Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/935769
{ SOMMjournal.com } 51 When did you become the Wine Director at Girl & the Goat? About six months into the job, an as- sistant sommelier position opened. This was an entirely new position. Since the current wine director was managing three restaurants at the same time, they thought they needed someone to help out with some of the day-to-day tasks. Less than six months after that, my boss at the time, Jeremy Adler, left and I took over! In the eight months you've led the wine program, what have you accomplished that reflects your personal vison? I think I have been able to expand our of - ferings to things that are a bit off the beaten path. We still offer the staples that most our guests will recognize, but they're maybe less predictable. As an example, instead of offering a Pinot Noir by the glass from a common region, I came across this beautiful Pinot Noir from Germany and added it to our by-the-glass offerings. The guest might have planned to have a glass of Pinot Noir anyway, but this piques their curiosity and sparks a conversation tableside. Have any recent finds particu - larly intrigued you? I recently discovered this Nebbiolo from Roero in Piedmont. It had some age, but it was not that expensive because it wasn't produced in more famous regions of Barolo or Barbaresco. It still would be over $100 on our wine list, but we concluded that if we have the right conversation with the guest, they'd realize they're actually getting a bargain for $100. If this wine was grown a few miles away, it would be three times more expensive! If you were to pick one wine that tends to work well with Chef Izard's food overall, which would it be? We once had a Jurançon Sec by the glass; it was bright and floral with high acid, which made it work especially well with the fat content in some dishes while cleansing the palate. It was one of Stephanie's favorite wines as well. Being atypical, it was a very hard sell, yet when we were able to convince guests to try it, most enjoyed it! Overall, I think high-acid, high-mineral whites like Grüner tend to work best. How is your wine list categorized? Our white wine section used to be broken down by grape variety like Char - donnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and so on, plus "intriguing whites." People would ask me what "intriguing whites" meant, but it was just a catch-all category for any wine that did not fall under a popular grape heading. We had something similar for red wine: "engaging reds." So I eventually categorized the wine list by style—light, crisp, high-acid, richer, fuller-bodied, and aromatic, for ex - ample—and within each section we would list them from lightest to heaviest. This way it's a bit more self-navigating for people who don't want to talk to the somm. What advice do you have for any aspiring sommelier seeking to follow your career path? I would say taste as much as possible. Taste objectively by trying to eliminate any pre - conceived notions, and read voraciously. You are never going to know everything there is to know about wine, so the most important thing is finding mentors who support your curiosity and hunger to learn. And never forget that at the end of the day, it's all about hospitality. Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Serafin Alvarado and Cassie Sakai at Girl & the Goat in Chicago's West Loop. Q: