Interview with New York Rising Star Sommelier Matthew Conway of Marc Forgione

Mary Choi: How did you first get into the industry?
Matthew Conway: After I graduated from the American Sommelier Association, I was hired to work for Gray Kunz at Café Gray when I was 22 years old. I was there for about 4 years and I worked my way up to the beverage director position.

MC: Who would you say your most influential mentor has been?
MC: Richard Hollocou. I worked under him at Café Gray during such a formative time in my life.

MC: What wine region are you most excited about?
MC: Obviously the Loire Valley has been rising in popularity tremendously over that last few years. I’m very happy for the farmers there to get their respect among the greats in France and the world. I’ve been a big fan for years, so the excitement isn’t new. However, in this craze of Loire love I’ve found a deep love for the Saumur vineyard Brézé. I once thought it could only be had via the incredible and expensive Clos Rougeard. With more access to Guiberteau in the U.S., in the past 2 years, I’ve become extremely excited about this magical vineyard and its production of world class Grand Cru quality wine.

MC: How would you describe your pairing philosophy?
MC: My philosophy is to try and bring an element to the food that enhances the flavors and refreshes the palate. We usually rely on contrasting profiles to counter the theme of the dish we’re working with. High acid wines with rich food and round wines with tart dishes, for instance. Most importantly, we always taste the dish with several different beverages before determining a pairing. We think outside the conventional boxes and think in terms of texture, temperature, and weight while tasting the dish. We often throw in a wild card because it’s just important to understand why things don’t work well together to truly understand why things do make a good match. Once all that is considered, we use our experience to decide the best pairing.

MC: What is the biggest challenge you face as a sommelier?
MC: Honestly, I think the biggest challenge is trying to think and relate to the vast majority of people who don’t know anything about wine, except that they like to drink it. To be relevant to the bulk of my customers who pay the bills, including my paycheck! It’s very easy to put together a program that my peers and industry folk appreciate and respect. It’s much more challenging to appeal to them AND the 20 somethings with a $50 budget and the guy next to her trying to impress a group on an expense account that allows him $80 per bottle. Do we care as much about selecting our New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and Malbec listing as we do our red Burgundy page? That’s a difficult challenge!