Meet Sandra Zotti, an experienced sommelier, who has great advice for this holiday season. “I like to refer to myself as a wine educator and entertainer. My career in wine began 15 years ago. Today I run my own business where I teach about wine in a fun, informative and engaging way for corporate and private events. I also curate private wine collections and source wine for clients. My goal always is to educate and entertain people, while getting them excited for what is in their glass. “
Tips for selecting wine during holiday celebrations and food pairings?
“I love the whole concept of 'what grows together, goes together.' If I am having Italian or Spanish... I typically serve wines from that same region. The matching terroir and tradition create some of the most magical food and wine pairings. For example, a bottle of Nebbiolo with a truffle based dish. An herbaceous Sancerre with goat cheese. A dry lambrusco with Prosciutto di Parma. “
What trends are you seeing in wine selections?
“Smaller production, hand harvested wines. Family-owned wineries, not these big names, mass-produced wines. Focus on what matters most - production and finding the purest expression of that grape without all the added fillers, dyes etc. typically used to manipulate a wine into tasting/looking a certain way. Cleaner, more focused, smaller production wine trend!”
What are your recommendations for bubbly?
“If you’re on a budget, look for Crémant. Crémant is made in the same labor-intensive process as Champagne with the secondary fermentation happening in bottle as opposed to large tank and comes from 8 different regions in France. Think of Crémant as a fabulous way to get the "champagne experience" at a fraction of the cost. For proper Champagne, look for Grower Champagne which is made by the grape growers and their families, estate-owned fruit. “
sandra@sandrazotti.com, @svzotti to learn more.
“I love the whole concept of 'what grows together, goes together.' If I'm having Italian or Spanish...I typically serve wines from that same region."