104 march/april 2014

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Ask The Experts (Q&A)

Perry Vidalakis, OwnerDiego Meraviglia, Wine DirectorTrATToriA NEApolisWhen Trattoria Neapolis owner Perry Vidalakis took a wine class from Diego Meraviglia they instantly bonded. Both love wines from all over the world and both believe that interesting wines come in all price points and styles. Diego is Vice President of the North America Sommelier Association. After several rounds of competition last year, Diego arrived in London for the finals of the Worldwide Sommelier Asso-ciation competition where he placed 5th in the world. He chooses wines for Neapolis, trains the staff, leads wine events and serves as a passionate but never pretentious guide for everything related to the noble grape.

Q: Are you a wine snob?No. I don’t go for extremes or aim to be contro-versial for the sake of making a statement. I like wines that are approachable, and I also like wines that let customers take a risk if that’s what they’re in the mood for. I enjoy celebrating both the well known and the unusual. If I’m going to offer something familiar like a Chardonnay, it’s going to be the best expression of Chardonnay. I like the idea of a wine that honors the spirit of the land it was harvested from…a sense of authenticity. In the end, the guest experience and satisfaction defines my choices. The hallmark of my success is if I’ve created a list that pleases all guests from the casual wine drinker to the enthusiast to the avid collector.

Q: How important are restaurant wine awards? Restaurant wine awards create awareness, like the Zagat Guide, service awards, restaurant reviews and other forms of recognition that we’ve been fortunate to receive. Currently, Trattoria Neapolis is under review for the Wine Spectator’s Grand Award of Excellence. My approach is to demonstrate how we’ve created a wine list that serves our customers with a collection that offers variety, breadth and depth while respecting Neapolis’ menu.

Q: What’s your favorite wine with a wood burning oven pizza? Oh, that’s easy. Nothing is more satisfying than the “original” pizza, the Margherita pizza. The

simplicity of its fresh ingredients is what made it irresistible to Queen Margherita of Italy and holds true today – fresh tomatoes, mozzarella and basil picked from the garden. Simplicity. I like to pair it with Lighea, a Dry Moscato from Sicily’s Donna-fugata. People often associate Moscato with dessert wine and are shocked to find it so refreshing, thirst quenching and fragrant with the proper level of acidity. It is simple perfection with a Neapolis Mar-gherita pizza.

Q: What is the best wine region? Asking me to choose a favorite region is like asking me to select the most beautiful woman in the world. I just can’t say. I appreciate different regions as the wine profile extends from the unique character-istics of the land the grapes are harvested from. Wine is an agricultural product and sometimes we lose sight of that. So, I celebrate Piemonte for producing great Barolos, Tuscany for crafting Brunellos and Chianti and California for being home to Chardonnay.

Q: How has the response been to Neapolis’ wine tasting series?So far they’ve all sold out. It’s been incredible. I’ve really enjoyed connecting with Neapolis customers and sharing our love for wine. Each wine tasting focuses on a particular region of Italy. I highlight the characteristics of five wines that are true to their land of origin and each is paired with a small bite from the kitchen. It’s fun to be adventurous with the low risk of a tasting format. I think if you ask our wine tasting guests to name their favorite region, like me they would be hard pressed to an-swer. That’s how I know I’ve done my job. Neapolis’ next tasting is on April 15th showcasing wines from Campania…land of the volcanoes followed by Puglia on May 27th. Wine tastings are $45 per person plus tax and gratuity.

Diego Meraviglia, Wine Director for Trattoria Neapolis is Vice President of the North American Sommelier Association. He finished 5th in the world at the Worldwide Sommelier Association competition in London. Mr. Meraviglia is a certified 4th Level Sommelier (AIS), Certified Sommelier-Court of Master Sommeliers and Certified Specialist of Wine-Society of Wine Educators and earned an enology and viticulture diploma from Silvarte (Italy). He teaches sommelier level wine classes and co-translated the book “Food & Wine” used worldwide by the Italian Sommelier Association.

Contact info: 336 South Lake Avenue (across from Macy’s) Pasadena, 626.792.3000, www.trattorianeapolis.com

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