calcutta, Rajat credits his uncle in London for first introducing him to great wines. After earning a bachelor’s degree in Hotel Administration, Rajat entered the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park, New York. In 2003, Parr was named Wine Director for the Mina Group, where he develops and manages the wine programs at numerous restaurants. In 2011, Rajat launched Sandhi, which produces Pinot Noir and Chardonnay produced from select vineyards of Santa Rita Hills in partnership with Charles Banks and Sashi Moorman. In 2013, Rajat released wines from his new estate vineyard, Domaine de la Cote. Tune-in to today’s episode of In the Drink and learn more about Rajat’s wine experience today! This program has been sponsored by GreatBrewers.com.

“If you really want it, you have to own it. Eventually you want to be totally involved.”

— Rajat Parr on In the Drink

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As Chef Sommelier of Le Bernardin, New York’s longest rated four-star restaurant, Aldo Sohm oversees a wine collection consisting of 15,000 bottles made up of 900 wine selections from 12 countries with vintages that date back to 1875. Sohm’s fascination with wine began at the age of 19 after visiting an Italian vineyard with his father. Captivated with what he encountered and learned, he knew quickly that he wanted to pursue a career in wine. Sohm reached the pinnacle of wine competitions when he was awarded the highly-coveted title, “Best Sommelier in the World 2008,” by the World Sommelier Association, the first representative of America to win the title. Since then he has garnered success all throughout the wine industry, becoming known as one of the best sommelier’s in the world. On this episode of In the Drink, learn more about Sohm’s work – what he considers being a Chef Sommelier is, what continues his interest in wine, and what’s in store for the future. This program has been sponsored by Heritage Foods USA.

“In New York you see an incredibly amount of wealth – but you also see the other side. I saw City Harvest and it was eye-opening, so I wanted to contribute to that and help a good cause.” [26:30]

— Aldo Sohm on In the Drink

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Jancis Robinson is one of only a handful of wine writers with an international reputation. Her multi-award-winning books, including the hugely successful Oxford Companion to Wine and Wine Grapes, are among the most important landmarks in wine literature. Jancis is the Financial Times wine correspondent and writes a bi-monthly column that is published around the world. She also writes daily for www.JancisRobinson.com, which has subscribers in 100 countries and was voted the first-ever Wine Website of the Year in the Louis Roederer International Wine Writers Awards 2010. Find out more about Jancis, her latest book, The World Atlas of Wine, and more about winemaking in general, on today’s episode of In the Drink. This program has been sponsored by MOOD Magazine.

“I used to be a control freak, but now I’m learning to delegate, which is very nice.” [4:15]

“If you like wine but want to know a bit more, establish a relationship with a good local retailer, the same way you would with a local bookseller. Tell them what you like so far, and it’s in their interest to lead you to something else.” [29:10]

— Jancis Robinson on In the Drink

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On today’s episode of In the Drink, Abe Schoener, winemaker at the Scholium project, joins host Joe Campanale to talk about the winery, their wines, and the changing wine industry in New York. At the Scholium Project, Abe and his team make wine, but only when first thinking hard about it. The wines he creates reflect a desire to understand and have a respect for tradition. He follows methods that in some ways are very old-fashioned, and in some ways rather unconventional, such as using techniques like food treading to distribute the grapes in the best possible way. Learn more about the wine maker, and how to buy his wines on this episode, and at the Scholium Project. This program has been sponsored by Brooklyn Slate.

“When we make wines, we’re engaged in making something that’s meant to fall apart.” [6:01]

— Abe Schoener on In the Drink

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On a special episode of In the Drink, the topic switches from wine into beer, with guests Rudy Tauscher and Andreas Heidenreich of Paulaner Brewery. The duo are right on the verge of opening the first Brauhaus in New York City, opening in the Lower East Side on Bowery St. Andreas Heidenreich is the Brewmaster of Paulaner Brauhaus, and has been brewing beer since his early teens in Germany. Heidenreich has also spent over nine years in Asia, where he has been involved in the opening of Paulaner Brauhaus and Restaurant in Shenyang, China. For over 20 years, Rudy Tauscher climbed the hotel industry ladder working for some of the world’s top luxury hotels including Le Bristol in Paris, The Palace in Sun City in South Africa, Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas, Peninsula, Trump International and most recently Mandarin Oriental, New York. Last year, Tauscher set out on a completely different career path as President and Founder of Paulaner’s first microbrewery and restaurant in the U.S. This program has been sponsored by MOOD Magazine.

