701 Lighthouse Ave
Pacific Grove, CA 93950
Breath of The Wine Muse:

What is your personal philosophy when it comes to being a sommelier?
I’m not a big fan of the word. Its hard for most guests to pronounce, and let’s be honest, it sounds stuffy. Wine should be fun, exciting, and shouldn’t require knowledge of French. I believe my role is to read a guest, help translate what they are looking for, to what is on my list. I want to make a guest comfortable and encouraging their curiosity to try new things. At the same time, a good wine muse should also make you feel comfortable enough to not break the bank, and be okay with the fact that you want to stay within your comfort zone on that particular evening.

What is your favorite wine on the list?
My gut reaction to the question is that’s like asking who your favorite child is! If you want to know which wines I ‘crave’, well, we just don’t have enough space to discuss that! I do believe you should crave the wine if you are buying it for the list. Ultimately, you’ll have to come in for dinner and ask me what I’m ‘craving’ at the moment, it’s always changing!

What’s your most memorable wine-related experience and why?
It may be too early in my life to narrow down one. So far it would be drinking Cristal ’89 with Maui onion potato chips on my honeymoon with my husband, sharing what was left of Gaja Speres ‘01, left to me by Mel Knox (famous barrel importer) with a good friend, or drinking Krug at Michael Mina’s with truffled mac-n-cheese and good company. I think my point is, food and wine are so much better together and what matters more is whom you are with and your mood of that moment!

If you were stranded on a desert island what three wines would you take with you?
Champagne, champagne, champagne.

What wine resources do you use on a regular basis?
Here are the wine books we have in our library that we re-buy because they fall apart: The Oxford Companion to wine, bottom line, a must have. We love Perfect Pairings by Evan Goldstein, to the point, really informative and great recipes too. And for humor, a must have in this business, A Hedonist in the Cellar by Jay McInerney.

If you could have dinner with anyone and discuss wine, who would it be?
Fred Dame, where are you? I can’t keep chasing you down at wine events and inviting you! In fact, many a staff member here at Passionfish have a mini-crush on Fred and his wine presence! Truth be told, I think he has an amazing palate and a great sense of humor and would make a great dinner date. He also worked with Cindy, so I’m sure I could get good dirt!

Down load sample wine list. Click Here
Summer wine we love to drink!

Simply Refreshing (in taste and price)

Riesling Weegmüller, Mussbacher Eselshaut, Pfalz Kabinett Halbtrocken '02 35
Halbtroken = 1/2 dry, a perfect first step to conquer your fear of “sweet wine”. If you’ve ordered anything spicy off our menu, this is the wine to tame the heat!

Champange Paul Bara, Grand Cru Reserve NV 60
What do we love more? The lemon zest, hint of brioche, subtle mineral or the amazing price for Grand Cru bubbles??

Molinara Buglioni, Spumante Rosé, Veneto, Italy ’09 30
Prized for it’s zingy acidity, Molinara is commonly experienced as part of the blend of an Amarone or Valpolicella. Enjoy it on it’s own in this zippy thirst quenching sparkler!

Whites that remind us of sea spray and scrub

Vermentino Domaine Abbatucci, “Faustine”, Ajaccio, Corsica ’10 45
Golden raspberries, perfectly ripened peaches and salty sea spray.

Vermentino Domaine Maestracci, E Prove, Calvi, Corsica ’10 25
Basil & wild seaside brush lifted by intense minerality.

Alvarinho Soalheiro, Vinho Verde, Portugal ’10 30
Alvarinho is also known as Albariño across the border in Spain. Traditionally blended, this 100% Alvarinho is lean, mineral driven, and has an innate ability to pair well with just about anything!

If we had our way we’d offer a whole page of Rosé!

Rosé of Syrah Azur, California ’10 30
Gemstone’s assistant winemaker, Julien Fayard, does beautifully with this refreshing rosé that truly expresses his Provencal heritage.

Rosé of Cab Franc Joguet, Chinon, France ’10 25
This muscular but balanced rosé, has a herbaceous nose followed by fresh blood orange juice & cracked pomegranate.

Rosé of Pinot Noir Olivier Horiot, Rosé de Riceys, Champagne ’05 55
The fullest of or our rosés hails from a minute appellation located in Champagne that produces only rosé from the Pinot Noir grape. This rare, still rosé is only made in the best vintages, and even then only 10,000 bottles are produced at most.

Alpine Reds

Ploussard Domaine de la Tournelle, Jura, “L’uva Arbosiana”, France ’09 25
The lightest in body of the “Alpine” group; we love Ploussard for it’s wild strawberry aroma and slight prickle on the palate.

Mondeuse Andre & Michel Quenard, Vin de Sovoie, France ’09 35
Why do we love Mondeuse? Just imagine the body of a red Burgundy crossed with the dark fruit and pepper of cru Beaujolais...

Ruchè Luca Ferraris, Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato, Italy ’08 30
Ruchè is known for it’s pepper, wild berry and floral aromas. The current recognized area of production for Ruchè covers only about 100 acres of vines in the Piedmont region, making it one of the lowest production varietal wines in Italy.