Michelin-award winning sommelier Annie Shi, here with wine director and general manager, Matt Turner, outside Lei, her celebrated Chinatown wine bar. (Photo by Matt Russell.)
If you don’t follow wine closely, the name probably doesn’t register. Domaine Tempier comes from a small appellation in Provence, made primarily from Mourvèdre, a grape most Americans can’t pronounce and few actively seek out. Inside the wine world, it’s foundational—the bottle sommeliers learn from, cook around, and measure others against. Alice Waters poured it at Chez Panisse. Kermit Lynch built his importing career around it and chronicled it in Adventures on the Wine Route. If you care about Mediterranean food, or the history of the American palate, Tempier holds a central place.
When Shi—then an unproven wine director opening her first restaurant—asked for it, she wasn’t chasing prestige. King was centered on southern French and Italian cooking. Tempier belonged on the table.
She was laughed at. The wine was already “allocated,” the sales rep told her. Meaning: You don’t just get it. You have to earn it.
