Winemaker Steve Matthiasson | Recommendations - Find. Eat. Drink.
Steve Matthiasson, Wine, Matthiasson Wine, Sonoma, Napa Valley, CA, California, Red Wine, White Wine, Passion Wines, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec, Sauvignon Blanc, Ribolla Gialla, Semillon, Tocai Friulano, Bordeaux Blend, Italian Varietals, Refosco, Where to eat in Napa, Wine Bars, Restaurants, Recommendatoins, Winemaker Recs
In California, these are wineries that are pushing boundaries well, and making delicious wines. Some of these are avant-garde, and some are classicists.
California Wine Country
San Francisco Bay Area
New York City Area
New Orleans, LA
Pittsburgh, PA
Salt Lake city, UH
Tucson, AZ
Barcelona, Spain
Wine Producers
Anthill Farms
California
Wine
Araujo Estate
California / Napa Valley
Wine
California
Wine
Broc Cellars
California / Napa Valley
Wine
Demuth Kemos
California
Wine
Kesner
California
Wine
Massican
California
Wine
Robert Sinskey
California / Napa Valley
Wine
Scholium Project
Abe Schoener probably has the most experience making skin fermented whites here in California, and has some really interesting examples.
California
Wine
Vivier
California / Sonoma Coast & Oregon / Willamette Valley
Wine
White Rock Vineyards
California
Wine
WineMakers
Bill Chambers / Chambers Rosewood Winery
Australia / Rutherglen
Wine
Michael Havens
California
Wine
Anthony King / Lemelson Vineyards
Oregon / Yamhill-Carlton / Dundee Hills / Chehalem Mountain
Wine
Enzo Pontoni / Miani
Available from the following retailers.
Italy / Friuli
Wine
Edi Simčič
Available from the following retailers.
Slovenia / Brda
Wine
George Vare
Available from the following retailers.
California / Napa Valley
Wine
Warren Winiarski Founded Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars
California
Wine
Restaurants - California Wine Country
Bottega
6525 Washington Street Suite A9, Yountville, CA 94599
T: 707.945.1050 (make a reservation)
Awesome wine list -- goes very deep. Really knowledgeable sommeliers.
Yountville
Italian
Buster's Barbeque
Straight out of the Deep South.
Calistoga
BBQ / Southern
Fremont Diner
2698 Fremont Drive, Sonoma, CA 95476
T: 707.938.7370
Reviving the Mid-Atlantic diner cuisine with a California local food sensibility.
Sonoma
American / Diner / Californian
Juanita Juanita
Just killer Mexican food (with Tecate on tap).
Sonoma
Mexican
Oenotri
Awesome wine list -- goes very deep. Really knowledgeable sommeliers. It shocked me with how deep it got into some kind of proto-Italian quality.
Napa
Italian / Californian
Solbar - Solage Calistoga
Awesome wine list -- goes very deep. Really knowledgeable sommeliers.
Calistoga
Californian
Wine Bars - Napa, CA
Carpe Diem
It’s the only wine bar I ever go to. When traveling I typically go to bar bars. I do love a wine bar with a huge selection, so you can try new things and Carpe Diem is great for that.
Downtown Napa
Wine Bar
Wine Stores - Napa, CA
Backroom Wines
The perfect neighborhood shop... they have one of everything.
Wine Store
Downtown Napa
Restaurants - San Francisco Bay Area
83 Minna Street, San Francisco, CA 94105
T: 415.501.9100 (make a reservation)
I love the wine list.
SOMA
American / Seafood
Baker and Banker
1701 Octavia Street, San Francisco, CA 94109
T: 415.351.2500 (make a reservation)
I love the wine list.
Pacific Heights
American / Californian
Chez Panisse
It was a religious experience the first time I went. Food raised perfectly, harvested perfectly, cooked perfectly, and served perfectly.
North Berkeley
American / California
Frances
I love the wine list and it recently blew me away with how creative and perfect the food was.
Castro / Noe / Glen Park
New American / Californian
NOPA
I love the wine list.
North Panhandle
Californian / Mediterranean
Oliveto Cafe & Restaurant
It was the first truly amazing Italian meal I ever had.
Oakland
Italian / Californian
Wine Stores - San Francisco Bay Area
Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant
They have the best grouping of European terroir-driven wines anywhere in the world.
Northwest Berkeley
Wine Store
Wine House
A huge selection, knowledgeable staff, great wines.
Potrero Hill
Wine Store
Restaurants - New York City Area - Manhattan
Cookshop
156 Tenth Avenue, New York, NY 10011
T: 212.924.4440 (make a reservation)
With sommelier Richard Luftig, it’s my favorite wine list anywhere. You can get an education on the wines of the world there and most of the wines are under $100. It's phenomenal and Richard is a great story teller.
