CleverRoot

f a l l 2 0 1 7 | 8 9 ven the most unadventurous wine drinkers know by now that the days of pairing whites with nothing but light, bland foods are long gone. In the era of globally-influenced contemporary cooking, white wine has emerged as the go-to companion for Asian, Latin, Middle Eastern and other cuisines featuring ingredients like fiery spices, bitter herbs and fermented products. Just ask Yousef Ghalaini, Executive Chef at FIG Restaurant in the Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows in Santa Monica, California. As a culinarian and certified sommelier, he knows a thing or two about pairing food and wine and, as a native of Lebanon, he has a penchant for Eastern Mediterranean cuisine in particular. Sure enough, FIG's list is dominated by the sparklers, whites and rosé wines, Ghalaini feels best complement his dishes, which are distinguished by highly-aromatic seasonings as well as lots of produce and seafood. Recently, the team at Santa Margherita USA challenged him to match the white wines of Alto Adige producer Kettmeir with food in exciting new ways. Ghalaini, predictably, had several suggestions. Take Pinot Grigio. Light as it typically is, Ghalaini suggests it may be better suited to bold flavors than you think. Kettmeir's bottling, he says, delivers "awesome acidity—and I personally get a lot of citrus, including lime rind, and green notes that play well with herbs." He recommends pouring it alongside a dish like FIG's wood-smoked Manila clams, which are served "piping hot" in a saffron broth flavored with thyme as well as a shock of pickled chili vinaigrette. The crisp wine "cools everything down and cleanses the palate between bites," he explains. Similarly, Ghalaini considers Kettmeir's Pinot Bianco to have both ample acid and "a steely quality that makes it good for food with a decent amount of spice." Wood-fired vegetables prove an especially fine match, in his view: Think blistered shishito peppers or roasted beets with mint yogurt and za'atar, an earthy, tangy seasoning blend based on sesame seeds, thyme and sumac. Meanwhile, thanks to its relatively full body, the Pinot Bianco "is also amazing with charcuterie and cheese," according to the chef—standing up to not just the usual dry-cured ham and tangy chèvre but also items as rich as foie gras mousse or 'nduja. Moving beyond antipasti, Ghalaini points to Müller-Thurgau as "one of my favorites to pair with entrées. It's very floral, with a lot of character, which comes into play when you're looking for something to go with bigger dishes." For instance, he says, "it's a great pizza wine," adding that FIG serves a pie with lamb sausage, yogurt, pickled onions, lemon curd and shiso leaf, which has a "mint-cumin flavor . . . fantastic with Kettmeir's aromatics." The juicy orange notes of the wine also shine in the presence of bitter ingredients. A case in point would be Ghalaini's wood-grilled sea bream in a tahini sauce with garlic and Meyer lemon: The rind and pith lend the dish a touch of bitterness that's augmented just enough by the char on both the fish and the accompanying roasted broccoli. "Bitterness is something that's often overlooked in pairing, but when used judiciously, it rounds out all the flavors and makes a good backdrop to white wine," Ghalaini asserts. Blistering heat also beckons for Müller-Thurgau. Lush with exotic fruit character, the variety has an amazing ability to balance out spicy Asian fare, and Ghalaini says Kettmeir's bottling is no exception: "This is the wine you would pair with over-the-top Thai or Indian food." Piquant or not, curries of all kinds harmonize with Müller-Thurgau, including FIG's vadouvan-spiced lentils. The legume dish "has pungency, but it's mild," Ghalaini notes, "and it's finished with sherry vinegar, which offers a big-boy acidity" to contrast with the ripe, round charm of Kettmeir's Müller-Thurgau. Of course, the possibilities don't end here. On the contrary, when you open your mind to unconventional white-wine pairings, the world is your oyster—and you can even add hot sauce. A native of Lebanon and certified sommelier, Yousef Ghalaini, the Executive Chef at FIG Restaurant, knows a thing or two about pair- ing food and wine, particularly with Eastern Mediterranean cuisine. Wood-grilled broccoli with garlic aioli and Vella Dry Jack cheese pairs with the Kettmeir Pinot Bianco. Kettmeir's acidic Pinot Grigio balances well with wood- smoked Manila clams in a saffron broth flavored with thyme and a shock of pickled chili vinaigrette. ■cr BY RUTH TOBIAS / PHOTOS BY CAL BINGHAM

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