Christopher Dooley is a sommelier and the Assistant Wine Director of the posh Eleven Madison Park Restaurant in New York City, one of the world’s most highly rated restaurants. What does the wine list look like at a restaurant like this? Eleven Madison Park boasts an impressive average of 5,000 wines at any given time.
Dooley spends his day interacting with customers to assure that they have exactly the wine experience they are looking for while dining. He also orders wine, curates the wine list, and coordinates wines with foods.
He also works with a team of sommeliers to assure that the wine list reflects what they deem to be the most important inclusions for a restaurant of Eleven Madison Park’s caliber.
How should diners approach someone like Christopher? He explains, “I think it’s just being honest. I have worked in this industry for a long time… I can sniff out when people are trying to put on airs. My job is to make you happy, and that’s all it is. I’m here to help you find something delicious to put in your glass.”
Some diners are really into pairings, he adds, where each course is matched with a glass of a particular wine, “But sometimes you just want something incredibly delicious. I try to pull it out of people, like, what do you really want?”
You can help a sommelier find just the right wine for you by describing what you like, putting it in context, and talking about what you’ve had in the past – or maybe you are curious to try something from a certain country or region. Dooley suggests, “Being open and honest and not trying to impress me… ultimately it’s doing yourself a disservice.”
He continues, “I love when people ask for recommendations and give me a little something to work with. I mean, ultimately, it’s a conversation.”
And of course, he is happy to work within the diners’ budgets and assures that a good sommelier will always do the same. There are great wines available at various price points, and any diner can have a great experience even on a budget.
And what if you do not like the wine you end up with? “If somebody doesn’t like the wine they order, they shouldn’t drink that wine,” Dooley assures, “I ultimately want you to be happy, and I’ll take the wine away.”
Sometimes, diners make a wine choice that he knows will pair poorly with their food, “I generally want people to drink what they want. If they find something that they like and they want, like a big burly Cabernet with their caviar, I may be like, ‘would you like to start with maybe a glass of white or some champagne to start?’ And some people just don’t.”
He continues, “Sometimes that makes them happy, and that’s a good pairing for them even though it’s not technically correct.” He will try to nudge people in different directions, but will not force his opinion.
He goes on to explain that there are many aspects to a perfect wine, and one of them is the people you are with and the atmosphere of the moment. The job of a good sommelier is to help you make the most of that moment.