While this article coincides with International Women’s Day (Mar. 8), I’ve been meaning to profile the wine program at Chambar since it passed into the capable care of Kaela Augustine, Laura Starr and Maude Renaud-Brisson last year. The Crosstown restaurant’s trifecta is a testament to the increasing number of intelligent and talented women in Vancouver who take the sommelier profession seriously.
Let me be clear: It does not take three women to replace one Jason Yamasaki, the award-winning sommelier who was running the program until May 2016. He’d be the first to admit that he had help during his tenure from Kieran Fanning (who has since moved to Farmer’s Apprentice) and the aforementioned Augustine.“The transition was very organic,” says the latter. “It got a lot of attention for being three women, but that wasn’t the objective. It just happened to be that way.”
Rather than look outside the restaurant to hire a new wine director, Yamasaki passed the torch to Augustine along with Starr, who had been working her way up through Chambar’s ranks. He then introduced them to Maude Renaud-Brisson, formerly of the sommelier team at Nightingale. The three clicked immediately in terms of philosophy and vision. “Jason was the puppet-master of it all,” jokes Renaud-Brisson.
Together they intend to take the program to the next level. “There was a decision to make it a group effort; a team of equals rather than hierarchal,” says Starr.
They’re still playing around with their roles, but they’ve fallen into a natural division of responsibilities that plays to each of their strengths. Augustine oversees the international wines on the list, while Renaud-Brisson is in charge of enhancing the selection of local offerings. I chatted with the latter shortly before she took off for the Okanagan, where she’s working with Laughing Stock Vineyards on a Viognier/Roussanne blend that will be exclusive to Chambar. In the spirit of teamwork, she brought Augustine with her.
Starr would have joined them, but someone had to hold down the fort. She represents the link between the wine team and the restaurant’s massive 170-count staff, of which 65 to 70 are front-of-house.With a solid background in education (teaching special needs to grades 3 and 4 kids), Starr has taken on the crucial role of staff training. “We want to make sure that everyone is getting some exposure to the list and that they feel comfortable talking to someone about wine,” she says.
The collaborative effort is greater than the sum of its parts. “We each have different palates, so we’re able to appeal to a broad range of customers,”says Renaud-Brisson. She’s very keen on Chambar’s assortment of Rieslings, especially in terms of how they complement the “crazy spices” chef/owner Nico Schuermans uses. Her suggestion? The 2011 Joh. Jos Prüm Riesling Kabinett ($95/bottle) from Mosel, Germany.
When looking to pleasea wide variety of preferencesat one table, Starr recommends the 2014 Clos Martinet Menut Priorat DOQ, a Grenache/Merlotblend from Spain ($68/bottle), declaring,“It’s also one of those bang-for-the-buck wines on the list.”
Augustine, who has been at Chambar the longest of the three, loves upholding the restaurant’s tradition of introducing guests to new wines “that will blow their minds,” as she put it. If Pinot Grigio is your thing, she may just sway you toward the 2015 Katogi & Strofilia White Dot ($55/bottle), a Moschofilero/Roditis blend from Greece. She also makes a special point of letting me know that Chambar now pours a lesser-known but top-notch Champagne, Pierre Gimonnet 'Cuis' 1er Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut n/v, by the glass ($28).
Creative, passionate and unpretentious, these three graces have this wine program nailed.