—Rudy Tauscher on In the Drink

“We brew four to six times per week. Our beer is unfiltered, so it’s much more flavorful.” [25:03]

— Andreas Heidenreich on In the Drink

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Steve Olson is dedicated to the education and consultation of degustation for appreciation and celebration. He teaches, lectures, and writes all over the world about wine, beer, spirits, sake, and virtually any other beverage under the sun, discussing their integral cause-and-effect relationship with food as he preaches the gospel of his mission: making tasting fun by removing the intimidation factor and the pretense. Olson’s company, aka wine geek, specializes in beverage and service consulting, and has focused on the professional presentation of beverage education for the trade, consumers, press and the media since 1992. Olson may be best known to many for his restaurant and bar consulting, having designed the innovative beverage programs and service sytems for several nationally acclaimed operations, including the Relais Chateau, Mobil Five Star award-winning Mayflower Inn in Connecticut, New York City’s #1 Zagat-rated restaurant, Gramercy Tavern, the Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa in Atlantic City, and the Adam Tihany-designed Summit at the Mobil Five-Star, AAA Five-Diamond BROADMOOR in Colorado Springs. His most recent venture are Isola, Hudson Lodge, Hudson Common, and Reserve Bar, each in Manhattan, where Olson and team act as beverage consultant to the Morgan Hotel Group in NYC. Tune-in to hear how much Steve values service in his restaurants, and which restaurant in the East Village Steve is partnering with right now. This program has been sponsored by Heritage Foods USA.

— Steve Olson on In the Drink

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Jordan Salcito comes into the studio on this week’s In the Drink to speak to us about her position as Beverage Director for David Chang’s famous Momofuku restaurants. She is also a sommelier and entrepreneur living in New York City. After college, Jordan traveled through Italy, moved to New York City and began working in restaurants. She earned a scholarship to attended culinary school at Johnson & Wales University, then moved back to New York to cook at Daniel Boulud’s flagship restaurant,

Jordan has worked in some of New York’s most esteemed dining rooms, including at Eleven Madison Park (where she was part of the James Beard Award-winning team for Outstanding Wine Service), Daniel, Gilt at the New York Palace, and Crown, where she built and managed the wine program during its inaugural year. She has also worked harvests in Burgundy since 2006 at esteemed wineries such as Domaines Dujac, Mugneret-Gibourg, De Montille, Comtes Liger-Belair, and de l’Arlot, as well as harvests in Montalcino and Patagonia.

In 2011, she launched Bellus Wines. Her first release, the 2007 “Girasole,” from Montalcino, donates a percentage of proceeds to female entrepreneurs through The Tory Burch Foundation. Her second release, the 2011 “Les Roches Soeurs,” is a collaboration with Alix de Montille of Meursault. Accolades include the Advanced Diploma from the International Wine Center, and an Introduction to Winemaking course at UC Davis. She is a Master Sommelier Canditate in the Court of Master Sommeliers. Jordan’s expertise has landed her roles as Rachael Ray’s “Wine Buddy”; PBS Vine Talk’s co-host; and one of Gilt Taste’s sommelier panelists. She and Bellus have been featured in publications such as Food & Wine, Allure, Travel + Leisure, WWD, Martha Stewart Radio, CNN.com, The Huffington Post, Every Day with Rachael Ray, USA Today, Women’s Wear Daily, and The Food Republic.

Tune-in to learn how Jordan supervises a large team at Momofuku restaurants, how she moved from a career as a writer to becoming a sommelier, and even what it’s like to live in the same house with another wine enthusiast! This program has been sponsored by Brooklyn Slate.

“I try to tailor each guest’s experience. I always recommend going to see one of the larger producers, and that’s where you have this amazing snapshot.” [29:20]

— Jordan Salcito on In the Drink

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