Sohm

For Le Bernardin's yellowfin tuna with foie gras, Mr. Sohm likes a 2009 Botani Moscatel Seco .

The Odd Couple of Food and Wine Jay McInerney 2011

The chef wouldn't have it any other way, of course, and Mr. Sohm often matches white fish with red wine.

The Odd Couple of Food and Wine Jay McInerney 2011

I put the question to Aldo Sohm, the celebrated wine director of New York's Le Bernardin.

Drink, Memory: How to Remember That Wine Lettie Teague 2011

Mr. Sohm is currently pairing a sake with this particular dish, though he could probably come up with any number of other interesting and enhancing accompaniments.

The Odd Couple of Food and Wine Jay McInerney 2011

Mr. Sohm goes with Yuki no Bosha Yamahai Junmai Sake : "The sake refines the whole combination of the bergamot-olive oil sauce and the lobster and keeps it light, flavorful and delicate."

The Odd Couple of Food and Wine Jay McInerney 2011

He added that he doesn't do this when he is eating out, lest he disturb other diners with his notes Mr. Sohm is a very polite man.

Drink, Memory: How to Remember That Wine Lettie Teague 2011

"In big tastings I take notes because I have to taste too many wines in a very short period of time," Mr. Sohm wrote in an email from vacation in Austria.

Drink, Memory: How to Remember That Wine Lettie Teague 2011

Aldo Sohm of Le Bernardin aka the World's Best Sommelier 2008, probably our most technical taster, was the first to identify the problem.

The 1996 Champagnes: Great, but Just How Great? Jay McInerney 2011

In that case, Mr. Sohm said he "just memorized" the wine—sometimes augmenting his memory with a picture from his iPhone.

Drink, Memory: How to Remember That Wine Lettie Teague 2011

The creaminess, that richness of the cheese—needs a little bit of the creamy, yeasty component that you have in the Champagne and the slightly toasted flavor from the rind in the cheese, Mr. Sohm says.

The Odd Couple of Food and Wine Jay McInerney 2011