A Somm’s Tale Sommelier Scott Patrick Cowan
Scott Cowan has been a certified sommelier (CMS, ISG, etc.) for a decade and has been a dyed-in-the- wool hospitality consultant, floor presence, colum- nist, teacher, and manager for nearing two decades, holding the title of best sommelier of Atlantic Canada (ASI) between 2021 and 2023. His passions are grounded in guest experience, re- search and development, travel, food and beverage harmony, and collaboration. On a day to day, Scott finds inspiration from customized client experiences and regionality as a centre point. He leads a foraging rooted beverage program and evolving wine cellar for the Fogo Island Inn. In his home life, he values family, friends, chipping away at a manuscript, blind wine tasting, and celebrating the outdoors.
Biscotti Wine Pairing Trial
I have been lost in Tuscany with Chef Alexandria. She is like a bloodhound for historical, perfectly executed Italian cuisine. She can find the Italian Nonna that has the indent in her knuckle to create perfect seashell pasta, called Conchiglie. We are in Florence. Chef weaves through a crowd of miscreant arts students. Soon I am enjoying silky gel- ato near the Fountain of Neptune. She is dispassionately speaking on Florentine cuisine. She may as well have a glass of hemlock in her hand instead of a condensating gelato. There is a strong feeling of being in the presence of Socrates, but it is Chef Alexandria, and the topic is Biscotti. They dunk their biscotti into petit tulips of Vin Santo (literally: Holy wine.) These grapes are loved. Doted upon. Restong on straw mats for many months. I couldn’t find biscotti and Vin Santo together until we were back on Island and Chef Alexandria wrote and said she had a bottle and some of the real stuff--biscotti.
In downtown St. John’s many months later, we are near the sounds of jackhammers, construction, and still the biscotti and Vin Santo drifted past the dust and the rubble. It is ethereal. Really, really good. I am a believer. Drink it in. It’s intoxicating. This is a different thing, though. Green alder tastes of pepper and grey alder tastes of bergamot. They both always remind the Nonna of wine grapes, Muscat, but that isn’t to say we can’t sneak one past Nonna. I like it with Txakolina from the Basque Country in Spain made into a sweet, luscious, bizarre ex- periment. This particular wine by Itsamendi is enrobed with hints of toasty, rough chopped vanilla, and overripe pear with a drizzling of soft mountain honey. The grapes are kept on the vine until near death. I want this biscotti with Apple Ice Cider from Quebec by Verger Hemingford. It is lithe with acidity but still soft, comforting,
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