wine inspired cuisine
The inspiration behind Wine Inspired cuisine is to calibrate dishes according to a Sommelier’s palate. By working with umami rich ingredients and infusing them with flavorful spices, interesting textures and pops of sweetness and refreshing acidity, we aim for dishes that will hit all parts of your palate and make you say, “Yum!”
My unique ability to taste and smell was instrumental in helping me become the youngest woman ever and the first South Asian in history to pass the rigorous Master Sommelier exam. As a professional Sommelier, I am a student of taste and flavor and I’m particularly intrigued by the dance between food and wine where it’s impossible to tell where one begins and the other ends. This also serves an apt metaphor for my crossing over from the dining room and into the kitchen. While I won’t be doing the actual cooking, I do work in tandem with a team of highly talented and experienced culinary professionals to execute my vision. When developing recipes, I use the same techniques to analyze a dish as I would a glass of wine ensuring all the elements of balance, texture and flavor are present. Our ultimate goal is to provide our guests with a menu that has been carefully crafted to highlight and accentuate the flavors wine — all in pursuit of the perfect pairing.
Wine and food are only two parts of a memorable dining experience. Warm and inviting service completes the trinity. Sommeliers serve at the pleasure of our guests and the fundamentals of good hospitality are rooted in the sharing of knowledge, information and opportunity. A core focus of our mission is to serve as an incubator for up-and-coming talent through education and wine training.
We look forward to welcoming you soon.
Cheers!
ALPANa singh
ALPANA is the namesake and fourth restaurant of Restaurateur and Award-Winning Sommelier, Alpana Singh.
At 19, she pursued a path in the business with a job as a wine sales clerk at Nielsen Bros. Market in Carmel, California. By 23, she had landed the sommelier position at the world-renowned Everest Restaurant in Chicago. Just three years later at the age of 26, Alpana went on to become the youngest woman and the only South Asian ever to pass the final level of the Master Sommelier exam which has a pass rate of 3%. This distinguished accomplishment, along with her effervescence, experience and energy, was magnetic, and it wasn’t long before Alpana found herself in the local spotlight. For ten seasons, she served as the host of the Emmy Award-winning restaurant review television show, Check, Please!, on Chicago’s PBS station, and returned in 2018 after a five-year absence.
Alpana was proud to be included as a Crain’s 40 Under 40 honoree in Chicago in 2001 at the age of 24 and has since been a prominent member of the community. She is a member of the Advisory Council for the Illinois Restaurant Association and former Treasurer of Choose Chicago. In 2001, she earned her first James Beard Nomination for Wine Service and played a significant role in bringing the James Beard Foundation Awards to the city of Chicago in 2015.
Alpana lives in the Gold Coast neighborhood where you will often spot her walking her beloved rescue dog and BFF, Darla Bear.
