{"id":4817,"date":"2024-06-05T20:07:11","date_gmt":"2024-06-06T00:07:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/?p=4817"},"modified":"2024-06-12T07:15:06","modified_gmt":"2024-06-12T11:15:06","slug":"summer-wines-and-seafood-barbecue-picnics-sommelier-sheila-person","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/summer-wines-and-seafood-barbecue-picnics-sommelier-sheila-person\/","title":{"rendered":"Summer Wines and Seafood, Barbecue, Picnics – Sommelier Sheila Person"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>In this interview, I chat Sheila Person who at the time was sommelier and manager at Eight Wine Bar in Toronto. Sheila has since moved back to Calgary, Alberta, where she shares her passion for wine at Crowfoot Wine and Spirits. We chat about spring and summer wines, including great bottles for the cottage and pairings for her favourite books. Fun!<\/p>\n

What first got you interested in wine?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Growing up in small town Alberta, I wasn\u2019t exactly immersed in wine culture.\u00a0 Sure, my parents drank it, and my dad even made fruit wine, but it was actually the tools that intrigued me.\u00a0 My dad\u2019s corkscrew was a locking top double-action brass corkscrew\u2014you could practically open a bottle of wine with one finger!\u00a0 Especially during holidays, my dad would show us how cut crystal stemware \u201csings\u201d; I was hooked.\u00a0 Anything with such neat rituals had to be explored further.<\/p>\n

Can you describe your first memorable bottle?
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

My first memorable bottle of wine was a 1975 Il Poggione Brunello di Montalcino. I was in heaven!\u00a0 I hadn\u2019t taken a formal wine course yet, but I was bartending at a wine bar and some regular guests came in with the bottle and asked if they could open it, as it was a special occasion.\u00a0 (This was before bringing your open bottle became an accepted practise.) The manager allowed it and went to get a decanter.\u00a0 When I saw the bottle, I said, \u201cWow, that bottle is older than I am!\u201d<\/p>\n

They poured me a glass and went through a tasting with me.\u00a0 The aromas and flavours flew out of the glass\u2014chocolate, mushrooms, licorice!\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t stop asking questions, \u201cHow can a wine last this long?\u201d \u201cDid you know it was going to be this great?\u201d I think it was the longevity of it that surprised me the most, as well as learning it\u2019s just chance as to whether it will be corked or not.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the difference between the wines we drink in the winter and in the spring\/summer?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I find I drink more white wine in the summer, because I like it cold and refreshing. Also ros\u00e9 wines are favourites for me, because they pair beautifully with cheese and charcuterie, which, not coincidentally, require no cooking.\u00a0 A few favourites of mine are Gazela Vinho Verde from Portugal, and Cattail Creek Serendipity Ros\u00e9 from Niagara.\u00a0 When I drink reds in the summer, they tend to be lighter in body, like Malivoire Gamay, and I usually put them in the fridge to chill them down.<\/p>\n

I also find that the wines I drink in the summer are lower in alcohol \u2013 the higher alcohol wines don\u2019t help much when it comes to cooling you down!<\/p>\n

Are there wines that are particularly suited to the cottage and\/or beach?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I really wish we could get better wines in tetra paks and cans, because I think they\u2019re ideal for the cottage and beach.\u00a0 I love being in the United States and buying the little cans of Francis Ford Coppola\u2019s Sofia Blanc de Blanc.\u00a0 They\u2019re the perfect size, and they\u2019re not glass, so they\u2019re great for the beach.<\/p>\n

I would also say screw caps are better for the beach, because you don\u2019t have to carry a corkscrew. When you\u2019re at the cottage, meals are generally done on the barbecue, so you don\u2019t really want a complex red wine.\u00a0 I would suggest Chateau des Charmes Cabernet Franc or Peninsula Ridge Cabernet, both from Niagara.<\/p>\n

Any tips for serving or storing wine at the cottage and\/or beach?<\/strong><\/p>\n

With storing wine at the cottage, keeping it out of light would be critical, as there are few things worse than cooked wine.\u00a0 Temperature is the key when serving wine \u2013 warm whites tend to taste flabby and don\u2019t quite quench your thirst.\u00a0 If I\u2019m on the beach and need to keep my wine cold, I don\u2019t mind dropping an ice cube into it for 10 seconds, then scooping it out.\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t dilute the flavours and chills it down nicely. It works for red wine, as well.<\/p>\n

What are your favourite food and wine pairings for spring and summer?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I love a chilled seafood salad with a glass of Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc.\u00a0 Calamari, scallops and shrimp are light-tasting, so you don\u2019t want to overpower their flavours. Sauvignon blanc has a high acidity to stand up to the citrus vinaigrette in which I usually toss salad.<\/p>\n

Grilling lamb burgers with goat cheese and roasted red peppers is a perfect summer barbecue meal. I love to pair it with the Chateau des Charmes Cabernet Franc.\u00a0 I find the spiciness of the wine mirrors the tangy notes in the red peppers, and it\u2019s not too big to silence the lamb\u2019s flavour.<\/p>\n

