In all the best Pinot Gris, whether produced as an Alsatian dessert wine or a crisp tablewine from the foothills of the Italian Alps, the grape itself has the mojo to be the star.
The word sommelier (pronounced some-el-YAY) is derived from the Vulgar Latin word for "beast of burden, " which may seem at odds with the image of a well-dressed man (or woman) proffering awine list to atable of guests.
For the Wiesenmaier family, sitting around a long, fold-down picnic table, drinking wine from plastic cups and preparing for a clambake of lobster tails and slow-roasted potatoes cooked by two chefs on an enormous outdoor grill, this pristine corner of the US eastern seaboard has tonight been transformed into America's most exclusive restaurant.