| Wine is one part of the equation. When wine and food are in harmonious combination, the result is greater than the sum of the parts and we have art, the art of gastronomy.
Charlie Trotter, the famous chef/restaurateur from Chicago, was in Sydney four or five years ago, and Jacquie and I met him. His restaurant has received seven James Beard Foundation awards, including 'Outstanding Restaurant' and 'Outstanding Chef'.
Wine Spectator has named the restaurant 'Best Restaurant in the World for Wine & Food' and ' America's Best Restaurant'. Trotter is a perfectionist, truly a gastronomic artist.
Sommeliers usually suggest the wines after the food has been chosen. Trotter's approach is the reverse. He knows his restaurant's wine list intimately and I was most interested to learn that his service staff are trained to encourage his diners to choose their wines first, but to leave the choice of food that would best complement the wines selected, to him.
And when you think about it, makes a lot of sense. The wine-maker's work is finished once the wine is in bottle. His/her statement has been made. The food-maker (chef), on the other hand, knowing the wines' characteristics intimately, has the luxury of making last-minute decisions to achieve that synergy, where the result is greater than the sum of the parts.
To read the article, go to http://www.top100wines.com
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