I have a new game for you! A few years ago I wrote a piece — that some of you still talk to me about — about a game called Wine Club Death Match! Now, here is a new one for a group of friends that get together. Take this one and run with it and have an absolute party!
Are you ready? Let’s get into it.
Last month, I was asked to take part in an event during Aspen Food & Wine called Chefs vs Somms. This event pairs three chefs vs three sommeliers in a battle of smell, taste, and a good amount of smack talking. The premise of this challenge is finding the best pairings for four snacks from a group of 10 wines.
Here is the low down on how we did it:
The Teams
Chefs: Cassidee Dabney, Chef at The Barn at Blackberry Farm; Maneet Chauhan, Chef, Restauranteur, and TV personality; Me
Sommeliers: Arjav Ezekial, Birdie’s; Amanda McCrossin, sommelier and wine personality (if you like wine, you should follow her!); Chris Dunaway, wine director of The Little Nell.
Four snacks
- Deviled egg
- Prosciutto wrapped Granny Smith apple
- A spiced samosa
- Caramelized fish sauce chicken wings
Ten wines
- IWA Sake Assemblage 5
- 2023 Domaine du Cellier aux Moines Aligoté Sous les Roches
- 2024 Tiberio Pecorino
- 2023 Vietti Timorasso Colli Tortonesi
- 2024 Soalheiro Primeiras Vinhas
- 2023 Guigal Tavel
- 2022 Analemma Trousseau
- NV Lini Labrusco Lambrusco Rosso
- 2024 Giant Steps Circle of Fifths Pinot Noir
- 2022 Cume do Avia Colleita 10 Red Ribeiro
The game
Each team deliberates separately to pick the best pairing to go with the first snack, the deviled egg. The competitors have to get into the details of each dish. For this one, we had to consider how much mustard there is versus the mayonnaise, sweet or dill relish, how much onion, salt, and pepper. Then, we went through the 10 wines to see what our team likes best.
Courtesy of Chris Shepherd
Maneet Chauhan, Cassidee Dabney, and Chris Shepherd represented the chefs.
We had to sell our pick to the rest of the group (ours was an audience of 100 people) to convince them that we chose the best pairing. Once a wine is chosen from one team, it’s off the board, which means it can no longer. We had to plan our attack — and sabotage when we must! We had to think about what really does pair well and what we thought the other team might want to use in the future, so we can mess with their heads and shake things a bit.
For the deviled egg, we picked the 2023 Guigal Tavel. We thought that rosé and deviled eggs would make people think about spring time, sitting on a patio enjoying a beautiful brunch with friends. At the same time, the Somms were plotting away at their pick. They chose the Tiberio Pecorino, which is a super crisp floral white wine. After the somms made their case, we verbally battled back and forth like a bunch of lawyers in a courtroom. Was rosé the best pick? We tried to sway the jury, but the chefs lost round one. It’s ok though, it’s a game of strategy, and we had more rounds to go.
We battled each round, blow by blow, trying to get our opinions in. The chefs are very matter of fact about things because well, that’s what we do. The somms would argue their points: “The floral notes of this….” Blah blah blah. As the chefs would say, “What grows together goes together...” Blah blah blah. As the rounds go on, the more you taste, the better the verbal battle becomes!
In the end, we tied, which is how it was supposed to be. Two teams giving it their all and having a blast with friends.
One thing that really resonated was that the two teams need each other to run successful operations and to be better for our guests. We work together to provide hospitality and a true vision of what we think a restaurant service can be. It’s emotional and beautiful all at the same time. When everything clicks, the guest has the time of their life.
The reason I am write about this is that you and your friends can have these same experiences together — as well and form a bond that no one can dispute. Hospitality calls in many ways, not just in the walls of a restaurant, but in the walls of your own home.
How you choose to engage in those moments is what defines us as humans and as friends. Battle it out on a Saturday night. You will find that a bond forms, because you were together learning, tasting, and possibly a little shit talking. That’s what friends and hospitality are all about.
