Hello
It’s that time of the week again. Perhaps, even, my favorite time of the week. It’s newsletter day. Also, Friday, I guess. If you’re into that sort of thing.
I don’t know about you, but this week seemed a bit surreal. It could be the constant sensation of literally melting (big shout out to the heat dome), or maybe I’ve finally just lost my mind. The safe bet is an even mix of the two.
For anyone concerned, Somba and I finally received our holy grail on Wednesday: The air conditioner is IN, baby. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I believe there’s an interview you might enjoy.
The Q&A
Kristin Francesco is a certified sommelier and the wine director for Andros Taverna, a contemporary Greek restaurant in Logan Square. The restaurant opened in February of 2021 and quickly became the Chicago food media’s center of attention. It’s still considered one of the hottest spots in town.
The food is well-reviewed consistently, but the wine list is what drew my eyes. Kristin was asked by chef and owner Doug Psaltis to build the extensive menu of mostly Greek bottles in her vision while the restaurant, a partnership between Psaltis’ company and Ballyhoo Hospitality, was preparing to open.
We sat outside on a muggy Sunday at noon, sweating (at least I was), surrounded by the brunch rush and sharing an incredibly good bottle of wine.
The bottle: Santorini Familia 2020 from Hatzidakis Winery. More on this below.
Kristin was, unfortunately, unable to fully enjoy this Greek white as she had to fill in for a coworker after our chat. For her, it was more of a wine tasting. I, however, was lucky enough to have no commitments, so I fully enjoyed the wine and our conversation.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
SN: Kristin, who are you, and what do you do?
KF: I’m the wine director for Andros Taverna currently, but I’ve been in the hospitality industry for a while. Before entering the industry, I worked as a behavior analyst for children with autism and other special needs. All through high school, college and graduate school, though, I was working in restaurants.
SN: And what are we drinking today?
KF: We are drinking Hatzidakis Familia, from the island of Santorini, 2020. It’s 100% Assyrtiko, fermented and aged in stainless steel for about five months. This producer is known for a lot of lees aging but this has none of it. It’s just a clear, bright, crisp expression of Assyrtiko and that’s why I love it so much.
For anyone who hasn’t had Assyrtiko wines, I think this is a perfect example of that expression. Recently a lot of wine collectors have been coming in excited to explore the list, and this is one of the first things I give them.
SN: It’s extremely good — shocker. How did you make the jump from certified behavior analyst to certified sommelier? Quite a leap!
KF: Totally. Almost all of the women in my family are teachers, so I grew up with an 'education first' mentality. My mom is a huge role model and one of my best friends, so I said, 'I want to become a teacher,' and I specifically wanted to work with kids with special needs — which I did.
I got my undergraduate degree in special education, but I started realizing it was turning into more and more paperwork instead of working with the kids. I had a course on behavioral intervention that I loved, so I went straight to graduate school at the Chicago School of Psychology to study the subject. During that, I worked at a craft beer bar.
Long story short, I worked in behavior analysis for about four years, loved the kids, still love the kids, but there were a lot of variables and issues out of my control. It was turning into a battle, so I took a serving position with City Mouse (ed. note — now closed) at the Ace Hotel and fell back in love with hospitality.
The whole time I was in school and working as a behavior analyst, my husband and I were super into beer and eventually, he started moving toward bourbon and I moved toward wine. Our wine list and wine service were really interesting to me, so the beverage director there helped me learn, I started helping servers sell wine and then I was like, 'Wait, I think I want to become a sommelier.'
I went to work at RPM Steak as a cellar assistant and that’s pretty much how everything took off.
SN: Got it. So, is everything on the list, which is extensive, Greek?
KF: Not everything, but it is, I would guess, probably 93% Greek? There are two pages dedicated to Mediterranean whites and reds, but Greek wines are the focus. All of our wines by the glass are Greek, and I’d like to keep it that way if I can.
I was actually planning on expanding the Mediterranean pages, but everyone’s been so excited about the Greek wines that I’ve just continued adding to the Greek pages. Some people kind of say, 'No, we’re at a Greek restaurant, I want Greek wines.'
SN: Makes sense to me. How do you decide what goes on the wine list?
KF: The region something is from and its story and history are the most interesting things to me when it comes to wine. So, the first thing I thought of was we have to make this regional. I wanted to dive into Greece and show people where the wine is coming from. Just like France, Italy and the U.S., there are differences based on climate, elevation, region, sub-region, etc. in Greek wine. We wanted to show that.
