Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/646914
march 2016 / the tasting panel / 107 Working for Mr. Geoff Kruth, MS. That must have been an adventure! Yes, I answered an ad he ran, as he was working on passing his MS at the time and needed some study time. He didn't respond to my first emails so I came here and knocked on the door. I told him I wasn't all the things he asked for but he could have Sundays off. It worked! And now you're the Estate Wine Director, congratulations. Your customers, I would guess that a good number come from the hotel side. How about locals and out-of-towners? With the wine pairing option, l have a number of international selections. That takes them by surprise as they would assume that we had all Sonoma selections. We of course have a very large number of those! But I would say that we are 60/40 visitors to locals. So Sonoma, and especially Russian River, is the focus. But here we are drinking a lovely morning glass of Roederer Estate Brut to start the day. Excellent! This is our featured sparkler by the glass. This is by far my favorite California entry-level sparkling wine. Excellent flavor, balance and price. I would venture that at least 50 percent of your wine sales are Pinot Noir. True? I would say that is a fair statement. If you exclude the wine pairings, then Pinot Noir would be a major percentage of our sales. I think you are the first restaurant I can remember where big Cabernet Sauvignon isn't number one. Well, we're not in Napa. I guess it comes with the territory. We also feature a more balanced style of Chardonnay—not so much oak and butter. Probably 35 percent of the sales here are by recommendation of the staff. How many guests take the wine and food pairing option? I would venture that a good half of them do. Okay, so what does Allyson like to drink when no one's looking? Chenin Blanc. I love that it's so versatile. You can have it dry, sweet, botrytised, sparkling—and I happily drink all of them. I am always planning trips to wine regions that I realize I will likely never take. But the Loire Valley is one I'm not going to miss. What in the world of wine needs to be fixed? I would like to change the point system. I am so much in favor of the personal touch when it comes to wine. I just can't imagine anyone basing their passion on a number or a newly downloaded app. I am so much in favor of the personal touch when it comes to wine."