Somebody People

This is the format experiment — Chefs vs. Sommeliers. The chef is Paul Reilly from Coperta. The somm is Ben Stewart, key account specialist for Juliana Wine Company. The dish is Justin Freeman's vegan pot pie — "the best vegan pot pie," per me. Two professionals from different sides of the bar, three blind wines, one dish.

The wines

Wine one was a Chardonnay-leaning white. Soft on the nose — Marzipan-honeyed, melon, a hint of stony minerality. Hay-yellow color with a green fleck. Both Paul and Ben worked toward Chardonnay, with Ben wavering on whether to call it California or Burgundy. Final answer: Chardonnay, California, $28. Paul went Vermentino from Sardinia, $18. Reveal: Loredan Gasparini Chardonnay from Sardinia — Italian. Both partly right.

Wine two had gold in the glass and possibly a little sediment. Stone fruit, white peach, citrus. Albariño-like to Ben. The acid ran lower than Albariño usually does, so he hedged. Paul tasted carefully. The wine was from a producer they both knew but didn't immediately recognize blind.

Wine three was a red — dark, brooding, the curveball red on a vegan-pot-pie episode. The taste profile suggested a lighter European red, possibly a Dolcetto or a young Nebbiolo, possibly something more idiosyncratic.

The pairing

Unanimous: wine two — the Greco. "All three of the wines are excellent," Paul said, "but the Greco does it." Ben agreed: "The Greco is still the winner. The acidity matches the dish." The pot pie's subtle herbal-and-earth profile pairs with the Greco's stony minerality in a way the Chardonnay couldn't compete with.

The red was a dark horse — both tasters noted it was a better wine on its own than with the dish. "The red feels lighter on the palate with this pairing than I would have expected," Paul said. "I still like it as a pairing, but both whites I think are better. The Greco is still the best."

The Chefs-vs-Sommeliers experiment didn't really produce a winner. Both pros agreed on the same wine. Maybe the format is wrong; maybe the format works because the answer becomes clear faster when the pros are aligned.

The vegan pot pie, by the way, is described by Paul as the kind of dish he'd eat every single day. Justin Freeman, who made it, is too modest to take the credit on camera.