Old World wines seem to pair best with the new wave cooking
The mantra at Underbelly, where Chef Chris Shepherd recently won a James Beard Award, is “The Story of Houston Food.” The wine list, however, strays far from the region and even the continent; nearly two-thirds of it is dedicated to wines from Europe, the Old World. This affection is not unusual among the top local restaurants including, or especially, those with a strong locavore attitude in their food-sourcing and a penchant for creative cooking. Not just Underbelly, but Oxheart, Pass & Provisions, and Monica Pope’s Sparrow boast wine lists where the majority of the space is dedicated to bottles from the historic wine-producing countries of Europe.
Even at the upscale steakhouse, an unabashedly American restaurant concept, the wine lists, which were once dominated by big Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons, are finding more room for Old World wines, well beyond the long-present expense-account trophies from Bordeaux. Highly regarded Pappas Bros. Steakhouse has the lengthiest and possibly best wine list in the city and wines from Europe make up 60% of its offerings. Gary Lapuyade, recently the Wine Sales Manager at The Tasting Room in Uptown Park, previously led the wine program at another excellent home-grown steakhouse, Vic & Anthony’s. His top recommendation for steak? A Hermitage from France’s Rhône Valley.
The reason for this European predominance at top local restaurants is rather simple. “At Oxheart, we use a great deal of Old World wine because it pairs with the food better than New World wines,” explains Justin Vann who was named one of the nation’s top sommeliers in 2013 by Food & Wine for his work at the restaurant. “Old World wines,” he continues, “have lower alcohol and higher acid, which generally make them more food friendly.” Wines from the New World, which includes the United States, Chile, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand, tend to be much more fruit-oriented, sometimes aggressively so, less acidic, and often feature prominent flavors and tannins from oak aging. Most New World wines seem meant to be enjoyed first as a standalone beverage, without food. Contrastingly, most Old World wines seem to naturally complement food and some even need food to be enjoyable.
Matthew Pridgen, who manages the wine list at Underbelly, opines, “I find Chris [Shepherd]'s food to be deeply flavored, and layered, but not heavy, and I think wines that have similar qualities make for the best pairings.” Those just happen to be mostly from the Old World.
A version of this was originally published in Bayou City magazine on July 24, 2014.
Even at the upscale steakhouse, an unabashedly American restaurant concept, the wine lists, which were once dominated by big Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons, are finding more room for Old World wines, well beyond the long-present expense-account trophies from Bordeaux. Highly regarded Pappas Bros. Steakhouse has the lengthiest and possibly best wine list in the city and wines from Europe make up 60% of its offerings. Gary Lapuyade, recently the Wine Sales Manager at The Tasting Room in Uptown Park, previously led the wine program at another excellent home-grown steakhouse, Vic & Anthony’s. His top recommendation for steak? A Hermitage from France’s Rhône Valley.
The reason for this European predominance at top local restaurants is rather simple. “At Oxheart, we use a great deal of Old World wine because it pairs with the food better than New World wines,” explains Justin Vann who was named one of the nation’s top sommeliers in 2013 by Food & Wine for his work at the restaurant. “Old World wines,” he continues, “have lower alcohol and higher acid, which generally make them more food friendly.” Wines from the New World, which includes the United States, Chile, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand, tend to be much more fruit-oriented, sometimes aggressively so, less acidic, and often feature prominent flavors and tannins from oak aging. Most New World wines seem meant to be enjoyed first as a standalone beverage, without food. Contrastingly, most Old World wines seem to naturally complement food and some even need food to be enjoyable.
Matthew Pridgen, who manages the wine list at Underbelly, opines, “I find Chris [Shepherd]'s food to be deeply flavored, and layered, but not heavy, and I think wines that have similar qualities make for the best pairings.” Those just happen to be mostly from the Old World.
A version of this was originally published in Bayou City magazine on July 24, 2014.