It kind of trickles down. We start with the region, then focus on the grapes, decide which grapes we want on the list and then we look to the producers.
I basically just dive into producers and their histories and go from there. I’m huge on supporting small producers who are organic and biodynamic, but my big thing is that it has to be a clean wine. I don’t want it to be flawed. I’m all for low sulfur, no fining or filtering, organic and biodynamic wine, but I just want it to be clean.
SN: Wait - when you say clean, what do you mean? Like no haziness or sediment?
KF: Haziness and sediment don’t bother me. Sediment can be decanted off, and haziness is fine too. But the wine’s taste has to be clean. Like, a little bit of volatile acidity is okay and natural in some grapes, but too much VA is a flaw and the wine can end up smelling like acetone, or nail polish remover.
SN: Cool, thank you. Sorry for the interruption, please continue!
KF: So, I had a preview of Doug’s menu to consider pairings, which was really important to me. Mediterranean wine is complex and interesting on its own, but also, it’s all about being able to pair them with food that’s grown and made in the area.
Then I have to taste everything and figure out what the wholesale price means for our menu price. That’s pretty much the final step since it has to make sense in terms of price and whether I can sell the wines at the price I need to.
SN: Right. When it comes to Greek wine, I feel like it’s been a bit overlooked by most folks, at least in the United States. For anyone interested, how did you go about educating yourself, and how should others?
KF: Overlooked is a perfect phrase. So, Wine Folly is great for any wine research for anyone. They do an excellent job with their visuals and with 'wine 101' level language, so it’s easy to understand but still engaging.
I’m also a member of GuildSomm and that’s, like, the best resource ever. There are forums, quizzes, study guides, maps — everything.
But, I ended up buying this book, 'The Wines of Greece' by Konstantinos Lazarakis and that has been my bible. It goes by region, then appellations, and breaks them down by climate, grapes, etc. and highlights growers and their farming practices.
Beyond that, it’s all about tasting. The most important thing for me was tasting.
SN: Speaking of tasting, how would you describe what we’re drinking now, Hatzidakis’ Santorini Familia, to the layperson?
KF: Well, for someone who doesn’t know much about a wine, I’ll usually start by explaining the grape, which is Assyrtiko, in this case. It’s a high-acid, mineral-driven wine with lime zest, lemon zest and a subtle salinity from the sea breeze — the salt mixes in with the soil.
SN: Nice. My description? It’s really good. What would be your food pairing for the ‘height of luxury’? Think, fancy, gourmet dining.
KF: We’ve been having langoustines on special and I would absolutely pair this with those. It’s also safe to say that Assyrtiko and fish go hand in hand, generally.
SN: And how about a ‘for the masses’ pairing? Think a Tuesday takeout night, or your favorite junk foods.
KF: Hmm… my husband is a bit of a health nut, so we don’t have a ton of junk food in our house.
For some reason, I have gummy bears on my mind. I’d pair this with an entire bag of gummy bears, but only the white, pineapple-flavored ones.
SN: What’s the ideal ‘situational pairing’ for this bottle? Where are you and what’s going on?
KF: Ideally, I would be on the island of Santorini, overlooking the Mediterranean. With most wines, I think, it’s ideal to have it where it’s grown and made so you can get a true sense of place.
A little more attainable choice would be just on a patio or the beach. Put the bottle in a bag of ice, sit by Lake Michigan on a nice, sunny day? Great.
SN: Anything you want to promote right now?
KF: I think our tsipouro and ouzo program is very cool. It’s something that’s very much a part of Greek culture and you don’t see it in the US very often. They’re both aperitifs: Tsipouro is a Greek brandy and then ouzo is infused with anise and a lot of other spices — everyone has their own recipe. They’re both traditionally consumed over two ice cubes at the start of a meal.
So we give you a water pitcher, an ice bowl, your spirit and your glasses, and we let you know how it’s traditionally consumed, but urge you to play around with it and taste the differences!
SN: Nice. Ouzo is dangerous stuff. What do you do for fun?
KF: On Sundays, my friends who are sommeliers, or just in the industry, and I usually have the day off so we get together and just open a bunch of wine. Sometimes we’ll pick a theme depending on a food pairing or a region. So we kick back and relax. It’s really fun, but it’s also a learning experience.
