The "Wine Expert"

555 is the street address and name of a prestigious Portland restaurant that I had the pleasure to enjoy recently. Located on Congress Street in a very unassuming building, the dark, swanky atmosphere surrounded us as we were led upstairs to a commanding table overlooking the interior balcony setting that reminded me of an inner city vista, gazing down on a the diners below. The occaision was the 37th Anniversary of some very dear friends of ours and they asked us to join in their celebration: a party of ten vibrant old married souls.
The evening was perfect in that the company was talkative, attentive and lively. The food was near perfect and the wine list was seductively broad and adventurous. But before I get ahead of myself we all started with a cocktail...which meant all of the men selected a single malt scotch (and one of the wives indulged as well). To our delight, we had each chosen a different scotch without discussing our choices out loud. For me, Oban has been my scotch of choice when money is no object; Johnnie Walker black suffices in the interim.
While we were pondering our dinner choices I was asked to make the wine selection for the table. My gracious host asked for one bottle of red and one bottle of white. I was in a social dilemna. First of all, it is a lot of pressure to be asked to make a group selection, especially with people you don't see often. Secondly, since I am always conscious of the food pairings, how can you possibly choose only two wines that will match ten dinner plates? And then there are the other issues: how much does the host want to spend? will two bottles suffice with this crowd of tipsters?
I pored over the wine list and found it to be on the outside of ordinary. I was able to recognize many of the labels and I found a deep selection of grape varieties beyond the run of the mill ChardonnayMerlotCabernetPinotNoirSauvignonBlanc.
After a good fifteen minutes (remember we were talking and drinking scotch, two of my favorite pastimes) I asked everyone to tell me what they were planning to order for dinner. Only one person was eating beef. All others were having either pork tenderloin or some sort of seafood. Relief. I decided on the spot to order a light french style pinot noir and a chardonnay (after one woman told me her favorite wine was Yellow tail chardonnay....ugggggh) I decided on a Perrin et fils La Gigondas cotes du rhone and a chilean Casa Lapostolle Chardonnay; both were forty two dollars but I knew they were only twice the retail price whereas I saw several wines that were marked up triple the suggested retail.
I guess if I have one advantage as the wine selector, I know what the retail price markup is!
The wines were a hit, and I have to say I was relieved to hear people enjoy my selections. We ended up getting a second bottle of the Perrin, a delicate red that developed a soft rounded character as it lay opened on the table. The Casa Lapostolle chardonnay was balanced, with some deep wooden undertones that served to slice through the sauces and butter that came with the seafood dishes. I should tell you that the Casa Lapostolle family is related directly to the Marnier family in France, the same family that makes the exquisite orange liquer Grand Marnier. Last year, Wine spectator awarded them the honor of being the vineyard of the year.
In retrospect, I enjoyed being the "wine expert", but it is very nerve racking. I didn't want to impress people with my knowledge, I just wanted to pick some wine that everyone would enjoy. In the end, it was my knowledge of what wines would pair well with certain foods that won the day. Had I chosen a Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine would have bowled over all of the food save the beef; and had I chosen a Pinot Grigio, the heavy sauces that came with the seafood dishes would have buried the light grape.
Practice does make perfect, and I urge you all to explore food and wine pairings. It will make for a much more enjoyable evening out.