The SOMM Journal

April / May 2016

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38 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } APRIL/MAY 2016 { wine lists } Rebekah Turpin on Some of Her Favorite Wines Bartolo Mascarello Barolo A very elegant and refined Barolo. I love the floral rose petal notes on the nose mixed with bright red fruit. Silky on the palate; bursting with red fruit and great earthiness. RARE WINE CO. Fumanelli Amarone della Valpolicella My favorite red wine that we pour BTG. Amarone has a special place in my heart as it is the wine that made me fall in love with wine. I love the big lush fruit, with notes of plum, figs and ripe black cherries. The texture is rich and velvety with a lingering, seductive finish. PASTERNAK WINE IMPORTS Liquid Farm Golden Slope Chardonnay, Sta. Rita Hills A wonderful California wine going into this summer. This wine is a beau- tiful expression of California Chardonnay with a tribute to Burgundy. Perfectly bal- anced, apples and orchard fruit with a lin- gering creamy texture and very nice acidity. F errari Brut, Trento DOC My favorite Italian sparkling BTG, from Trentino. It is elegant with notes of white flowers, golden apples and a light yeastiness. Ferrari is made in the traditional Champagne method from 100% Chardonnay and is a wonderful expression of Italian sparkling wine. PALM BAY INTERNATIONAL A Worldly Approach REBEKAH TURPIN OF CULINA, MODERN ITALIAN AT FOUR SEASONS HOTEL LOS ANGELES BRINGS ITALY TO SOCAL by Emily Coleman / photo by Cal Bingham REBEKAH TURPIN'S LOVE OF WINE DIDN'T START in the vineyard; it began for with a love for travel. During college, she spent a semester at sea and caught the travel bug. When she wasn't wandering the globe, she worked in fine dining in the San Diego area. Through this experience, she began to realize that wine's history and ties to cultures around the globe run thousands of years deep, and has remained relevant even in our modern era. The travel books she lugged around were soon replaced with wine books, as Lisa Redwine, President of San Diego's Women's Wine Alliance, encouraged her to start studying and taking courses. Turpin then undertook the task of revitalizing the wine program at Park Hyatt Aviara Resort in Carlsbad, which had been untouched for some time. "The learning curve in this new position was steep," notes Turpin. "But I wanted to bring back the wine culture to the property and put my own special touch on the list." This experience—and her love for Italy's Piemonte region—led her to her current position: Sommelier for Culina, Modern Italian at Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles in Beverly Hills. Here, Turpin sought to focus a chaotic list, making it more concise and offering wines that had a story to tell. Her list pairs elegantly with the authentic Italian cuisine—80% of the list and all of the by-the-glass offerings come from the boot. "I look for wines that over deliver in quality," Turpin continues. "The constraints of keeping the list focused on Italy forces me to get creative and find fresh wines that are both eccentric and approachable. Luckily, Italian wines—due to their lower tannins and subtle oak charac - teristics—are food-friendly, so they match the food menu perfectly." The somm acknowledges that Italian wines are notorious difficult to understand and wants to shed new light on the region: "We have a mix of very educated guests who will geek out with me and guests who are intrigued and eager to learn more about wine; it's important the list allows both of these groups to find something they will enjoy drinking, whether that's a new choice for them or one of their favorites." Rebekah Turpin, Sommelier for Culina, Modern Italian at Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles in Beverly Hills, CA.

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