UPDATE.Pasadena's Vertical Wine Bistro- David Haskell's For Hire, "Will Pair With Food"

David Haskell is no longer with this restaurant.

Dave and Darlin' Nikki, another night in Schwagadena.

Talking to a sommelier at a restaurant is at times like speaking with a paranormal psychologist. They both have likely received some certification, but an entry level degree doesn't really mean that you should buy any of their bullshit. One can go around town and never obtain any valid recommendations from sommeliers, or any challenging pairings. Many times the pairings of food and wine could have been better achieved using an online pairing guide with the restaurant's menu and wine list from their website. Some sommeliers have had input in developing the wine list,some may know the wines on their list, and some are just beholden to the restaurants influential distributors. Either way, there is an abyss in knowledge between someone who has only achieved the first level of sommelier and master sommelier. But, where did they get their certification? Are they really a certificated sommelier? Have they had access to an abundance of tasting experiences?

Some restaurants have a tremendous volume of wine just to impress, without care in respect to the individual palates of diners, and the varying pocketbooks of our growing wine drinking public. Your more serious wine drinkers and industry folks often bring wine to restaurants for this very reason.

I can find better knowledge about wine pairings in many restaurants up in the Santa Barbara County wine country from waiters. Why? Because they taste many wines and are working with wine driven menus. There might not be a better man around town when it comes to Malbecs than Max over at Carlito's Gardel for the same reason. He has tasted a tremendous amount of Argentine wines. People who have a lifetime of tasting many wines, the folks who work in our better wine shops and bars that drink to live are your best bet.

And right now, about the most exciting and unique experience drinking wine with food is in Pasadena with David Haskell. Only in his early 30's, Dave runs the wine program over at the Vertical Wine Bistro. He has worked at Paris' Guy Savoy, and even ran his own place, Bin 8945 prior to joing the Vertical Wine Bistro. In just a short time Bin 8945 received many accolades from critiques, and was dubbed as one of the most serious wine bars in the country. Around the same time that Bin 8945 was closing I started to hear about this guy David Haskell as being an outspoken critic of reviewers and bloggers, and that he wasn't afraid to challenge his customers.

His came on the twitter seen like a banshee, slamming restaurant service in Venice, and taking on bloggers who were clearly talking out of their asses about wine. I thought, I gotta meet this guy. We went over with the intent of getting his goat one evening, but were exposed by a mutual friend who spotted us as we walked in the restaurant. That night, a new friendship was formed over traded barbs and glasses of wine, and a refreshing wine experience was brought to my attention.

David knows wine. There is no doubting his knowledge runs deep, but you'll never get a lecture about villages, terroir, or malolactic fermentation. At the Vertical Wine Bistro wine is more of a European aesthetic. Wine is fun and what life is all about. Wine pairing, something that Dave will do with just about anything, is just a part of dinner. Throw away the tired pairing guides and predicatable matches because there are endless possibilities and more palates to color than any such rigid parameters could ever do justice.

A few weeks ago David did a 7 course pairing for my friend Brian and I. Dave is a master at pairing, but wine and food come together under David's wizardry more like Frida and Diego than Fred and Ginger. Sometimes blissful, sometimes turbulent, but never dull.



Vertical's caprese salad with tomato,burratta cheese, basil, and a truffle vinaigrette was paired with


Deus beer, a refreshing departure from champagne. Deus is a Belgian beer processed in the Champagne region using méthode champenoise. It's the true champagne of beers, full of effervesecence and fruity overtones that were a fine complement to the salad.


VWB's asparagus risotto with shaved parmesan was matched with


a white Rioja. This was a fascinating wine, Vina Tondonia's 1990 Rioja blanca, 90% viura grapes and 10% malvasia. This wine is a stand alone drinker with an enchanting floral finish. But, as they do in Spain, wine is to be served with food. This was our best glass of wine that night, a curious pairing that was much appreciated. Asparagus isn't the easiest vegetable to pair, and a sauvignon blanc or a pino gris would have been an easy out,but not with David in the driver's seat.


