Somm Journey

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IMG_0173 (1)Sommelier Paige Farrell didn’t mean to get into wine, but once the language buff found her way to the beverage side of restaurants, she was hooked. Since then, she’s worked in prestigious wine programs across Boston (including her current post at Fat Hen), guiding guests on their own wine journeys. For Farrell, wine is all about the connections – between the kitchen and the dining room, the guest and the terroir, the winemaker and the bottle – with Boston’s tight-knit beverage community offering even more opportunity for forging relationships. “We’re so fortunate here, where so many of us have ‘grown up together,’ and continue to work together and support one another,” she says. Read on for a look at the life of a somm and some spring-y suggestions for sipping at home.

How did you first get involved in the wine world?

I have always been drawn to language, the poetics of communicating and writing. I have a French degree, and hot off the press from graduation I thought, ‘Wouldn’t that be neat, to work at night and write and think during the day?’ Restaurants seemed a good solution. I moved to Chicago and was hired as a captain at a quite high profile Relais & Chateaux restaurant, Tru, which was at the height of its success. I had no idea, really, what I was getting into, but I became immediately captivated by the seriousness and discipline of not only the FOH and BOH teams, but of the business itself. The wine director, Scott Tyree, was the consummate sommelier and I would have found him intimidating – I did at first – if he wasn’t so warm and funny alongside the stature and stately way he carried himself. The pomp, sweep and poise appealed to me. And the extreme discipline required to be successful.

What has your wine journey been up to Fat Hen? Any turning points?

Every beginning and leave taking in the restaurants I’ve worked in has been a turning point. After Tru, I worked at L’Espalier. Erik Johnson, then wine director, was so much fun to learn from—he took a true non-academic approach that was refreshing. From there I opened Menton and, under Cat Silirie’s guidance, I really found my voice, and a quiet confidence that I could work with wine using my own voice and my love of language, creatively and uniquely. I opened Asta as the wine director and sommelier and that was a magical experience as the focus was heavy on wine pairings, with three different tasting menus. I did work at Bar Boulud in an interim capacity, and that wine list was over the top! It was a bit nerve wracking working with so many exclusive and expensive wines, but at the end of the day, it’s wine, there’s a story, and the aim is to find a comfort in the process of interacting with the myriad of personalities — such is the life of a sommelier.

What’s the overall mission of the Fat Hen list?

The mission is to embrace Italy – beauty and truth of place; the hands, heart and hard work of making wine – and the quest to create a moment’s pause of connection for the guest, be it with a great pairing with a dish, or a happy synonym wine for a guest who ‘only drinks Chardonnay.’ Chef Michael Bergin has been a part of the wine selecting process from the beginning, which I absolutely love. He gives me complete rein on selecting wines and curating the list, but it’s every part a collaborative process in that we talk a lot about wine, the people, and taste together often. I’m on the floor but I’m always thinking about the conversations we’ve had, and the experience of discovery, and sharing that energy with our guests.

IMG_1700How do the beverage list and the food menu interact?

It’s about the heart connect for me, a genuine delving into the language of connecting, or creating a conduit of what’s happening in the kitchen with what I have represented on my list. It’s the passion for helping create an experience that takes you to the region of Sicily, say and why the octopus dish has it’s roots in Sicily, and how Chef’s family’s roots are Sicilian, and this delightful wine from a humble family in Southeast Sicily, made from the grape Albanello— all to bring you to the island with a bit of time travel.

What’s important for you to know about a guest when recommending a wine?

Most important to me is a guest’s happiness and comfort. As I have an almost all Italian list, it’s pretty typical for the first question to be ‘I am not familiar with anything on your list….help!’ It is pure joy for me to spark an appreciation for something that wasn’t before on someone’s radar. Demistifying wine and stripping away all the pretense that is sometimes associated with it. I’ve been working with and selling, sharing wine for a long time, and yet I am the first to admit that I will never know it all, and that’s the beauty. It’s a never ending quest, constant discovery, and to that end, it’s quite humbling.

What are some tips for those who want to pair wines for dinner parties at home?

First and foremost, have fun. Champagne is always a great way to start (and finish!), and if budget conscious, try a playful sparkling from Limoux in southwest France, or venture Friuli-Venezia Giulia in northwest Italy. As we’re heading into spring, I immediately gravitate toward Rosé and Gruner Veltliner. The mixed melody of grapes in the plethora of Rosé available all over the world makes for a delicious versatility with all walks of cuisine. Plus, it’s pretty, and there are the myriad hues of almost transparent pale, barely there pink, to rich, lush, plush almost. The Gruner Veltliner grape calls Austria home, although I have a beauty from Italy’s Trentino-Alto Adige region. As if to waken the senses from the slumber of winter, the greens of spring, with their bitter nuance, play super well with the somewhat vegetal, racy quality inherent to GV. I appreciate good wine, a good story, and a heart connect, and I’ll always head to the Old World first.

Book a table at Fat Hen to experience Farrell’s wine list for yourself.

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