Chelsea
American
Restaurants - New York City Area - Brooklyn
Tommaso's
With it's old-school vibe, awesome Roman-style food, reasonable list of older wines and the real-deal owner, it’s one of my favorite restaurants anywhere.
Bensonhurst
Italian / Roman
Restaurants - New York City Area - Westchester, NY
Restaurant North
Owned by sommelier Stephen Mancini, it has more of an Italian wine focus. He’s is a nut for Italian wine, and a walking encyclopedia.
Westchester
Italian
Wine Stores - New York City Area - Manhattan
Acker Merrall & Condit
A classic wine shop.
Wine Store
Upper West Side
California Wine Merchants
Great people who created a focused shop.
Wine Store
Financial District
Restaurants - New Orleans, LA
I love it for its efforts to continue the Cajun charcuterie tradition.
Warehouse District
Cajun / Salumeria
Willie Mae's Scotch House
2401 Saint Ann Street, New Orleans, LA 70119
T: 504.822.9503
Makes the fried chicken that all others aspire to.
French Quarter
Creole / Southern
Restaurants - Pittsburgh, PA
Mineo's Pizza
Squirrel Hill
713 Washington Road, Mount Lebanon, PA 15228
T: 412.344.9467
Mt. Lebanon
2128 Murray Avenue # 1, Pittsburgh, PA 15217
T: 412.521.9864
The best crust I've ever tasted (I think they use semolina flour, but I can't figure it out).
Multiple Locations
Italian / Pizza
Restaurants - Salt Lake City, UH
Red Iguana
They have my favorite mole.
Rose Park
Mexican
Restaurants - Tucson, AZ
Karichimaka
5252 South Mission Road, Tucson, AZ 85746
T: 520.883.0311
The birthplace of the chimichanga and has awesome beans.
Sunnyside
Mexican
Little Abner's Steak House
8501 N. Silverbell Road, Tucson, AZ 85743
T: 520.744.2800
It was my first steak experience, and I've been a lusting meat eater ever since.
Marana
Steakhouse
Restaurants / Markets - Barcelona, Spain
The lunch counters at Mercat De La Boqueria market in Barcelona are a case of food in context.
Food Market
Raval
Wine Auctions - Online
Winebid.com
They sells older vintages of Napa reds at great prices. I buy them by the case and drink them every day. Napa reds from the 80s tend to be well balanced and great with food. They were made in a totally different style than they are today.
Online
Wine Auction Site
Drinks: Aperitif
Carpano Antica Formula
Available from the following retailers.
We drink a lot of sweet vermouth while cooking (Carpano Antica is a common one we drink).
Italian
Sweet Vermouth
Wine Resources - Newspapers
Eric Asimov / New York Times
Wine Writer
Jon Bonné / San Francisco Chronicle
Wine Writer
I read everything I can by:
Jay McInerney / Wall Street Journal
Wine Writer
Wine Resources - Blogs
1 Wine Dude
Wine Blog
These blogs are worth reading.
Drink What You Like
Wine Blog
The Wine House San Francisco
Wine Blog
RJ’s Wine Blog
Wine Blog
Wine Resources - Books
The Taste of Wine: The Art and Science of Wine Appreciation
Buy: Amazon.com
Author: Emile Peynaud
It’s a classic.
Wine Resources - Magazines
Wine and Spirits Magazine
My favorite--it shows the most respect for the breadth of the world of wine.
Magazine
Wine Resources - Wine Book Collecting Society
The Wayward Tendrils
An amazing little wine book collecting society that has a fascinating quarterly newsletter--it's worth joining just for the newsletter.
Book Collecting Society
Subscription
Chris Bilbro / Marietta Cellars
30 years of honest wine that anyone can afford.
California / Sonoma
Wine
Photo Credit: Find. Eat. Drink. LLC
Who
Steve Matthiasson is the owner and winemaker at Matthiasson wines in Napa, California.
Why
Matthiasson crafts blends and single varietals, emphasizing balance over any other characteristic, such as impact or power. In addition to his flagship red and white wines, he also produces passion wines -- one-off tiny production wines, which try new ideas or varieties, such as Ribolla Gialla or Refosco dal Penduncula Rosso.
Recommendations
Steve Matthiasson’s recommendations for his favorite wine producers, resources and where to eat, drink and shop for wine in California, New York, New Orleans, Pittsburgh, Salt Lake City, Tucson and Barcelona.
Winemaker Steve Matthiasson | Recommendations
August 4, 2011
Napa / Sonoma, California
Recommendations
