Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/688647
{ SOMMjournal.com } 63 staff and wine representatives. The wine reps would swirl their glasses and speak of flavors like blackberry, clove, baking spice and dry leaves. It was fascinating to me that you could get all of that from a glass of wine. After hearing the word "sommelier" for the first time, I was certain it was my destiny. It wasn't until my mother's death in 2006, however, when I began to take the steps necessary to pursue a career in the wine industry. She always inspired and encour - aged me to do more in life, and I wanted to make her proud. I wanted to partake in a journey that offered me an opportunity for decadence and refinement in my life, while allowing me to entertain people. Cassandra, tell us a little bit about the Hakkasan Group restaurant concepts and its wine program. Hakkasan Group has a very diverse bever - age program that delivers wine selections unique for each of its 11 restaurants. Hakkasan Group's U.S.-based restaurants— located in New York, Las Vegas and San Francisco—hold a modern Cantonese-style décor, with a wine list that offers 300 to 350 distinct wines. Offering a smaller wine list of 80 to 120 wine choices, Searsucker and Herringbone restaurants—also included in Hakkasan Group's restaurant portfolio— are located in California, Texas and Nevada. Hakkasan Group's wine program is over - seen world-wide by Christine Parkinson, Head of Wine. Parkinson has been with Hakkasan since the very beginning. She was once a chef and is responsible for what is known as our "Harmony Tasting," where wines that are being considered for the Hakkasan program must be tasted with all flavor profiles of the cuisine, to eliminate obvious clashes. Additionally, the wine being considered has to complement our core mild, savory, sweet and spicy categories in order to land on the list. I have the honor and pleasure of working closely with Parkinson, being an instrument of her delegation here in the U.S. Through our extensive team collaboration approach, I am also very fortunate to work alongside our U.S. Director of Beverage, Constantin Alexander. What support team/sommelier does each of your restaurant con - cept have? Hakkasan Group restaurants, here and abroad, have strong sommelier teams dedicated to delivering top-notch wine beverage programs. These teams have accredited sommeliers who hold CMS or WSET certifications. In some cases, like our Herringbone and Searsucker restaurants for example, we do not have a dedicated floor sommelier, and instead we employ beverage-focused managers who often hold wine accreditations or have strong experience running a wine program. How do you keep your team inspired with their wine knowledge? We are very proud that Hakkasan Group is now an approved program provider for the WSET Level 1 and 2 Certification. This is a ground breaking opportunity that continues to educate staff and keep them inspired to deepen their wine knowledge. Additionally, Hakkasan Group is launching an in-house wine course. Do you have a memorable wine pair - ing from your "Harmony Tasting"? As the matter of fact, there is one pairing that sticks out to me all the time. We had a Harmony Tasting with Lapostolle's Clos Apalta that delivered shock and dropped jaws to all wine tasters. Lapostolle's Clos Apalta is a big, beautiful, robust and full red wine from Chile that paired nicely with the spices and herbs of our modern Cantonese cuisine—even with dim sum. It swept the tasting, for sure. Being in Las Vegas, give us the range of your wine prices and what you consider your sweet spot? We have everything from a $50 Sauvignon Blanc to our more expensive bottles of Armand de Brignac (Ace of Spades) Champagne. Outside the by-the-glass option, our sweet spot tends to be about $100 per bottle at Hakkasan restaurants. Here, at Herringbone Las Vegas located at ARIA Resort & Casino, the sweet spot for wine is Cabernet costing roughly $200 to $350 per bottle. Lastly, if you were stuck on an island, what one wine or type of wine would you have with you? That's really, really hard to answer. There are so many beautiful, expensive and delicious wines in the world today. However, I admit to being an absolute fan of Syrah. One of the most memorable Syrah tastings was Manfred Krankl's Sine Qua Non "The Duel," a 2008 vintage. He made a Syrah, Grenache and Viognier blend that I wanted to marry it was so good. A guest had shared a taste with me and I almost hit the floor. It was a California Syrah that was unctuous, lush and held flavors of smoked meats with black pepper reminiscent of the Northern Rhône wines. It just rocked my world! During my time with Brown, it was quite apparent the wealthy and impressive wine program she leads at that the Hakkasan Group and shares with guests all around the world. Kanpai! Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: