CleverRoot

5 0 | t h e c l e v e r r o o t Innovation is the (Florida) Key Director of Beverage Zarko Stankovik and Chef Laurent Cantineaux of Juvia in Miami Beach Six years ago, Chef Laurent Cantineaux co-founded Juvia, a beautiful and bustling rooftop restaurant overlooking South Beach in Miami. Says Chef Laurent, "Juvia is a pretty big restaurant, and we tend to have a very diverse crowd, not just locals; so we designed the menu around the fact that we have to please lots of different palates. Although I think my trips and my travels are a big part of the inspiration too." Says Beverage Director Zarko Stankovik, "At Juvia, the wine list, like the cuisine, has to be inno- vative, but also we have to keep in mind the prefer- ence of our guests and the average consumer, especially in Miami. They know what they like, and that's why I like to pick Pinot Noirs like Cherry Pie that aren't quite as heavy as a Cab or Malbec, light- er in structure. However, they still have a little bit of body and a higher alcohol level that can satisfy that thirst for a fuller-bodied wine that our custom- ers look for. We have the Rodgers Creek 2013 and the Carinalli 2012; both of them can be described as classic Sonoma County Pinot Noir. Both have a little bit of smokiness, and they're fuller-bodied in style compared to classic Burgundy. However, each vineyard is different geographically. Rodgers Creek is located closer to the ocean, more in the Sonoma Coast range, where there's a constant cool flow from the Pacific Ocean; and since it's in a high elevation, it gets more sun, more heat and thus more ripening, and the grapes produce fuller-body style of wine. Both of them can be a bit smoky and flinty, however the Rodgers Creek is always fuller PHOTO BY DOUG YOUNG Working in (Mediterranean) Parallel Keith Nelson, Beverage Director, Tao Group, and Chef de Cuisine Christos Philippou of Avra Madison, New York City On the other side of the country, Tao Group's New York Beverage Director Keith Nelson not only includes the multi-region Cherry Tart Chardonnay by the glass at successful Tao concept Avra Madison, he also keeps two different single-vineyard Cherry Pie Pinot Noirs at most of his locations. Says Nelson, "I either have the Rodgers Creek or the Stanly Ranch almost every- where. Stanly Ranch is really well-known and a lot of great producers get fruit from Stanly Ranch.. . Rodgers Creek is bolder, more bright fruit. Huckleber- ry Snodgrass is the big brother of all of them in terms of power and alcohol." "Avra is predominantly a Mediterranean-Greek restaurant. We do whole fish by the pound and a lot of super light, fresh dishes. Where Cherry Pie comes in for me is for the people that want to drink bolder yet fruitier red wine with their fish. When guests are not eating fish, we offer a beautiful lamb dish and a chicken dish that are super herbal. So you've got this earthy, herbal quality that sets off some of the spice in the Stan- ly Ranch—really nice. Plus, winemaker Jayson Wood- bridge has the whole commercial marketing angle right with a label that makes you think it's a very retail-driven wine, with a sort of tongue-in-cheek high-class cherry pie on a picnic table, but it's a serious wine." Although Chef Christos Philippou has been with Avra for 16 years, his Greek accent slips in on occasion and reveals his Cyprus birthplace. He offers a similar approach to pairing Cherry Pie with the cuisine at Avra. Says Philippou, "We import our fish our- selves mostly from the Mediterranean in less than 24 hours. We simply grill the fish and serve with olive oil and lemon, just using fresh ingredients in a California style. Very simple. We bring our salt from the Mediterranean, our olive oil from Greece. The lamb- chops from Colorado will go very well with the Cherry Pie, a great match. We also serve beef skewers for lunch with spices like rosemary, garlic, and that too is a great match with the Pinot." Grilled Colorado lamb chops, Cherry Pie Stanly Ranch Pinot Noir and Chef de Cuisine Christos Philippou, Avra Madison, New York.

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