Sunday, January 27, 2008
Food, "Behind the Bar"

The graduate

Local wine expert achieves Master Sommelier status

By Hope S. Philbrick

George Miliotes is one of only 142 people throughout the world to hold a Master Sommelier diploma, which is considered the wine and spirits industry’s ultimate professional credential. The 10-year certification process includes three levels and a series of classes with rigorous exams. The Sunday Paper talked to Miliotes about his accomplishment and his role as director of beverage and hospitality at Seasons 52.

Q Congratulations on achieving Master Sommelier. What does it mean for you and Seasons 52?
A Thank you. It’s about the journey more than the destination. I’ve met so many cool people throughout the program and learned so much. There’s just an immense amount of satisfaction. I’m very proud to have passed.

    At Seasons 52, I have an opportunity to teach our 80 different team members. In fact, soon I’ll be doing an introductory level sommelier class in Orlando. What’s cool about doing that class is that anybody in the wine world and anyone who’s moderately interested in wine can come, listen, taste and learn. We do a class every single year for all of our team members so they can learn about wine. It elevates our wine service, and it shows our team members our commitment to our wine program and also to them—it gives a chance for everyone to get together, which we are committed to even as we grow as a company.

The menu at Seasons 52 is focused on healthy cuisine. Where does wine fit into the philosophy?
First, wine is most certainly a beverage of moderation. Having a glass or two of wine, I like to think, is a good thing. When you look at the range of beverages as a whole out there, lots of doctors will tell you that one or two glasses—not five—are good for you. With our chefs’ food, most saturated fats are out: There’s no frying, no butter. I don’t see that as an impediment. In fact, I think it allows the wine to show even better and the food not to be so palate-coating. There is a lot of garlic; and wine loves garlic, and garlic loves wine. There are bold spicy flavors. And so we have an opportunity to pour a large range of wines to pair with our cuisine. We serve filet, rack of lamb, seafood—not in big, heavy sauces, but classic pairings still work. With seafood, I can pair a lot of crisp, clean white wines. Just because we don’t drown a filet in butter doesn’t mean it doesn’t go beautifully with a big red wine.

What’s new on your wine list and cocktail menu?
On our new wine list, we have more small-grower champagnes, as opposed to the big houses everyone’s done. These places represent only two to three percent of the output of champagne. By-the-glass sales include a wider range of alternate varietals. I think people are always looking for different flavors and different tastes. Riesling continues to stay hot as a category.

    In the next two weeks, I’m going into development on a cocktail menu. I’m looking at really shaking up our cocktail list and rework it. Certainly if someone wants a cosmopolitan or a dirty martini, it’s available. But there’s a whole bunch of juices out there we’re going to start exploring. Drinks may not necessarily be vodka-based—though I love vodka, but use some gins, whiskeys, tequila, rum. All kinds of fun things can be done. A drink may still be served in a martini glass, but may not technically be a martini.

What do you most enjoy about your job?
I enjoy the diversity of wine I get to try, but absolutely positively I most enjoy teaching and the people that I work with. The servers and managers who work with us are bright kids. And they’re willing to take two days off to come and learn about wine because they really want to learn. SP