Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/912565
december 2017 / the tasting panel / 99 Wow, one room? You could work in heels! I really like the feel of the restaurant—it's almost homey. How long is the average dining experience? Three hours and 16 courses. The owners Chef Val Cantu, Charlotte Randolph, and Carolyn Cantu want each guest to enjoy the range of cuisine and wines. Our atmosphere has a living room feel to it, I agree. And the cost? It's $177 per person as of today. The wine pairing is $125. What is your number one–selling wine here? The bestsellers by far are our wine pairings. You get eight beverages in the pairing: white, red, and dessert wines, and a beer. It's a great value. Each pairing is two ounces and more than 50 percent of our guests have the pairing. We take you all over the world in our pairing choices. I understand, but what grape variety is your number-one seller? Don't fib, I'll find out! We sell a lot of California wine. To be honest, big Napa Cabernet Sauvignon is our number-one wine. It's not my recommendation with coconut ceviche though. Yet, everyone can have their own opinion in wine, which is what makes it so interesting! So we let them drink what they like! Well, how about Mexican wine? I had numerous opportunities to taste them and they are solid. I agree. Last month we were starting our pairing off with a Mexican spar- kling wine, but our tasting menu has changed as we go into fall and so have the wines accordingly. I have tasted great Mexican wines, yet the offerings from distribution are still very limited. Inventory can be a problem, and some of the wines are quite pricey, making them a hard sell to guests. What is the balance of white to red wine consumption? We serve more white than red with the pairings. But if you add in bottle sales, it's far more red, so then it becomes 50-50. How do you select the pairing wines? Do you work with Chef Cantu? Absolutely. Our Wine Director and Co-Owner, Charlotte Randolph, and I each come up with our "perfect pairings," then blind taste those wines with each new dish that comes out of the kitchen. Once we whittle it down to a few wines, we then share our choices with Chef for his approval and the three of us make a final decision. Do you serve all the wine here? No, our captains and back servers are all wine knowledgeable; a few of them are going for sommelier certifications. I also run weekly bever- age education classes. We have two captains who are responsible for the pairings, but I try to touch each table at least once during service and I handle bottle selections. Well, I did bring a Spanish wine for us to taste: The Marqués de Cáceres Rioja Riserva 2012. A perfect wine for us today! I love Rioja! It's very clean and well made. I get the American oak, but it's nicely integrated. This wine is earthy and has this fasci- nating, almost sweet-and-sour flavor. Tempranillo has a home here. What is the average bottle price? I would venture that $100 would be the correct answer. Every night is different. How often do you change the menu? Usually once a month, but it's an ongoing process. The whole menu doesn't change at once; the seasonality of ingredients dictates that. If you ate here tonight, your menu would be different by next month. What does Wendy like to drink? Champagne! What do we need to change about the world of wine? We need to eliminate the arrogance associated with it and make it more approachable. It should always be fun. Wendy Shoemaker, Sommelier at Californios in San Francisco. "We need to eliminate the arrogance associated with it and make it more approachable. It should always be fun."