I believe the greatest expression of the beautiful partnership between food and wine is that of local food and local wine enjoyed together. To me this seems fundamental, and yet I am constantly blown away by people who just do not see this dynamic. Living in Santa Barbara I am blessed to have great local produce, cheese, fish, and meat to create endless dishes as well as wine that will pair wonderfully with those dishes. I love to cook, and on my days off I want nothing more than to spend my morning at the farmers market wandering and thinking of what to cook for my lovely wife that night. Once I decide what will be for dinner I often go hunt for the perfect wine. Sometimes I take the opposite approach and let the wine choice serve as the inspiration for the menu.
The chef at Zookers , Brent Monsour, who is also the owners son, takes this same approach with our menu and his nightly specials. Incorporating local organic produce from both Shephard's and Coleman's Farms, he also buys from local fisherman and the farmers markets. His food is fabulous and is why I began working at Zookers in the first place. The wine list was not "bad" when I started, but by no means was it diverse. In an effort to bring the wine philosophy along side of the menu philosophy, I have been focusing on local wines that are above all food friendly and also a joy to drink.
The list is continually growing and evolving, as is our restaurant. While I do not get to incorporate all of my beliefs into the wine list I do get to voice my fair share of opinion. Even though I oversee the wine list and manage the restaurant, our owner is very hands on and she rightly has the final say in everything that goes on the list. Currently we are lucky enough to have on the list such names as Qupe, Au bon Climat, Point Concepcion, Lane Tanner, Foxen, La Fenetre, Babcock, Palmina, Alma Rosa, Summerland, Justin, Brander, Morgan, Edna Valley, and Paredon.
With all of these great selections I had a gentleman come in the other night and ask if we had anything French on the list. I responded with "no sir, but we have some great local selections that will pair wonderfully with your meal", to which he responded "French wine is the only good wine." Given this profound statement I could do nothing but apologize and again suggest that he look at our list and find something to enjoy. In the end he ordered a bottle of Qupe Syrah and I think, despite his objections, enjoyed it.
I do not think that the wine of any one region is better than any other. Different they should always be, but lets quit comparing in terms of better or worse. I love the wines of Santa Barbara County, but if I travel to Santa Cruz and dine I want to drink a wine from Santa Cruz, granted the cuisine is from Santa Cruz. If I am in Portland I want a wine from the Willamette Valley, again only if the cuisine is local. If I dine at a French or Italian restaurant I want to drink a French or Italian wine. That being true there are plenty of Santa Barbara wines that I would never put on my wine list. The wines I seek must be food friendly and display a sense of place. The same is true for every wine region in the world. The greatest expressions of any region should pair great with local food and should be different than a wine made from the same grape in a different part of the world.
If you happen to be in the Santa Barbara area, stop in at Zookers and enjoy a great local dish paired with a great local wine. This is our philosophy.
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