Building A Wine List, Month By Month

PROFILE

Aug 25

Meet four versatile, food-friendly wines leftover from past menus at Maude.

Kevin Caravelli flips his wine list every month to accompany the 10-course tasting menu at Chef Curtis Stone and Justin Hilbert’s modern, granny-chic Maude. For each menu, inspired by a different variety of produce, he creates two pairing options: Classic with eight labels ($110), and Reserve with four labels that are a bit more prestigious, highly allocated, and harder to come by ($145).

Over several years, he’s organically built one the most compelling wine lists in the country by holding on to a few bottles and cases at the end of each month. “They’re always wonderful food wines because I’ve used them in pairings,” says Caravelli. “It’s a fun challenge because I usually don’t get the entire menu until about five days before it starts. Any extra either goes onto the wine list or I hand sell it. I’m usually left with less than a case of wine.” Here are four such versatile, food-friendly wines, leftover from past menus, that tell the story of Maude.

Bottle: Alicante Bouschet/Grecanico/Minella, Vinudilice Rosato, Salvo Foti, Mt. Etna, Sicily, Italy, 2015
Price: $90 (by the glass: $26)
Menu Theme: Strawberry
Dish: King crab, Thai basil, wild onion, green strawberries
Also Works With: Shellfish, poultry, charcuterie
Somm Says: “Vinudilice Rosato adds depth to the rosé and orange wine sections of our list. This rosé, from volcanic soil, makes for a complex, but highly chug-able wine.”

Bottle: Chardonnay, Ceritas, Charles Heintz Vineyard, Sonoma Coast, California, 2014
Price: $150
Menu Theme: Lime
Dish: Thai snapper, coconut froth, dried limes, sea beans
Also Works With: Poached fish, shellfish, pasta
Somm Says: “The Ceritas Chardonnay shows off what a well balanced northern California wine tastes like. Some of my favorite Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs are made on the Sonoma Coast, and this is a perfect example of why I like drinking them.”

Bottle: Pinot Noir/Gamay, Le Clos des Carteries, Christian Venier, Cheverny, Touraine, Loire Valley, France, 2015
Price: $60
Menu Theme: Beet
Dish: Borscht, brisket, bone marrow, dill
Also Works With: Burgers and fries, gyros, braised meats, roast chicken, grilled vegetables
Somm Says: “This is a remarkably well-valued red. It’s a Gamay and Pinot Noir blend with some romantic barnyard- and terroir-driven qualities. Plenty of red and black fruits make it appealing to everyone.”

Bottle: Spätburgunder, Klingenberger, Weingut Rudolf Fürst, Franken, Germany, 2013
Price: $170
Menu Theme: Walnut
Also Works With: Roasted chicken, pork loin, game
Dish: Veal loin, shoulder, croquette, fava beans, morels
Somm Says: “It’s a stunningly balanced Pinot Noir that gives an alternative to Burgundy, specifically Volnay.”