Ezra chooses to start off with aperitif snacks, including such traditional ones as foie gras, to which he adds mostarda di frutta – an Italian condiment consisting of fruit flavoured with syrup, essential oil of mustard, and marinated shallots. With regard to wine, he recommends a Sauternes for a voluptuous and time-tested pairing.
Ezra very much likes roast turkey stuffed with cranberry sauce. In order to complement this dish, without overshadowing it, he suggests a Crémant de Bordeaux. Above and beyond the unquestionably festive aspect of sparkling wine, Crémant’s beautiful acidity and freshness compensate for the dish’s relative richness.
Having spent some 20 years in the restaurant business, Ezra is quite fond of this sector that helped him to discover wine. After working in the kitchen, then as a waiter, he now divides his time between jobs as a professor at the Northwest Wine Academy and managing a wine bar in Seattle.
Whenever he drinks a glass of wine, he thinks about the history, geology, and climate it reflects, as well as the work involved in making it and the best food with which to serve it. It was only logical that his fascination with the rich and varied world of wine should lead him to become a tutor at the Bordeaux Wine School.