Talia Baiocchi, Wine, Drink, Sherry Book, Eater.com, Wine Editor, Wine Writer, Where to drink, Where to shop, Wine Chap, Restaurant Wine List Evaluation, New York, Restaurants, Brooklyn, Wine Recommendations
Wine Writer Talia Baiocchi
Talia Baiocchi is the author of the forthcoming book Sherry due out from Ten Speed Press in the fall of 2014. It’s a guide to the culture of the region, the wines and their history. She was the first wine editor for Eater.com, the former US editor for WineChap.com and has been published in Wine Spectator, The San Francisco Chronicle, Decanter, Bon Appétit and Wine & Spirits Magazine.
December 19, 2010
Formerly of Eater and WineChap
Photograph courtesy of Talia Baiocchi
Talia Baiocchi is the author of the forthcoming book Sherry due out from Ten Speed Press in the fall of 2014. It’s a guide to the culture of the region, the wines and their history. She was the first wine editor for Eater.com, the former US editor for WineChap.com and has been published in Wine Spectator, The San Francisco Chronicle, Decanter, Bon Appétit and Wine & Spirits Magazine.
Q & A WITH TALIA BAIOCCHI
Q. Tell us about WineChap:
A. WineChap is a handy site that houses reviews of NYC’s top wine lists and breaks them down into categories like: value, off the beaten track, treat yourself, etc. with recommendations that allow you choose a wine or scope out the wine list’s strengths before you get to the restaurant. There’s also an iPhone app that takes the content to the table and allows you to choose the restaurant you’re at, a kind of wine (re/white/sparkling, etc), a style (earthy, fruity, light) and a price point ($0-50, $50-100, and so on), shake it up, and boom: you have your wine. Magic.
Q. With wine being so subjective, what are some of the pitfalls of directing people’s palates?
A. My approach is pretty simple: I choose the wines I like and explain why I think they’re interesting. I steer clear of listing fruits and flowers and elements in periodic table to describe wine - I think it enables people to be close-minded. I could shoot off about papayas and night bloom jasmine and the person sitting in front of the wine is getting nothing but nectarines—and even if they like the wine, they’re wondering where the hell all of that jasmine is. Point: missed. Instead, I try to give wine a context and let people decide on their own what it tastes like. I find that giving the wine some context—something anecdotal - prompts people to be interested and open to allowing it be what it is, rather than deciding ahead of time what it should be.
Q. What is the criteria you use when rating a wine list?
A. How well the wine list reflects / fits the philosophy of the restaurant.
Markups: are they fair, are they rude (I always take rents/locale, and level of service into account)?
Organization: does the list read like a word search or is it intelligently organized so that one can navigate without having a nervous breakdown?
Balance: this applies to both price point variation and country/regional representation.
Selections: do they work with the cuisine and has the sommelier done the work to seek out wines from a variety of different distributors.
Vintage depth: not always applicable for the small lists (though a few wines with bottle age never hurt), but essential for mid-high end restaurants.
Personality: is it unique?
Q. When you first became interested in wine, what was your “gateway” beverage-of-choice?
A. Muscadet: I was a broke college student and Muscadet destroyed (and still does) almost everything under $20.
Q. Your job is to navigate wine lists and help people in advance, but for the novice that forgot to check out WineChap before heading out to dinner (with the boss/date/ friends) what recommendations do you have for navigating a wine list?
A. Come armed with a few examples of what you like to present to the sommelier and engage the table so you don’t have to do it alone. It’s amazing how much easier it is when it’s a conversation rather than one person in the hot seat trying to navigate Western Europe alone.
Q. What’s the best way to handle a snobby/arrogant sommelier?
A. Get up and flip the table, plus contents on its side. But seriously, tell the sommelier to get lost and ask for a manager – they should have enough knowledge to help you out.
Q. What wine / beverage do you always stock in your refrigerator?
A. The basic Riesling Trocken from Keller in any given vintage is generally hanging around. Sparkling water.
Q. What unique/interesting bottle of wine have you bought recently and what was the occasion?
A. Thunderbird (aka “bum wine”) as a special present for a friend.
Q. What gems are you finding on wine lists that still fly under the radar?
A. I think Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley, whether it be Vouvray, Savennieres, Montlouis, etc. is still the perennially undervalued wine. Not groundbreaking, but true.
Q. If someone is budget conscious, is there a region/ sub-region / section of the wine list that you would suggest ordering from?
A. The Loire Valley: it’s diverse and can be difficult to navigate as a result, but it’s the region to explore if you’re keeping an eye on your coin.
Wine Writer’s Recs... New York City
Eat & Drink | Restaurants
Eleven Madison Park
It’s the best wine list in the city right now, in my opinion. It’s everything you’d want from a list at a four star restaurant, and it’s incredibly well priced. Also, I love the fact that John Ragan pulled a Robin Hood and tucked in tons of funky stuff with a bottle age under $100.
11 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10010
T: 212.889.0905 (make a reservation) | www.elevenmadisonpark.com
Drink | Wine By the Glass
42 East 20th Street, New York, NY 10003
T: 212.477.0777 (make a reservation) | www.gramercytavern.com
24 Harrison Street, New York, NY 10013
T: 212.625.WINE | www.wineisterroir.com
Hearth
403 East 12th Street, New York, NY 10009
T: 646.602.1300 (make a reservation) | www.restauranthearth.com
Eat | BYOB Restaurants
Phoenix Garden
242 East 40th Street, New York NY 10013 | T: 212.983.6666 | thephoenixgarden.com
Fuleen Seafood
11 Division Street, New York, NY 10002 | T: 212.941.6888
Eat | New Spots Worth Watching
Ciano
Keep an eye on Ciano. Wine Director John Slover - formerly of Cru and also of Bar Henry - takes his brilliantly humanitarian idea to offer more than half of the list by the half bottle. That is he’ll open a full bottle, pour you half, charge you half, and offer the rest by-the-glass.
45 East 22nd Street, New York, NY 10010
T: 212.982.8422 (make a reservation) | www.cianonyc.com
Drink | Off The Beaten Track Wine List
Trestle on Tenth
Ralf Kuettel is the owner/chef of the restaurant and was secretly the buyer at Chelsea Wine Vault for a number of years. Smart, quirky, and unwavering in its dedication to affordable, terroir-driven wines of the Old World. Also: charitable markups.
242 10th Avenue, New York, NY 10001
T: 212.645.5659 (make a reservation) | www.trestleontenth.com
Drink | Wine Bars
What Joe [Campanale] is doing is really personality-driven and intimate. He’s choosing the producers that mean the most to him, giving them a full page bio in the list, and showcasing their wines. It’s a beautiful way to organize a wine list and he’s continuing to build it out.
34 8th Avenue, New York, NY 10014
T: 212.518.2722 | www.anforanyc.com
The Counting Room
Not really a wine bar, but under the radar spot in Williamsburg that has a short, smart wine list that you can order from by the half or full bottle a la John Slover.
44 Berry Street, Brooklyn, NY 11211
T: 718.599.1860 | www.thecountingroombk.com
Thirstbaràvin
I’m excited for this place from the owners of Thirst Wine Merchants, one of my favorite little wine shops in the city.
629 Classon Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11238
T: 718.857.9227 | www.thirstbar.blogspot.com
F.E.D. Recs on the Go
Download the F.E.D. iPhone app and get Talia Baiocchi’s recommendations as well as more recs from other chefs, sommeliers, bartenders and food artisans.
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