--Plato
Why aren't you drinking more Greek wines?
I've previously given you Ten Reasons To Drink Greek Wine and I've also highly recommended that you drink and dine at Committee Ouzeri + Bar, a killer Greek restaurant which had a primarily Greek wine list. I've enjoyed plenty of delicious and diverse Greek wines at this restaurant (along with lots of excellent food). Well, Committee has taken a bold step forward, further honing their wine list until now it is 100% Greek Wine and 100% Natural Wine. Get there now to check out their new wine list!
Wine Director Lauren Friel created this new wine list, one of her latest endeavors in a very busy vinous career. She consults for other restaurants (such as the acclaimed Dirt Candy in NYC where she created a wine list of all female owned wineries), is a freelance writer, and will soon be opening Rebel Rebel (an all natural wine bar) at Bow Market in Somerville. Lauren was generous enough to take a little time to answer some questions about the new wine list at Committee.
1. Why have you moved to a 100% Greek wine list?
Lauren: "I believe in writing wine programs with a point of view. An all-Greek wine list aligns with Committee’s concept and menu, and it showcases what I believe to be some of the most exciting wines being made in the world today. "
2. What challenges do you foresee with your guests because of a 100% Greek wine list?
Lauren: "Certainly, there’s an initial hurdle to overcome when guests take a look at the list and don’t immediately recognize regions or varieties, but the wines speak for themselves. Once guests have a glass in front of them, that all falls away."
3. What are the advantages to a 100% Greek wine list?
Lauren: "The wines are natural pairings with our cuisine, so the challenges of pairing internationally styled wines with traditional cuisine goes out the window. Greek wines also haven’t caught up to other regions in terms of market cost, so we’re able to offer extremely well-made, rare and unique wines for a fraction of what they would cost coming from, say, France or California."
4. Why have you moved to 100% natural wines?
Lauren: "I’ve worked exclusively with natural wines for every other wine program I’ve written. For a while, we didn’t have access to naturally made Greek wines in Massachusetts. That’s changed in the past year or so, as I’ve worked hard to get these natural Greek portfolios into distribution. Now that they’re available, it makes sense to showcase them - they’re pure expressions of Greek terroir, they’re low-impact from an environmental perspective, and they don’t contain the additives of industrial wines."
5. What challenges do you foresee with your guests because of a 100% natural wine list?
Lauren: "None. DRC is technically natural, and nobody talks about that. People have this idea that all natural wines are weird or funky, and that’s simply not true. Well-made natural wines are as clean and expressive as conventionally made wines."
6. What are the advantages to a 100% natural wine list?
Lauren: "I know I’m providing guests with the best wines I have access to."
In addition to the new wine list, Committee is also holding a Natural Wine Bar Pop Up on their patio every Wednesday night, through August 29, starting at 5pm. A modest list of Greek wines will be served each week, offered at a much lower mark up than usual. There will also be rare selections that are hard to find and will change monthly. The pop up will offer wine flights and accompanying meze. This will be on a first come, first serve basis on the patio only.
With the great diversity of Greek wines, every wine lover will be able to find a wine that appeals to their preferences. And they also will be able to explore such a wide variety of intriguing and exciting wines. Go to Committee, delve into Lauren's new wine list, and expand your palate's horizons.
"Where there is no wine there is no love."
--Euripides
No comments:
Post a Comment