S IM P LY D EL I C IOUS
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Palate pusher Decatur’s Vajra Stratigos brings new wines to Atlanta restaurants story:
Doc Lawrence
Photo: Courtesy of Melissa Libby & Associates
W
ine is like oxygen to Vajra Stratigos, the high-energy oenophile and beverage director for Atlanta’s Fifth Group Restaurants. Following in the footsteps of four generations of Greek and Italian restaurateurs, the Decatur resident earned certifications from the International Wine Guild and the Court of Master Sommeliers. While stocking the wine cellars and planning the wine lists for Virginia Highland restaurants like La Tavola Trattoria and The Original El Taco might seem daunting, simultaneously overseeing their cocktail development could easily stretch the limits of a lesser professional. In less than a decade, Stratigos mastered both disciplines, elevating to prominence the wines and cocktails under Fifth Group’s growing umbrella. “When I began,” Stratigos says, “the company was committed to sustainable local food. Finding compatible wines is a constant for us.” Certain characteristics govern his wine choices. “Appropriate alcohol levels that are not too high, that will not suffocate the food. For warmer months, I select wines compatible with our lighter menus.” For example, his restaurants offer sparkling wines by the glass. “These are chilled, high in acid to cut through fat and have just enough residual sugar,” he says. “Diners have a preference for some sugar, which may surprise many, but it’s true.” He cites Nino Franco Rustico Prosecco from Italy at La Tavola and Jaume Serra Cristalino Brut Cava from Spain at The Original El Taco as “highly popular sparkling wines that pair well with the distinctive food at each restaurant.” According to Stratigos, whose cellar inventory displays not a whit of
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March/April 2013 | Simply Buckhead
provincialism, some wines work better with his spring menus. “I would not,” he says, “favor a vegetal Sauvignon Blanc. It’s too big. Vivacious wines that dance on the palate are better.” The Austrian white wine Laurenz und Sophie Grüner Veltliner 2011 at La Tavola is an example. Not familiar with this wine? You needn’t invest in a whole bottle to try it. “I designed our wines-by-the-glass menu to encourage diners into new taste adventures for a reasonable price,” Stratigos says. “What we present by the glass says that we have faith in diners by investing in some great wines.” A self-taught cook who apprenticed with noted chefs in France and Italy, Stratigos says his family influences and cultural heritage “weight me toward wines.” Despite his international background, Stratigos says he is here for the long haul. “I live and work in Atlanta,” he says. “This is my home.” n
SCARLETT’S SERENADE Vajra Stratigos created this beverage especially for Simply Buckhead’s readers. “Atlanta’s legendary first lady is the namesake of a venerable cocktail, the Scarlett O’Hara. Using one of the original cocktail’s ingredients, Southern Comfort, I added sherry, a favorite of Rhett Butler and a popular drink during Atlanta’s Civil War days, and finished with other ingredients for taste, balance and authenticity. It’s my gift to Atlanta.”- Vajra Stratigos
Ingredients: 4 slices of a ripe Georgia peach 1 1/2 ounces Dry Sack Medium Sherry 1/2 ounce Southern Comfort 1/2 ounce The Famous Grouse Scotch 3/4 ounce fresh-squeezed lemon juice 1/4 ounce honey syrup
Method: Muddle sliced peaches into a highball glass; add ice. Place liquid ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake until frosty and cold. Strain into highball glass over muddled peaches and ice.