When Rajat Parr tried his first glass
of wine, at 20 years old, it was love at first taste. In fact, this experience has been attributed as the
reason why the acclaimed wine sommelier changed career paths from aspiring chef to wine
enthusiast.
“I started with hotel school and
went on to culinary school. I fell in love with wine and started off working in San Francisco, learning from
a mentor. I have just been involved,” he says. Becoming fascinated with wine at such an impressionable age
encouraged him to make the career transition from culinary craftsman to wine-savvy
sommelier.
As wine director for the famed
Michael Mina restaurant
group since 2003,
Parr is actively involved in the American restaurant chain’s 18 restaurants, including Michael Mina
restaurant in Las Vegas, and RN74 and Stonehill Tavern in California. Its various other locations are in
Florida, Michigan, New Jersey and Washington, with two new restaurant additions in the
works.
Parr, who was born in Calcutta,
India, went on to attend the Culinary Institute of America
(CIA) in New York.
Realizing the hardships of obtaining a job in one of the busiest cities in the world, he then moved to San
Francisco where he worked as a “food runner” at Rubicon with expert sommelier Larry Stone. Stone, whom Parr
considers his mentor, quickly promoted him to an assistant position.
“When I started in 1996, there were not that many sommeliers. The California industry
was starting to boom at that time. It was a big opportunity and there were not many people working as wine
professionals in restaurants,” he says. “I was lucky I got in early enough.”
The luck didn’t stop there. The wine sommelier met chef and restaurateur Michael Mina
while Parr was working for Mina’s friend, George Morrone, at Fifth Floor restaurant. Fifth Floor, which
earned recognition by Wine Spectator for its wine selection, continued to garner Parr award-worthy
praise.
Even with all of his success in North America, Parr, who left India when he was in his
early 20s, still visits “every year or so” and continues to stay very in tune with his roots. Comparing the
wine trend in America to India has been quite the contrast, the sommelier says. However, the presence of wine
in India is continuing to grow. “There was nothing when I was around,” he says, laughing. “But it has changed
quite a bit now… I definitely see it at all of the parties and at people’s houses. What you see now is that a
lot of women drink wine. Men still drink whiskey, vodka, gin.”
He notes that food and wine
pairings still don’t have much of a presence in India, mostly due to the level of difficulty in pairing wine
with Indian food.
“In India, you drink before you
eat. You don’t drink with your food, usually,” he says. “There are wines that work with it, but it’s not an
easy task.” For the spicier, flavourful Indian foods, Parr recommends “fruity, crisp, light and fresh” whites
and “dry, earthy, spicy, low-alcohol” reds. His favourite red wines are Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie and Cornas
wines from France, while his favourite white wines are Riesling and Riesling-Cabernet from
Germany.
More of Parr’s wine
recommendations can be found in his book. Secrets of the Sommeliers was released in 2010 and offers readers insight about wine from an expert’s
perspective.
“Seeing the trend of new, young
sommeliers in the industry, I wanted to write a book and tell the story about sommeliers and how it is a new
profession,” he explains. “To really tell the story of wine from a sommelier’s perspective, which is quite
different from a winemaker or a chef. To see how we taste wine, how we think about wine, and the wines we
like. It’s a very personal book about sommeliers and how sommeliers collectively view wine.” According to
Parr, he, along with his co-author, journalist Jordan Mackay, interviewed approximately 100 wine sommeliers
from around the world.
Taking his advice to another
level, Parr is also involved in wine production. In 2009, he started Sandhi Wines. The name, “Sandhi,” is derived from the ancient
Sanskrit word for “alliance.” The name doesn’t fall short either — Parr collaborated with Charles Banks,
former owner of Jonata Wines and Screaming Eagle, and renowned winemaker Sashi Moorman to found the company.
Sandhi Wines produces wines from Santa Barbara County vineyards
in California.
However, with Michael Mina’s
signature restaurant offering over 2,500 wines, Parr notes that Sandhi Wines stand out on their own.
“I think it’s my creative side.
I really want to explore the best. I think Santa Barbara is a great place to make Chardonnay and Pinot Noir,
to make a style that is still in the minority in California. In California, most are opulent and rich, quite
heavy-handed. I thought I would make a wine which is more earth-driven, [with] more acidity [and] more
freshness… I see there is a trend changing from the big, heavy wines to light, crisper, fresher wines in
foods.”
Although as a sommelier, Parr is
known for his wine expertise, he says wine is like art. With everyone entitled to their own opinion, his best
piece of advice for wine novices is to try, try, try.
“Try different wines and keep an
open mind, but definitely trust your palate and listen to your palate,” he recommends. “The more you try, the
more you understand and you have reference-point wines. Keep tasting and figure out what you like and you can
go from there. Keep an open mind and taste different things. Just don’t buy a wine because it has a good
score. Taste it, understand it and see if you like it. Don’t just believe what anyone says — believe
yourself.”
Parr’s
Pairings
Wine Sommelier Rajat
Parr shares his favourite food and wine pairings
Wine selection may be tricky
enough as it is, but food and wine pairings can be even more difficult.
Rajat Parr, wine director for
the Michael Mina restaurant
group, shares his
expertise on how to pair wine with food.
“My No. 1 rule is good food and
good wine,” he says, laughing. “For a perfect pairing, I always try to look at three things in a wine. The
acidity — the acidity must balance with the wine and the food. The richness of the dish, and the intensity of
the dish.”
For high-acid foods, such as a
tartare or ceviche, Parr recommends wine with higher acidity levels. For bigger, more powerful dishes such as
braised lamb, he recommends big, bold wine. “Match the acidity, the intensity and the power of the dish. I
usually like simple food and simple wine. Nowadays, you can get complicated with food and wine pairings. I
try to stick with easy pairings.”
Some of the wine sommelier’s
recommended pairings include Syrah with lamb, Cabernet with beef, shellfish with rich Chardonnay or Sauvignon
Blanc, and fish with lighter Chablis or white Burgundy wines. His personal favourite is Muscadine or Chablis
with oysters. “I try to have it as much as possible,” he says. •
Photo Courtesy:
Michael Mina
restaurant group
