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Jeff Heineman, Grapeseed
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Jeff Heineman, owner of the Bethesda restaurant Grapeseed.
WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Jeff Heineman, the chef/owner of Grapeseed, is another kitchen pro whose love of wine grew to equal or even eclipse his love of food.
Now in its sixth year in business, his Bethesda bistro draws as many oenophiles as it does foodies.
After graduating from L’Academie de Cuisine in Bethesda in 1992, Heineman spent some time in France and also worked in the kitchens of Kinkead’s and Cashion’s Eat Place. But he didn’t really spread his wine wings until he opened the Rhodeside Grill in Arlington. There, he not only selected the wines, but says the “pairings I did for our food and wine dinners were the most fun and gave me the idea” for Grapeseed.
After his partners bought him out six years ago, he opened the small dining room — and even smaller bar — in Bethesda.
But Grapeseed’s size belies its importance to local lovers of the grape. Heineman oversees a 380-odd-bottle wine list that has earned the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence for five years running.
Even more impressive, however, is that a whopping 95 of those wines are available by the glass or by the taste. They include six Rhone and Rhone-style wines, two Gewurztraminers, six sauvignon blancs, a sparkling red wine, three chenin blancs and nine dessert wines.
Q Your menu says you “pick out the nuances of each wine and create a dish that highlights those characteristics.” Sounds like the opposite approach of most restaurants.
A Yes. Some dishes we design with sauvignon blanc in mind. The fricassee of wild mushrooms was made to go with a sangiovese.
Q Do you set up your by-the-glass list so guests can experience all the styles from one grape or region?
A Exactly. Within each varietal, we try to let them know that there are different styles and cover all the bases. That’s the interesting thing about wine: how terroir can make such a big difference. It’s a balancing act to cover styles and price points. We try to offer stylistic differences as well as price differences. And we skew high-end because that’s what customers want. They want high-end wine without having to spend on a whole bottle.
Q Is it a challenge to maintain the freshness of so many wines by the glass?
A We use the Le Verve de Vin system, which reseals the bottles. They claim [the bottles last] two weeks; we find it’s more like two to three days. So we cook with a lot of good wine. We taste and rotate and if it’s even turned at all, we send it back to the kitchen.
Q What varietals or regions are you high on right now?
A The blacker, darker grapes — the petite syrah and the heavier shiraz from Australia. It’s a function of the time of year, as well. I always like Rhone stuff with food; it has so much earth to it.
Q What is your desert island bottle?
A Goldeneye Pinot Noir from the Anderson Valley.
Grapeseed is located at 4865 Cordell Ave. in Bethesda; 301-986-9592; www.grapeseedbistro.com.
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