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Aldo Sohm is one of the most accomplished sommeliers in the world. The 54-year-old Austrian runs an oenophile’s empire on New York City’s West 51st Street, where he both serves as wine director at Michelin three-star Le Bernardin and leads his namesake wine bar just kitty-corner from the fine-dining institution. (He spends his days quite literally running back and forth between the two.) So it may come as a surprise that this man, who sips some of the world’s most prized varietals day in and day out, readily admits to the joys of a glass of Whispering Angel rosé, which retails at Target for just $22.99 a bottle.
The context here is important, and the aptly named Sohm is quick to clarify that he’s not about to start serving Whispering Angel as one of the pairings with chef Eric Ripert’s $530 eight-course tasting menu. But during a trip to the Caribbean for the Cayman Cookout food festival, Sohm’s wife requested a glass of rosé on the beach. When he went to fetch it, she specified that she wanted a cheap rosé, not the fancy stuff that he likely would have grabbed.
“I felt kind of gobsmacked, right?” Sohm says as we’re sitting in the tasting room at Aldo Sohm Wine Bar. “Now, rather than just criticizing, I have to admit: I got out of the water, and I tried Whispering Angel, too. It was delicious.”
Aldo Sohm Wine Bar, which stands across the street from Le Bernardin in midtown Manhattan.
Francesco Tonelli
Unlikely as it may be, this humility is perhaps the key to Sohm’s success. His lack of self-seriousness makes him an anomaly in the oftentimes highfalutin world of fine wine. Rather than shaming you for your preferences, Sohm will indulge your desires. Maybe, as in the case of his wife, you’re going to be right. More likely than not, you’re going to be wrong. He won’t simply tell you that, though; he’ll use his encyclopedic…
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