Mackay Jordan - Secrets of the sommeliers: how to think and drink like the worlds top wine professionals

Wine and sommeliers have been a big part of my life since I opened Montrachet, my first restaurant, in 1985. In those days, you seldom found restaurants that focused on wine, and ones that employed full-time sommeliers were even less common. But a growing group of us knew that more important than just good wine or good food was the combination of the two.

Then as now, good food is essential to a successful restaurant, and I was lucky enough and smart enough to hire a young David Bouley as chef. But by naming my first restaurant after the greatest white wine in the world, I was also declaring that wine was going to be a huge part of what we did. So Daniel Johnnes, who joined the staff as a waiter with both an interest and an expertise in wine, quickly became a crucial part of Montrachet.

At the beginning, our resources for purchasing wine were limited, so we assembled a carefully chosen selection of sixty American and French wines. Because the food at Montrachet was affordable (the opening menus were sixteen dollars and twenty-seven dollars), and the environment was casual, people were comfortable splurging a little on wine. As the restaurants popularity grew, the wine program under Daniel became equally celebrated. He was passionate, he spoke French, he knew food, he was developing relationships with winemakers in France. He was, in short, becoming a sommelier, and a model one at that. Over the past twenty-five years, Daniel has become one of the worlds most important wine personalities, and he has helped define the role of sommelier for a generation.

It has been my job to recognize potentially great sommeliers and give them a platform, and I have been blessed with a knack for identifying that talent. Twenty years ago, I hired David Gordon, fresh out of Cornell Hotel School, who crafted and remains the guiding spirit behind the world-class wine list at the Tribeca Grill. Soon after, I had the opportunity to work with Larry Stone, who, in addition to his wine responsibilities, was my partner (with Robert De Niro, Francis Ford Coppola, and Robin Williams) at San Franciscos Rubicon.

Larry also has an extraordinarily keen eye for young talent. At Rubicon, he brought in dozens of aspiring wine professionals who now illuminate the San Francisco wine scene. Perhaps the most talented of these sommeliers was Rajat Parr. He absorbed Larrys wisdom like a sponge, spending countless hours expanding his knowledge. (Interestingly, a young Michael Minanow Rajats partner and employeralso worked at the Tribeca Grill. If I were a truly gifted talent scout, I would have made him my partner, and would be considerably richer today for the decision.) What has driven all of these people is passion. And in the wine world, if you do not have passion, you will be left behind.

One skill that is indispensable in a successful sommelier is the ability to make wine accessible. When I am in a restaurant, I want the wine experience to be informative. Wine is all about the story: where it comes from and who made it, what makes it different from other wines, why it tastes the way it does, and, most important, why it is the right wine at that time. Sommeliers have to be informed, and they have to be able to translate that knowledge with passion and conviction to customers. Rajat does that brilliantly, and now with this book, he is able to impart his remarkable wisdom to others. It has been a pleasure to watch him grow and evolve over his career, and his expertise, coupled with Jordan Mackays writing and Ed Andersons photography, makes this book an incredible read.

In the following pages, the rarefied art of the sommelier is made accessible, and it is done with great passion. Those are two of the qualities I look out for in any sommelier I hire, and it is only fitting that they are the two defining qualities of this book.

Drew Nieporent

MYRIAD RESTAURANT GROUP (CORTON, TRIBECA GRILL, NOBU, CENTRICO, CRUSH WINE & SPIRITS)

Being a sommelier is not my job. Its my life. From the moment I wake up each day, there is never a time when I am not thinking about wine (unless I am playing squash or watching my beloved Lakers play). Tasting wine, talking about wine, thinking about food and cooking, making reservations for guests, poring over sales figuresI enjoy every minute of it.

As someone who is fully wrapped up in what he does, I have two major impulses. I want to share my passion for wine with as many people as I can, and I want to relate to other sommeliers who share my drive and learn from them. This book has allowed me to indulge both desires. Here I have expressed my thoughts and tastes as honestly and as straightforwardly as I can. In working on the book, I have also had the good fortune to have spent amazing time with many of my most revered colleagues. Hopefully, the result is as valuable to the reader as it has been to me.

I realize that the rarity, cost, and inaccessibility of some of the wines discussed in the following pages will make it difficult, if not impossible, for many people to taste them. It is not necessary to taste these bottles to have a fierce passion for wine and to build confidence in your own palate, however. If anything, my tastes have become simpler and humbler as I have grown older. Wine is a journey, and we each have our path. My journey is ongoing, and my hope is that our paths will cross. No doubt it will be in the presence of wine.

R.P.

I first met some of the people featured in this book almost ten years ago, while writing a magazine article about sommeliers in San Francisco. At the time, I barely knew what the word meant, nor did I foresee how central to my life sommeliers would become. In the course of one week of interviews, I encountered Rajat Parr, Larry Stone, and Christie Dufault. A few years later, I was marrying Christie on a hilltop in Sonoma, Larry was officiating at the ceremony, and Rajat was sabering a magnum of Bollinger RD 1995 to kick off the celebration.