Red, white and true T H R E E O F VA N C O U V E R ’ S T O P S O M M E L I E R S E X P L A I N H O W T H E Y C O M P I L E T H E I R AWA R D - W I N N I N G W I N E L I S T S Daenna Van Mulligen
Dan Toulgoet
N
o longer an afterthought, restaurant wine lists have become a crucial aspect of the dining experience. They needn’t be tomes, or scholarly; they do need to be engaging and thoughtfully curated. For wine lovers, a good list can make or break a guest experience. The list, however, is just a start. Equally essential are service, glassware and enthusiastic knowledge concerning the finer details of wine, not to mention food-pairing capabilities. Managing these principles is no easy task; it takes a top-notch palate, humility and years of accumulated experience. So who better to enlighten us than some of Vancouver’s best wine-list architects? The following three purveyors of good taste are respected sommeliers. All are recipients of a gold or platinum plaque handed out during the 2018 Vancouver International Wine Festival’s Wine Program Excellence Awards. Their talents include: sabering savvy, exceptional aptitude for swirling, a dogmatic focus to tasting, and precision spitting techniques. We asked these stewards of the corkscrews what really does go into creating a great wine list. They were more than happy to share their wisdom.
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