Kathleen Hall
Quick Facts: After ten years in NYC financial industry, attempted to turn her love for wine into a career by applying for an internship in the Balthazar wine department. Positions as Cellar Master at Balthazar and Wine Manager at Pastis and Morandi followed, as well as a turn as Sommelier at Morello Bistro in Greenwich. In 2009, moved from NYC to Fairfield County with her husband and son, and now teaches wine classes and consults on restaurant wine lists.
My current food cravings: I am addicted to the coffee at Espresso Neat in Darien, which happens to pair perfectly with dough*girl chocolate chip cookies. And I think that, legally speaking, I may be stalking Bill Taibe at Le Farm.
The only fast food I will eat with wine is: take-out sushi & German Riesling
If I could be any Wine Writer, I would be: Jancis Robinson. Master of Wine, Financial Times columnist and advisor for Queen Elizabeth II’s wine cellar.
My favorite restaurant with a great wine list in Fairfield County is: The Boathouse at Saugatuck (Westport), Harvest Supper (New Canaan), Pasta Nostra (Norwalk), Le Farm (Westport)
My favorite restaurant with a great wine list in the Tri-State area is: Balthazar (NYC), The Moderne Barn (Armonk), The Mill at 2T (Tariffville, CT)
Restaurant food and wine pairing I wish I could make at home: Foie gras with Château d’Yquem Sauternes
My go-to dinner party wine is: Champagne -- it makes any occasion a party.
When I’m not drinking wine, I’m…. saving the world from bad wine, one glass at a time.
Prepared food I have let people think was homemade: Chicken Francese from Villa Italia in Stamford. The ladies at my mother’s bridal shower were pretty fuzzy from the homemade white Sangria, so it wasn’t that difficult to pull off.
I’d rather pick: grapes!
The last book I enjoyed was: Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition by Daniel Okrent
My favorite movie of all time is: Singing in the Rain
My favorite wine-related movie of all time is: Sideways. And I do drink Merlot.