Sniff, sip, and spin with Emily the Somm’s wine pairings.
Drop 05 | Season 02
From a knack for identifying scents to a sommelier shaping Los Angeles' wine scene, Emily Rutan, aka Emily the Somm, brings a fresh twist to wine curation. Her superpower—an extraordinary sense of smell—guides her in choosing wines that uniquely connect with their origins. Join us for Drop 05, where Emily pairs 12 wines with handpicked tracks, creating a multi-sensory journey through each bottle's story. Explore a selection of her favorite wines and experience them through her eyes.
Emily’s diverse background enriches her approach to every glass. For Drop 05, she leverages her sharp instincts and deep passion for wine to curate a lineup that perfectly complements the vibrant Playlist atmosphere. Dive into Emily’s collection, where each wine is thoughtfully paired with a track to enhance its unique story, creating an immersive multi-sensory experience. This curated journey not only showcases the harmony between wine and music but also celebrates the individual character of each selection.
Season 02 | Drop 05 Interview | May 01, 2024
Playlist’s Matt Friesen: Emily, as someone who bridges the worlds of wine and acting, if you were starring in a film about your life, what song would set the opening scene?
Emily the Somm: I love that question because I've obviously thought about it.
It really depends on the context of the movie, but a contender for the opening montage would be the R.E.M. song Shiny Happy People. It was such a foundational song of my childhood. My parents were always playing R.E.M. and I just feel like it's such a good opening credit song.
It's a solid indicator of who I am and my musical values.
MF: I love that! It sets such a good vibe for what you're what you're in for.
Wine, words, & music by Emily Rutan
Jacquinet Dumez’s
‘Dialogie’ Extra Brut Champagne NV
Emily’s Picks | Wine 1
Normally I go for Blanc de Blancs, but this Blanc de Noirs from Jacquinet Dumez is one of my all-time favorites. The sips are light but full of layers, and the nose reminds me of a Raspberry Lime Rickey. I used to love those as a kid.
Every time I hear this song I am hit with a wave of nostalgia - probably because it reminds me of the movie Empire Records which I’ve seen at least 100 times.
MF: Having taken on a variety of diverse roles in both film and television, how has this range of experiences influenced your approach to curating wine?
ETS: Acting is storytelling and so much of what wine is about is storytelling as well.
You're not only telling the story of what’s inside the bottle, but also the experience you're about to have. And you're also telling the story of who made the wine and why it's significant and why it's important to you.
Being able to understand storytelling from the perspective of character work has really helped me hone in on picking the facts that are important and spinning a story.
So much of being a somm is a performance. It's like a finely tuned improv show and you really are giving a performance. So I think that acting and somming are very intertwined. At least they have been for me.
MF: I really like when it comes from somewhere that feels personal and I think you do that so well.
ETS: Thanks! Ultimately, you don't really need somebody to sell you a bottle of wine. You can ask a couple questions if you have a moderate interest, and more often than not, you're going to get something that you like! But it's a whole different experience when someone who's actually passionate about what they do comes to you with something personal. All of a sudden you're connected, and you're in for a totally different experience all together.
Pomalo’s
Debit Pet Nat 2022
Emily’s Picks | Wine 2
The beachy label on this fizzy, natural wine tells you everything you need to know. Inspired by the lifestyle and attitude of the Dalmatians in Croatia, “Pomalo” means “to take it easy”, “to slow down”. And that is definitely the energy of this wine.
Remember the time when every indie song sounded like a kaleidoscope? This one in particular reminds me of beach days in Malibu.
MF: Every artist has a signature style. If you had to express your wine and music curation style as a movie genre, what would it be and why?
ETS: For me, so much about wine is about falling in love and feeling a connection to winemakers and a certain bottle of wine or even the place where I had the wine. Love is such a part of this for me, because every time I fall in love with a new bottle of wine, it's a whole journey.
Sometimes it’s linked to a person and sometimes it’s linked to just an experience. But it’s a full immersive romantic experience for me. I have to say Romance.
