Wine Situation Final Five (Now With Drunk Dialing!)

The Wine Situation hosts everyone from winemakers to writers to find out what a person’s situation is…with wine. It’s the solo season, as host Ellen Clifford is in quarantine, but listen in with a glass, and nobody is drinking alone! In lieu of guests, at the end of every action packed episode Ellen is phoning a friend with her Final Five questions. This week Ellen talks to sommelier Philippe André, an ambassador of Charles Heidsieck Champagne and board member of the United Sommeliers Foundation. Check out the full episode here : THE FINAL FIVE (Ever so slightly edited for length!): QUESTION ONE Ellen: Whatcha drinking these days? Philippe: Anything in large format. So magnums are my favorite. I love to find older big bottles, so magnums, Jereboams—not obviously the perfect time to be buying large format, but I know that when the time is right, we’ll be opening big bottles. I bought a bunch of magnums by André Mack, he makes a wine called XL , which is a Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley. Ellen: Oh I think I’ve had his other wines, he does the O.P.P., right? The Other People’s Pinot ? Philippe: He does, yeah; I love his wines, a very cool cat, down to earth. I love supporting folks who are doing things a little different. I bought like four cases of his magnums, and it’s been kind of our go to wines here at the house. I’ve also been drinking a lot of Riesling and Riesling-based wines. My buddy John House and his wife Sonya House who make Ovum , they do a white blend called Big Salt which is badass. And you know me, I’m a bubbles guy, there’s always a bottle of bubbles open. I definitely celebrate our winery, which is Charles Heidsieck but I love exploring and trying new things. QUESTION TWO Ellen: Question number two, do you have either a favorite pairing or unusual pairing you’ve enjoyed? Any kind of food, any kind of drink. Philippe: Some of my favorite go to pairings are Willamette Pinot Noir and roasted salmon. Those are classic pairings that bring me back to my time when I was in Willamette making wine and classic salmon bakes. Sushi and Burgundy , that’s something that we love to celebrate. Aged Meursault —angular and powerful Chardonnay can go with fish. And then Champagne and fried chicken. It’s something that is so obvious, but there’s a lot of people out there that have never had it. Get a fried chicken sandwich from Popeye’s delivered and open a bottle of Champagne. That is the pairing we all need in our lives on a regular base. And check out rosé Champagne with fried chicken. QUESTION THREE Ellen: Question number three is—since you are in Chicago—how do you feel about Chicago pizza, and do you have a favorite place to get it? Philippe: For me, there’s two phases—are we going to eat it at the restaurant or are we gonna have it delivered? So my recommendation if you are going to eat it at the place is Pequod’s. That’s in my opinion the best Chicago pizza ,but you gotta have it fresh. If you’re going to take delivery then Lou Malnati’s is by far the best. Those two are what encompass the joy and best of Chicago-style pizza. QUESTION FOUR Ellen: Next question—if you had to pick a desert island style of Champagne, whether it’s blanc de noir or blanc de blanc or vintage , what would you pick? Philippe: I like old stuff. Long lees aging—there is no replication for that so something that’s been on lees for at least 15 years, usually you’ll see that with vintage on it, so I’m going to say vintage anything with at least 15 years lees aging whether it’s blanc or rosé. I want that characteristic; I want the brioche; I want the croissant, and I want to feel this candied fruit component that you get after that age. And make sure there’s a cigar for that. QUESTION FIVE Ellen: Perfect. We’re down to the last question, it can be related to wine or not, and it’s just what’s bringing you joy these days? Philippe: I think what I’m loving is, I’m seeing people be more vocal about what they are trying to accomplish with their community, with their world, and I love it. I love people being them and being proud of who they are. It’s something I struggled with for a long time when I was a young somm and young in this industry; I didn’t know where I could go; I didn’t know who I could be. I didn’t see a lot of people like myself growing up in this business, but I had the support of my parents to keep pushing for things that I wanted in the space and in this industry. I think our wine industry is big enough for everyone, and l love seeing how diverse the community is and how different everybody is. The common thread is we all come to the table with great wine. Everyone deserves a place at the table. And those seats are going to create space for more seats. *** Look for Philippe André on Instagram and Twitter @niquesomm ! Check out the previous Wine Situation podcast with Theodora Lee here .