Wine-pitch menus at Sonoma Coast restaurants

Wine-pairing meals with producers on-site are again in the vogue after fuzzy videos of overseas vineyards and wine tastings are a thing of the past. At a media lunch preview of this one night only pairing dinner held in January, Freeman's winemaker Ken and Akiko Freeman shared how the complex character of their wines are shaped by the West Sonoma Coast's unique terroir of steep hillsides, fog-shrouded valleys and bracing ocean winds. The interaction brings back a sense of place and deeper affinity with the wine, not to mention the heartwarming story of two wine lovers from completely different parts of the world who were brought together by a hurricane.

Art's chef-owner Daniele Sperindio said: Our customers are getting more adventurous with their choices, and they often seek smaller producers and boutique wines for a sense of discovery, which gives them a closer emotional connection with the producer's story. Our one-off wine pairing dinners do very well. Our regulars are always looking forward to these special dishes and I would usually create exclusive off-menu dishes based on the characteristics of the wines. Most restaurants match wines to their cuisine as a rule of thumb. Chef-owner Ivan Brehm would choose wines to match the day-to- day menu and create new dishes that complement the wines at special pairing events. He sees wine pairings as a way of conveying the spirit of a restaurant and being an interesting learning opportunity for both the diners and the culinary team. Nouri s beverage programme focuses on labels that highlight their provenance, such as a beautiful and complex Georgian 2020 Nine Oaks Kisi Qvevri that was aged underground in clay Qvevris large clay vessels. The fruity mineral wine stands up to the Barbarians Head dish, which is Turkish dumplings in a spiced beef consomm, yet highlights lighter aromatics of lemon zest and fragrant spices.