Jane Lopes
You may remember Jane Lopes as the opening beverage director at The Catbird Seat where she brought her experience working in Chicago to Music City and introduced many of us to some really unique wines and spirits. Or you might have first encountered her as one of the aspiring master sommeliers studying for her exams as part of the reality series Uncorked. One of her co-stars on that series was another talented young sommelier named Jon Ross. Eventually both of them passed their Master Sommelier exams and worked together at the prestigious NYC restaurant Eleven Madison Park. Oh, and along the way, they got married.
This talented twosome ended up moving to Australia to discover a new world of wines and started up a business together, Legend Australian Wine Imports. Now operating out of Nashville, Legend creates and sources unusual wine from Australia that you just won’t find on many wine lists in town or across the country. Distributed locally by Best Brands, Lopes and Ross have introduced a new vitality to the local wine scene by bringing cool-climate Aussie wines from some of the smaller producers who have never had access to the market. They also focus on operations that are environmentally conscious and give back to the local community.
Jon Ross
To introduce some of Legend’s portfolio to the market, Ross and Lopes are hosting a tasting event at Miel this Sunday, June 6, from 2 to 3:30 p.m., where they will feature six of their wines served with hors d'oeuvres from Miel’s kitchen. The tasting is $55, and tickets are available at the event website.
If you want to take a deeper delicious dive into the wines, Miel owner Seema Prasad and chef Jason La Iacona have put together a menu for a four-course pairing dinner that they promise will place the flavors of the wines front and center while still complementing them with clean, modern cuisine. Here’s a peek at the planned menu:
2013 Henskens Rankin, Brut Rose, Tasmania – 2013 Brut RoséGruyere Gorgeres, Miel Marinated Olives
2019 Patrick Sullivan, “Baw Law Shire”, Chardonnay, Gippsland, Victoria
Murdoch Hill 2019 “The Rocket” Chardonnay
Poached Shrimp With a Fennel Dijon Crema
2015 Mérite, Merlot, Wrattonbully, South Australia
Smoked Pork Shoulder with House-Made Tagliatelle and Farm Roasted Tomato
2017 Murdoch Hill “The Landau” Shiraz & 2015 Mother Tongue, “Kraft Vineyard,” Shiraz, Barossa Valley, South Australia
Lamb Chops, Minted Peas, Glazed Farmer Dave Carrots, Bordelaise
Seppeltsfield 1999 Para Tawny
Tickets for the four-course dinner are $174 per person and are available
here. This should be a really special dinner with wines like you’ve never tried before, so don’t miss it!
