Bitten by the Grape

“My
passion for wine started in my 2Os,” says Mantra
Restaurant’s Sommelier David Singer, who is barely in his
3Os today. While working as a server in Toronto and
attending college, he always wanted more information about
the wine he was serving. Singer says that his five questions
led to 2O and so on. He was effectively “bitten by the
grape” as he likes to say, and finally decided to “do what I
love.” He switched from a focus on political science and
psychology at Trent and York Universities and enrolled in
the sommelier program at George Brown College, a hospitality
school in Canada. He graduated in 1997 with honors and has
not wasted any time in the seven years since.

After graduating, Singer
somewhat boldly and optimistically sent out his resume to
everyone on the Wine Spectator’s annual Grand Awards list in
the US and was lucky enough to land at Felidia, in
Manhattan, as the Assistant Sommelier. He was taken in hand
there by wine director Dan Perlman, who became his mentor.
“He gave me my first job,” says Singer. “He was generous
with his time.” This is key, according to Singer, who
stresses that mentors are an invaluable resource to learning
the trade commenting, “Everything is not in a
book.”

From Felidia, Singer went
to Veritas, and then on to famed Le Cirque 2OOO, where he
again was Assistant Sommelier. He also worked with Chef
Laurent Gras of Peacock Alley at The Waldorf Astoria Hotel,
where he served as Sommelier d’Hotel. Somewhat fittingly,
the first three restaurants Singer worked at all won Grand
Awards from Wine Spectator during Singer’s tenure, and The
New York Press named him “Best Sommelier in Manhattan” in
2OOO.

Having achieved success and
acclaim in Manhattan, Singer accepted an offer to move to
New Orleans in 2OO1 to oversee the wine program at the
Windsor Court Hotel. That same year, he earned an Advanced
Sommelier degree from the Court of Master Sommeliers. Singer
then followed his heart to Boston, where his fiancee was
living in 2OO2. He landed at The Federalist in the XV Beacon
Hotel, and for 18 months worked as the floor sommelier. But,
eventually Singer wanted the chance to run his own program.
He moved to Mantra in May 2OO4, where he is the currently
the wine director, as well as assistant general manager. The
2OO-plus seat restaurant located on Temple Place in Boston’s
Ladder District offers an upscale menu and more than 3OO
labels on the wine list.

EMPHASIZING
EDUCATION Education
is a part of the job that Singers relishes. “I love the
teaching element, being face-to-face, whether to a customer
or servers,” says Singer, who has put together a written
program in wine education for Mantra’s approximately 4O
front-of-the-house staff, which meets once a week. For
example, in one session Singer gave to the staff, he handed
out a seven-page packet called France and Its Regions, An
Introduction part Deux (Burgundy and Alsace). The basic
overview has a map of the wine regions of France and details
different aspects regulations, what grapes are in what
regions, classifications, and so on, with a focus on
Burgundy and Alsace. It is a good grounding in what anyone
serving wine should know. Beyond merely describing flavors,
Singer is making sure that his staff knows why different
grapes taste the way they do and where exactly they come
from. “It wine is an integral part of restaurant,” Singer
says, adding that not teaching servers about wine is “like
not training the staff on food.” He comments, “I love
teaching. It’s the joy of the job.” At almost every position
he’s held, Singer has stressed wine education to the staff,
often planning and implementing the programs himself. His
expertise is not limited to just wine, however. He recently
spent a class discussing beer where he went over the beer
making process, ingredients and varying styles with the
staff. When selecting Mantra’s beer list David made his
decisions with the restaurant’s menu in mind and went with
brews that had depth and acidity. For example, he chose the
Trappist Chimay Rouge for its great spice notes and Paulaner
Hefeweizen that, with its high yeast content, is well suited
to fish dishes. Beer is increasingly being paired with all
kinds of cuisine, particularly spicier dishes, and there is
a pronounced emphasis on beer education taking place in
restaurants.

“I want them to be
interested and have a passion,” says Singer of the staff. In
no way is his attitude condescending, though. “Pompousness
has no place. The more you know, the more you don’t know,”
he says. He describes wine as just another element of a
meal. “Wine should be in the glass.” He likes to tell
people, “Remember, wine is a condiment.” This unaffected
attitude is something he brings to the floor with him as he
makes his rounds among diners. “If I see someone poring over
a list, I’ll approach them,” says Singer, but he gives
people space and time without pressure. He’ll ask what
ballpark price range the customer would like to stay in and
go from there. He takes time to go over the wine list. He
finds out what wines customers like and what they usually go
for. He will spend several minutes tableside discussing
options, if that’s what a client wants, or he’ll give a few
suggestions and move on.

