Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/7240
Francisco Bay Area, where he worked for now-defunct Grape Empire and Connoisseur Wine Imports and was the first Cellar Master at the pioneering London Wine Bar in the city's Financial District. He moved to Los Angeles in the mid 1980s and worked for Southern Wine & Spirits and, later, Heublein. After he met his wife, Rachel, in New York during The Wine Experience, she encouraged him to stop selling wine and start talking about it. Radio Days Rachel Cane had a great idea. A former TV commercial and jingles producer, Rachel convinced David, whose knowledge of wine was expansive, that no one was talk- ing about wine on the air. In 1990, WOR radio in NYC picked up their show, "The Wine Spot," the first-ever wine-centric call-in talk show. Soon, ABC in New York opted for the show and combined Cane's wine coverage with his expertise on food—a perfect pair- ing. The show morphed into "A Matter of Taste," which would move to the West Coast on Santa Barbara's KEYT radio; David and Rachel resided in picturesque Solvang for six years. (I was then a columnist for the Santa Barbara News Press and joined the show from 1997 to 2000 as the on-air restaurant critic.) From Santa Barbara, the talkative couple moved to San Francisco for six years to con- tinue "A Matter of Taste" on several stations, including KKGN. In 2004, they won the prestigious James Beard Foundation Award for best show about food and wine. Wine, Spirits and Specialty Foods "We missed the [Santa Ynez] Val- ley," admits Cane, whose relationship with El Rancho proprietors Alfred and Katie Holzheu and Manager Greg King stayed strong. With a desire to expand the wine department to better serve this growing Central Coast vinous destina- tion, the El Rancho management knew that David Cane would be the right choice to oversee the market's growth opportunities through strategic alli- ances. "We longed for the community as- pect that small towns like Santa Ynez, Buellton and Solvang provide," Cane attests. "And since we started our cured meats here, we believe this is a perfect fit." Cane will also create a specialty foods section at El Rancho, incorporat- ing his own popular recipes with those of the market's team of chefs. "I really want to bring in wines that are user- and price-friendly," Cane notes. "I want to be there to answer customer questions and also offer advice on how particu- lar wines can be part of a meal." Cane will be hand-selling wines to "expand people's horizons" and cross-merchan- dising wines with other departments, such as cheese, poultry, fish and meat. We put David to the test and asked which wine to pair with his pastrami. "Taz Pinot Gris," he answered off the bat, noting that this bright white—grown in nearby Cat Canyon, midway between the Santa Ynez and Santa Maria Valleys—offers floral sweetness and a bevy of ripe, tropical notes. For more information on David's Old World Pastrami, email David Michael Cane at David@AMatterofTaste.com. David's Old World Pastrami got its start at El Rancho Market in Santa Ynez, CA. David Cane will be hand- selling wines to expand his customers' horizons. Here, the newly released Santa Barbara Wine Com- pany Pinot Noir and Char- donnay are on display. The winery was the official sponsor for the Santa Barbara 2010 International Film Festival in February. the tasting panel / 45