Sometimes I’ll fall in love with a certain bottle because I had such a good time drinking it. The first time I ever had this wine was in Paris at Septime La Cave, so that is definitely part of the attachment. But I also like that it’s both tropical and tangy. It’s a really satisfying combination.
Agnès et René Mosse’s
Magic of Juju 2022
Emily’s Picks | Wine 3
I’m really into French pop from the 60s. This song is really dreamy and perfectly captures the feeling of being in love.
MF: Dive into your creative process for us—how did you approach pairing wines with music for this drop? Were there any pairings that surprised you?
ETS: I feel like I paired each one differently!
A lot had to do with the feeling as I drank the wine and the intersection of how I felt when I listened to a specific song that just came to mind. And I was like, Oh yeah, that's definitely a fit. Or like, I don't know.
I'm kind of synesthetic. So sometimes wine will make me feel like a color. And so will a certain song. So it kind of just came together that way.
Like the Biancofongoli. I went to Cantina Fongoli in Montefalco, Umbria last summer. And they're just so authentic. So I paired it with Everybody, Everybody, the Italian house song from the 90s, and they just are that song! Like, that song could be playing when you go there, so it just made a lot of sense to me, you know?
MF: That place is now on my bucket list based on that alone!
ETS: It's so great! It's a family run biodynamic winery. They keep bees. The daughter, who was hosting the tour, was so great. And then she says, “Do you want to stay? We're doing a yoga class later.” And I was like, “Oh my God! I would love to do a yoga class here.”
MF: Wine and yoga! How isn’t that a thing yet?
ETS: Ha! Probably because yoga and a little bit of wine - great! Yoga and a lot of wine? Not so great.
This Chablis is the wine equivalent of a cashmere sweater. It’s luxurious, chic, and works in pretty much every scenario.
Florence et Francois Bachelier’s
Chablis Vieilles Vignes 2021
Emily’s Picks | Wine 4
Sometimes a bottle of wine is so good you actually do want to serenade it.
MF: In a world where playlists set the mood for everything, which wine from this drop would you match with a lazy Sunday morning and what song would accompany it?
ETS: The Croatian pet nat from Pomalo is practically designed to be consumed on a beach. It’s super laid back and easy going.
I mean, pet nats in general are really laid back, easy going, and perfectly pair with a Sunday morning. They’re brunch wines! So I’d say it's the perfect choice for that.
And I think I would stick with the same song. That kaleidoscopic washed out kind of dreamy track. There's a little bit of a buzz, but it's still easygoing and early morning feeling.
Fongoli’s
Biancofongoli 2022
Emily’s Picks | Wine 5
I’m such a fan of Cantina Fongoli. I brought my huge, blended family for a visit in the summer of 2023, and they were so gracious and welcoming. ‘Biancofongoli’ is a biodynamic, subtle, fresh orange wine with only 11% ABV. People are always asking me about why they feel better when they drink natural wine versus conventional wine. I think one reason that’s overlooked in favor of sulfur is that they often have a lower percentage of alcohol.
Italian house music from the 90s seemed like a natural fit for a bottle of wine from Cantina Fongoli. They are very much on this frequency.
MF: Let's imagine you're curating a dinner party for fictional characters from your favorite films. Who are you inviting and what wines are you serving to complement their personalities?
ETS: This comes to mind immediately, because I watched it again recently, The Big Lebowski. It’s just incredible. And also, it's just so LA. The more time I spend in LA, the more I go back and watch it. It’s just perfection.
Anyway, Maude Lebowski is who I would invite from that movie. And I would probably serve her an orange wine from Georgia, or amber wine as they call it. Because there's this whole artistic traditional process, and I could see her getting very curious about that and probably trying to make it herself.
And then, Margot Tenenbaum because I love Gwyneth, and I love that character. And I would pair a central coast Merlot for her because, like her, they’re moody and deep and often misunderstood… thanks to the movie Sideways.
