This week on In the Drink, host Joe Campanale is joined by Amanda Smeltz, Wine Director at Roberta’s, the very place that houses the HeritageRadioNetwork.org studio! Amanda discusses her approach for selecting wines at Roberta’s and expresses her decided interest in female wine producers and experimental wines. How has the traffic to Roberta’s changed since Sam Sifton’s New York Times review? What challenges come along with building a wine list for a Bushwick crowd? Amanda explains her integral role at Roberta’s and also talks about her second life as a writer – her latest book of poetry “Imperial Bender” will be released soon! This program was sponsored by Route 11 Potato Chips.
“I think Roberta’s is an amazing stomping ground for experimental stuff and [wines] that are off the beaten path.” [1:56]
“It takes many months for a restaurant to find its groove. They are organic things because they are very people based so they need a lot of attention. The work is never done.” [11:15]
“It’s not standard Italian food by any means, and it’s not standard pizza at Roberta’s so standard pizza and wine pairings don’t hold.” [27:30]
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–Amanda Smeltz, Wine Director at Roberta’s on In the Drink
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