Customers are drawn to the smart and sophisticated Maple & Ash Restaurant here in Chicago; in good part because of Belinda Chang, their James Beard award-winning sommelier. As its wine and beverage director, it is Chang who has chosen all of its amazingly diverse wine selections.
One is quickly drawn to the warmth of her personality. You feel that she’s just like you— out to discover a great wine and possibly to make a new friend. According to Chang: “People come here because they have fun.”
It’s 11 a.m. and I’m trying out wines with one of the world’s best sommeliers and it is fun. I’m a convert to Chang’s main idea: “Wine doesn’t have to be stuffy. ”
In seconds, she deduces the quality of the wine and where it came from. Details matter too—such as the thickness of the wine or if it is too weak to hold up. Everyone has their favorite. Customers respond to her detailed wine experiences. The most intriguing part of her job may be the tastings and food pairings she offers.
Open Table, a Chicago dining site calls Chang’s wine collection “breathtaking”: “Four vintages of Screaming Eagle? Seriously?”
While Chang is subtle in her approach, this Palatine native knows her wine. At Maple & Ash, customers will enjoy Chateau Margaux, or Diamond Creek Cabernet without feeling the least bit stuffy. In fact the menu touts a wine flowchart, and bottles can run as cheap as $21.
There was a time when Chang thought about having a medical career, but instead has become a premier wine sommelier, known worldwide for her taste and knowledge of the grape.
Her career stats are certainly world class. After learning her craft, Chang was hired by Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago. She then sped off to San Francisco to The Fifth Floor and spent a few years in the wine business there. She became so sought after that she was lured back to Chicago by Osteria Via Stato in River North. In 2011, however, she was off to the Big Apple. It was there she won a James Beard award for Outstanding Restaurant Wine Service at The Modern, Danny Meyer’s bar in New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Although she has such star power, you’d never know it when you are with the down-to earth person she is. She can talk about the latest wine as easily as she can size up the bottles at Trader Joe’s. She points out: “It doesn’t matter how much a wine costs. Wine is never about the cost, it’s about how you feel when you drink it. It’s easy to find great wines made in tiny quantities that cost a fortune. What’s hard is locating amazing wines that are delicious regardless of vintage, and that ring up at $20 or less per bottle.”
In fact, she says she doesn’t always choose the most expensive wines. With her deft touch, Maple & Ash is THE steakhouse for wine drinking in Chicago, providing more than 800 wines from which to choose. Chang will take you through the least and most expensive and my bet is you’ll enjoy the ride.
Creative Credits
- Written by
- Jane Bokun
- Photography
- Alissa Pagels
- Retouching
- Brianna Kish
- Hair & Makeup
- Jean Ramos