For non-wine-related fun, my husband and I love to hike. I like cooking too. I also love to just sit on my couch and chill.
SN: What have you been watching?
KF: 'Friends' is always a go-to of mine, just to throw on while I’m cooking or doing laundry or whatever. I need a new show though. We tried 'Mr. Robot' and it was just too depressing.
SN: What have you been reading?
KF: Mostly the book I mentioned earlier, 'The Wines of Greece.' It’s not a massive book, but I’m always turning back to a different region and learning something new.
SN: What have you been listening to?
KF: We hopped on the Peloton train during the pandemic, and if you like songs while you’re on the bike, they’re added to your Spotify. Typically that’s what I’ll listen to on my ride to work.
Beyond that, Childish Gambino is an artist I always return to.
SN: Favorite Chicago bar?
KF: Oh that’s so hard. I have to go with Local Option.
SN: What’s your guilty pleasure?
KF: Ice cream. Ice cream, for sure.
SN: Where can folks keep up with what you’re doing?
KF: They can follow me on my personal Instagram, but I also have an account called Sippin’ with Kristin which I haven’t been able to update lately. It’s an educational wine page and website, and all of the educational posts are still up if anyone is interested.
SN: Awesome, thanks for your time, Kristin!
The afters
Thanks for reading, folks. Kristin is awesome, and she knows her stuff. You can follow Andros Taverna on Instagram and Facebook. I didn’t get the chance to order it, but the octopus looks WILD.
Anyway, looks like it’s all done and dusted for this week’s BTB. I hope you loved it, and maybe even learned something! Let’s play ourselves out and into the weekend with some recommendations from yours truly.
Here are a few recommendations for this weekend and beyond. If a bottle isn’t available for shipping, see if your local shop has it. If they don’t, ask about getting it in stock! Of course, store owners rely heavily on their own tastes, but they’re interested in knowing what you want to see on the shelves as well.
A note: As with buying anything online, read the shipping fine print before you pay. Some sites may not ship to certain areas, or shipping may be unreasonably expensive.
Clos Centeilles Minervois la Livinière 2014
Alright, finally one for the folks who like a red to be a little 'bigger' than those light, chuggables I’m always going on about. Full disclosure, this French bottle is one from the archive, as it’s one of the early bottles that Melissa sold to me at BottlesUp!. I brought and drank it on a solo (with Somba) trip to Door County, Wisconsin during a break from school. Back then it was still pretty chilly outside, and we’d just finished a day full of hiking. It was incredible: A full-bodied, earthy, bold, tannic red that I paired with a selection of cheeses and an entire baguette because all of the restaurants in our tiny host town were closed and I didn't want to cook. My recommendation, however, would be some sort of roasted meat, maybe a game bird, like pheasant or quail. Buy it right from the source here, and of course, locally.
As you can see from the photo, this sparkling bottle was opened at a recent gathering of friends, and brought by my BU coworker, co-graduate student, impressive journalist and friend, Rebecca Holland. It was undeniably fantastic, which isn’t surprising as she has great taste. This pet-nat pinot gris seems to be sold out nearly everywhere, understandably. If you can find it (stay vigilant!), I recommend pairing it with leftover pizza, maybe some cheese and crackers and good company — all at the same time. Buy it here, here (maybe in the future?), and, of course, locally.
An Old Style Tallboy (or six, whatever)
Last weekend one of my best friends got a group together to rent a cycleboat on which we drank (there’s a sober captain), cycled and had a generally rad time. If you can’t get to the Chicago River, I’m pretty sure an Old Style will taste the same near any body of water. Buy it… literally anywhere, I think?
Some things I read this week that you may be interested in:
The New York Times — Is This the End of Summer as We’ve Known It?
The Wall Street Journal — A French Sauvignon Blanc We Should Be Drinking More Often
The New York Times — The Enduring Whimsy and Wonderment of Eric Carle
The Associated Press — Inside a KKK murder plot: Grab him up, take him to the river
The New York Times — ‘They Have My Sister’: As Uyghurs Speak Out, China Targets Their Families
The San Francisco Chronicle — The Jessica Simulation: Love and loss in the age of A.I.
Some tunes to soundtrack your weekend:
Bleachers’ new album, Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night
Clairo’s new album, Sling
COIN’s recent album, Rainbow Mixtape
Be safe out there and, as always, thanks for reading.
-Sam