Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/961311
28 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } APRIL/MAY 2018 Craig Sindelar, Co-Founder/Director of Operations at Band of Bohemia, Chicago, IL Band of Bohemia is known for its beers brewed in-house, yet you also offer a selection of wines and cocktails. Do the various flavors offered on draught factor into your process of forming your wine list? The layers of flavors in our beers do affect the process of picking our wines to a cer - tain extent, because the dinner menu is designed around the flavor profiles and styles of the beer. Because of this, our wine selections are made to either complement or contrast a dish. Also taken into consideration is the balance and variety of the list for our guests. What's been the most interesting or memorable bottle of wine you've had the pleasure of tasting? The wine I found to be the most memorable is the one that stopped me in my tracks early on in my career while working at Akelarre [a Basque restaurant with three Michelin stars] in northern Spain. The wine was a Vega Sicilia 1981 Unico from Ribera del Duero. Which underrated wine regions have sparked your interest recently? New York's Finger Lakes and, as a whole for quality and value, the Languedoc re - gion of France. Noah Dorrance, Winemaker and Proprietor at Reeve Wines, Healdsburg, CA Reeve sources its grapes from only organic, Biodynamic, and low-impact vine- yards from Sonoma and Mendocino counties. What are some of the challenges and advantages you experience while working with these vineyards? Honestly, I don't think we have any challenges. We work closely with some wonderful farm- ers, and for us to work with a vineyard, we need a great site, great farming, and sustainable practices that build ecological health. When everybody thinks a little more deeply about farming and alternative approaches, you get better long-term outcomes. A winemaker's style and production evolve just as the fruits of each harvest evolve. How has your style and philosophy changed over the course of your career at Reeve and how have they stayed consistent? We've been making high-end Pinot for 15 years, so the evolution is probably most notice - able in our Sangiovese. We had some good ideas when we started but we're also trying a lot of different things each year. It's invigorating to try to understand something new and challenge what you know. What's your approach to blending various harvests into one wine? It's not something we really have done, but I'm always intrigued with experimenting. The dominant paradigm, especially with Pinot, is the single-vineyard ideal, but sometimes you can make a better, more complete wine by blending two or more vineyard sites. Perhaps there's something cool we could do with different vintages together. Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: We've partnered with Chef's Roll and Somm's List, the global culinary and wine professional networks, to learn more about beverage experts from across the country. If you are a mixologist or wine professional interested in being featured here or want more information on Chef's Roll and Somm's List, please email featured@chefsroll.com. PHOTO: KRISTEN MENDIOLA