The climactic moment of the evening came when the seared yellow fin tuna with potato Beaujolais, a carrot puree were deftly paired to


the 2005 Chateau Des Labourons from Fleurie. Fluerie is a Cru Beaujolais village, and the highest classification of Beaujolais wines. They are made from the gamay varietal.

The low tannins and bright fruit of the Beaujolais were a perfect match to the steak like texture and flavors of seared tuna. A chardonnay might have been the sommelier's softball, but here your palate gets a workout. I loved this pairing.


Another adventurous pairing involved Vertical's Fijian Escolar(snake mackerel) with spinach pesto, black-eyed peas, and a fine herb veloute with a red wine from the Arbois AOC. Domaine Andre et Mireilles Tissot's wine is made from the light bodied poulsard varietal in the Jura region of France. Not everyone carries such an interesting wine, nor do they pair it with fish. There are more typical light reds out there, but this was a pleasant surprise.


House-Made pappardelle with a pork ragout and wild mushrooms was coupled with two different colors of the flavor spectrum. We both enjoyed the pappardelle a great deal.


First we tried the dish with the Cossart Gordon Madeira Bual, 10 Year, and then the



Les Deux Rives 2007 Corbieres Rouge from the Languedoc-Roussillon in France. It's a blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Carignane.

The two wines painted the parpadelle with honey and nuts, and berries respectively. This is something more places should be doing, giving the customer alternate perspectives in pairing food with wine.


David brought out a cheese platter which he paired with a


1990 Kerpen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese, a late harvest wine from the Mosel region in Germany. This sweet wine was a likely counterpoint to our savory cheese, but then we were treated to another one of Dave's curveballs, a shot of Don Julio's 1942 Anejo tequila with smoky Gamonedo cheese. The shared qualities of mild smoke are an elegant duo.


A trio of dessert from the Vertical Wine Bistro would mark the grand finale of our evening. Molten chocolate cake with ice cream was paired with Barbar, a Belgian ale, a prospect even more exciting than the much talked about beer floats around town. Next time I throw a party, it's going to be cake and beer.

Spanish style churros and a chocolate dipping sauce met an old fashioned, a whiskey based cocktail. By now I was ready to accept these combinations with a matter-of-fact mentality. A little gastronomy and mixology at play in Pasadena.

A crème brulee made by our host himself was teamed with the Gruet Rose Brut sparkling wine from New Mexico. Yes, New Mexico.


Booze, it's what's for dessert.


New Mexican sparkling wine.

When you get to know Dave, you'll laugh at the notion that he's controversial. He's as harmless as a pussycat, but does speak from a place of passion and conviction. David is an old soul who cares about the experience of food and wine, combined with a little ADHD like energy. I bet you he was in trouble all the time at school and must have driven all his teachers up the wall. If he attacks you in a tweet, all you need do is come by and say, "What's your problem, David Haskell?" He'll probably pour you a drink and you'll find yourself a new friend.

Right now, the Vertical Wine Bistro is the place to drink wine, whether you're a novice or an experienced drinker. This is the way wine service should be, fun and full of delicious intrigue. He like myself, believes that wine and food together isn't just a hypothesis, but law. Nothing wrong with that kind of conformity at all.

David Haskell will and can pair wine to anything from fast food to haute couture, there isn't a day that goes by that he doesn't tweet so. Could it be arrogance? No, it's just a guy who'd like to share his knowledge and zest for life, one pairing at a time.

Stop by the Vertical Wine Bistro and ask for David. There's great wine by the glass, excellent food, a fun and attentive staff, and more than enough reason to make Pasadena your wine and food destination in LA.

Vertical Wine Bistro
70 N Raymond Avenue
Upstairs
Pasadena, CA 91103
(626) 795-3999