NEW
CHALLENGES The
French/Indian influenced menu at Mantra has proven to be a
new experience for Singer, where he points out: “Intense
California-style wine does not work.” Singer explains, “In a
nutshell, heavily oaked wines will do one of two things –
overwhelm or clash – with the subtle flavors the chef is
working with.” He has been tweaking the list to complement
the food. “It’s challenging in a good way. It’s certainly
fun,” says Singer who has been focusing on Syrahs and Pinot
Noirs to “bring out the Indian flavor” of the food.
Eventually, Singer is planning on a series of wine pairing
dinners, as many area restaurants do, but he is waiting for
the next menu change (which happens seasonally) to design
the program.

Pairing food and wine is
one of the aspects of his job that Singer enjoys most
(inventory is his least). He likes to try new dishes as they
are created by the chef, saying that he’ll, “pop a couple
corks” and experiment. Singer believes there’s “a magic
between great wine and food pairing.” At staff menu
tastings, he will encourage the servers to see what works
with the food. He urges them to “tell me why” in an effort
to get them thinking about the combinations of
flavors.

At Mantra this fall, Singer
designed his own twist on the popular wine flight program
that many restaurants offer. Select wines are available by
the half-bottle, whether or not they come in a half-bottle.
Singer explains: “I love half-bottles. And there’s just not
that many.” Having ordered special decanters to accommodate
his new program, Singer says, “It allows you to be more
flexible. More wine pairing is possible.” Mantra is offering
15 half-bottles, along with its 23 choices of wine by the
glass.

INVOLVED
in the INDUSTRY
Outside of the restaurant setting, Singer has educated the
public in various ways, having written occasionally for
publications such as the Harbus, a Harvard Business School
publication, Italian Cooking and Living, and Sante magazine.
“I’d like to write more,” says Singer, who has also spoken
at various charity events and classes, but his focus right
now is Mantra and studying for the final part of the Master
Sommelier (MS) program.

Singer took a moment to
explain why he is pursing the MS degree rather than the
Masters of Wine (MW) program. Most people in the field
choose one or the other depending on their careers. Only two
people in the United States hold both degrees. Besides the
time involved, the programs are very different. “The Masters
of Wine is an exceptional program,” says Singer. “It differs
from the MS. The MS has a restaurant slant – the MW doesn’t
have any of that.” If your focus is on working with people
in a restaurant setting, as Singers does, the MS makes more
sense.

A broader food and beverage
education is part and parcel of the Masters of Sommelier
program. For example, knowledge of spirits, beers and cigars
are required in addition to wine. The knowledge that Singer
has gained he has put to use in training his staff. In the
end, everyone from a server to a customer gets some benefit
from a sommelier’s extensive training. Occasionally, Singer
will put together a blind tasting for some local wine
professionals, including some who are studying for the MS
course. This is a loose group as there is no formal
organization in Boston for wine pros. At one point there was
a Boston Sommelier Society, but it has been defunct for some
time, although Singer has heard of attempts to bring it
back. “I wish there would be a more solid group,” remarks
Singer. He says that he would love to see more people going
for advanced degrees and certainly a group of like-minded
people would be helpful to each other.

When asked if he has any
tips for would-be sommeliers or other wine enthusiasts,
Singer says: “Drink. Drink a lot, But drink constructively.
Try and find a mentor. Get to as many tastings as possible.
Get involved.” That said, Singer does offer a good starting
point for novices. “A great introduction to wine is Wine for
Dummies, co-written by a Master of Wine,” says Singer. “It’s
easy, very informative, with lots of humor.”

on a
PERSONAL NOTE So
what does the sommelier himself like to drink? At home,
Singer has on hand mixed cases of wines from around the
world. Some examples of this are 1982 Calon-Segur, 199O
Ceretto Prapo Barolo, a lot of Red Burgundies and some
William Selyems Pinot Noir from different vineyards. If he’s
invited to a dinner party, he’ll usually bring Champagne.
“Who doesn’t like Champagne?” he asks. “For special
occasions, I also like giving Canadian Ice Wine to wish them
another sweet year.” As for favorite wine lists in town?
“The Fed. The depth and breadth on the list is wonderful.”
Singer also likes Troquet, on Boylston Street in Boston’s
Theater District, where the list gives the temperature the
wine is served at, which he thinks is fun. He also admires
the wine flight program there.

That the customer is always
right is a motto Singer takes to heart. While complaining
about difficult customers is a universal theme in the food
industry, Singer doesn’t play that game. “It’s never about
you,” he says. “It’s never personal. It’s a hard lesson to
learn.” He describes his job very simply: “It’s about taking
care of people. It’s about fun.”