2019 Restaurant Poll Interviews
What wines are up and what’s down in the nation’s top dining rooms?
Every January, we poll the top restaurants across the US about wine sales, tracking trends and compiling lists of most popular bottles. In order to put the statistics into context, we interview dozens of the sommeliers who fill out the poll. Here are excerpts from some of our conversations.
We’ll be posting interviews throughout the month, so check back for updates from some legendary spots across the country. And be on the lookout for the April issue, which will contain the full report.
For information about the poll, contact Julie H. Case.

Cheryl Wakerhauser of Bar Vivant on Rare Champagnes and New Oregon Sparklers
by Patrick J. Comiskey | February 11th, 2019
Cheryl Wakerhauser likes to say she owns one of the weirdest restaurants in the world: half-bar, half patisserie. She arrived in Portland as a French-trained pastry chef and, in her first restaurant, found compelling pairings between desserts and Belgian beers. This led to savory foods and to wine, notably sparkling wine. Today, her Portland restaurant, Bar Vivant, specializes in pintxos—“the food that fits on a napkin and then you throw the napkin on the floor”—and sparkling wines: a full 1,200 of them.
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Nikki Ledbetter of Upland in NYC on Chenin Requests and Oregon’s Appeal
by Tara, Tara Q. Thomas | February 8th, 2019

From Assyrtiko to Xinomavro with Greek Wine Maven Kamal Kouiri of Molyvos
by Tara Q. Thomas | February 6th, 2019

Bill Elsey of Pappas Bros. in Houston on Syrah Rising and Cult Cabs
by Joshua Greene | February 4th, 2019

Erik Forrest of St. Paul’s Lake Elmo Inn On Hitting the Sweet Spot
by Stephanie Johnson | February 1st, 2019