Lastly, one of my favourite summer activities is having a picnic with friends.\u00a0 Some cheese, charcuterie, mini quiche, fresh fruits & veggies, and a few salads, like a cold pasta salad and 5-bean salad thrown into a few backpacks with a couple bottles of off-dry riesling is absolute perfection. I find riesling my go-to wine quite often, because it is such a diverse wine that can go with almost anything.<\/p>\n

What would be your top three wine and book pairings and why?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m a huge fan of Canadian litature, so my wine pairings would naturally be Canadian as well.\u00a0 My first pick would be Pilgrim by Timothy Findlay, and I would pair it with Mission Hill Perpetua Chardonnay, because it\u2019s a timeless book with the protagonist as an immortal and what is more timeless and immortal than \u201cPerpetua\u201d?<\/p>\n

My second pick would be Carol Shields\u2019 Larry\u2019s Party, and my wine of choice would be Flat Rock Cellars Twisted, because her book is all about labyrinths.<\/p>\n

My third pick is a little off-the-wall: the Princess and the Whiskheads by Russell Smith with which I would drink a favourite cocktail of mine: Icewine & Bubbles (a little icewine in a flute topped with Canadian sparkling wine, like Trius Brut).\u00a0 Something fun and flirty to go with a fun read!<\/p>\n

In what ways is a good bottle of wine like a good novel?<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are many ways a good bottle of wine is like a good novel, the biggest one is that it’s memorable.\u00a0 Wine can create great memories: who you were with, what you ate, and the occasion on which you enjoyed it.\u00a0 Further, you always want to share and recommend a good novel to all of your friends, and a good bottle is the same \u2013 do you keep a great find to yourself?<\/p>\n

Many book clubs are borne out of friends sharing their favourite books, and I know many of them now include sharing their favourite wines, as well.\u00a0 Lastly, a good bottle of wine can evoke emotions just like a good novel.\u00a0 I\u2019ve seen people practically weep when they\u2019ve been blown away by a wine, and I know there are many books out there that have done the same thing for me … Flowers for Algernon, anyone?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

What\u2019s your best tip to diners in a restaurant when they\u2019re choosing wine?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t let the wine list intimidate you \u2013 you\u2019re choosing a wine for your dinner, not making a life or death decision.\u00a0 Speak with the sommelier: gone are the days of sommeliers trying to intimidate you into buying an overpriced wine.\u00a0 Point to a wine that\u2019s within your budget and ask your sommelier if she or he has a better recommendation.\u00a0 Also let the sommelier know how adventurous you are to try something new.<\/p>\n

Sommeliers know their wine list intimately, and there are always a few favourites or \u201chidden gems\u201d from atypical regions which show much better value than the mainstream regions like California or Australia.\u00a0 I say better value because the sommelier may revel in telling stories about the region, the funky grape variety, or even the crazy antics of the winemaker.<\/p>\n

What do you like most about being a sommelier?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ahhhhh, where do I begin?\u00a0 There are so many things I love about my profession, but I think the biggest is opening people\u2019s eyes to new wines and wine regions, especially the greatness of Ontario wines.\u00a0 Being the sommelier at a hotel wine bar gives me the perfect platform to show the world this greatness and to share my passion for Ontario wines.<\/p>\n

Guests from all over the world are amazed that we even make wine, and then they taste it and they’re hooked.\u00a0 I\u2019ve also never been a 9-to-5er, and working in the hospitality industry is never 9 to 5, so that works well for me, as well as every day bringing me something different.\u00a0 Whether it\u2019s a wine recommendation for a table, a question from the staff regarding my wine list, or sharing a quirky piece of trivia with a guest, it\u2019s never the same day twice.\u00a0 I like that.<\/p>\n

Anything else you\u2019d like to add?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A sommelier knows more than just wine.\u00a0 We\u2019re trained on spirits and liqueurs, as well as coffee and tea \u2013 even water!\u00a0 Ask sommeliers what their favourite drinks are, and you may discover it\u2019s not always wine.\u00a0 I love wine, but I love to sip great bourbon, too.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Eight Wine Bar<\/strong><\/a>
\n8 Colborne Street, Toronto<\/p>\n

You might also enjoy these interviews with other top-notch sommeliers who share their tips on enjoying wine:<\/p>\n

Ritz Carlton TOCA sommelier<\/strong><\/a> Lori Sullivan<\/p>\n

Canoe Restaurant sommelier<\/strong><\/a> Will Predhomme<\/p>\n

Fairmont Royal York sommelier<\/strong><\/a> Jimson Bienstock<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In this interview, I chat Sheila Person who at the time was sommelier and manager at Eight Wine Bar in Toronto. Sheila has since moved back to Calgary, Alberta, where she shares her passion for wine at Crowfoot Wine and Spirits. We chat about spring and summer wines, including great bottles for the cottage and pairings for her favourite books. Fun! What first got you interested in wine? Growing up in small town Alberta, I wasn\u2019t exactly immersed in wine culture.\u00a0 Sure, my parents drank it, and my dad even made fruit wine, but it was actually the tools that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,55],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4817","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-restaurant-wine-lists","category-sommeliers-restaurants"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4817","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4817"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4817\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7467,"href":"https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4817\/revisions\/7467"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4817"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4817"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4817"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}