Shelley Lindgren
Wine director and owner of the acclaimed Italian restaurant A16, San Francisco

How do you find a good value on a wine list?
I always look for the bottles I haven't heard of—those that are from smaller producers, aren't advertised, and don't show up at every store. They're more likely to be delicious and interesting, without a pricey markup.

Colette Faller Proprietor of the biodynamic winery Domaine Weinbach, Alsace, France

What are you most proud of?
I carried on our family's domaine [vineyard and winery] after my husband died in 1979, because I wanted to preserve it for my children, and their children. Critics thought I wouldn't be able to maintain the high quality of the wines, but today our vintages are more respected than ever.

Is there a quality you like most in a wine?
If I'm drinking through a long meal, I want something with good acidity. It keeps the palate alive so I can keep enjoying the food.

Laura Catena
President and winemaker at Bodega Catena Zapata, Mendoza, Argentina, and author of Vino Argentino: An Insider's Guide to the Wines and Wine Country of Argentina

How do you wow someone with wine?
I love to bring a wine from the year someone was born to his or her birthday party. I recently brought a 1939 Latour for my father's birthday. It was very expensive, but it was worth it. That it had been around as long as he had was precious.

You're an emergency room doctor in San Francisco. How do you manage two big jobs?
I usually spend half the year doing each, but there have been a few times when I worked a shift in the emergency room in California, then got on a plane that day for Argentina.

Photo: Federico Garcia


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