And last, but certainly not least, Butch Cassidy. Rioja is the perfect choice because an aged Rioja has that leathery and tobacco forward thing going on and that's exactly how I imagine that he would smell.
MF: Your dinner guests sound amazing.
ETS: Right? I would love to see the three of them together. Oh my god. That would be iconic.
Vajra’s
Rosabella Rosato 2022
Emily’s Picks | Wine 6
I enjoy everything the Vajra family does, but this Rosato is genuinely special. It’s just such an It Girl! The color is beautiful, and it smells like jasmine, rose petals, raspberries, and sea salt.
This song represents a time that was so formative for me and female friendships. But the rosé we were drinking then was out of a plastic bag, so I’d say this is a bit of an upgrade.
MF: As a tastemaker, you've likely encountered some unique audience reactions. Could you recount a memorable experience from a wine tasting or event?
ETS: I love this story and I tell it often, but it's kind of flipping the question a little bit.
It's actually a time when I was in the audience. As a somm I'm constantly trying to go places and learn from people who do things that I don't, like winemakers.
Years ago, I was at a wine tasting with Angela Fronti and I absolutely loved her. She was just so dynamic. And at one point, after giving this like whole impassioned monologue about how much she loved her wines and how connected she felt to her wines. The grand finale was her proclaiming that blood doesn't run through her veins, it's Sangiovese. And I was like, well, okay!
And I love that so much because it's true. Especially with these families who have been making wine for generations. They're so connected to the land it may as well be Sangiovese running through her veins, you know?
A couple of years later, I went to Vin Italy, the big wine conference in Verona, and saw her there. And I told her that I remembered her story and she was so excited! She was like, “It's true. It does. It's true!”
When you can hear people speak about their experience and being connected to something at that level, it's really special.
Domaine Jean-Claude Lapalu’s
Beaujolais Villages 2022
Emily’s Picks | Wine 7
I fell in love with this song after watching the music video. It was filmed during a Covid lockdown, so the whole thing is Hervé dancing and making a snack in his kitchen. At the time I was on a big Beaujolais kick and the Lapalu really stood out.
I am always impressed by this Beaujolais Village and how elegant and fresh it is. Jean-Claude Lapalu is a leader in Beaujolais for a lot of reasons, and when you drink his wine it becomes very clear as to why.
MF: If you could challenge one traditional wine rule or stereotype in your role as a sommelier, what would it be, and how would you rewrite it?
ETS: I think there’s a misconception that red wine is more serious or something, aside from white burgundy and serious white wines or whatever we're calling it. Or really that just wine is serious in general. To some degree I take it seriously, but that doesn't mean that it's inaccessible.
But I think white wine is often overlooked because people just associate it with going down easy and being cold. Like Pinot Grigio, you know? But there's so much more going on with white wine. And honestly, the more that I've gotten into wine, the more white wine I drink. Especially Italian whites. I'm fascinated by Italian whites! There's just so many of them.
MF: I totally agree. I used to drink a lot more reds before launching Playlist. Now I probably drink close to 50 percent whites for sure. And I didn't even realize how delicious they can be!
ETS: Right? So complex, so nuanced, and just different. Don't get me wrong, I love red wine too, but there's just something special about white wine that I think is often overlooked.
Castello di Verduno’
Basadone 2021
Emily’s Picks | Wine 8
This is in the running for one of my favorite wines of all time. And that is saying a lot because I’ve been lucky enough to try some legendary wines throughout my career. Castello di Verduno, a notable producer of Barolo and Barbaresco, makes this subtly complex light red. It’s deceptively friendly and fruity on the nose, but the palate totally blows your mind with the depth of the pepper and spice.
“Basadone” means “little kiss” because according to the locals, Pelaverga Piccolo is an aphrodisiac.
MF: Looking ahead, can you give us a sneak peek into any upcoming trends or innovations in wine that you’re excited about?
ETS: Generationally speaking, there's less drinking among Gen-Z and people are finding ways to make lower alcohol wine like a piquette.
I love piquette. Traditionally it was made through a second pressing. Producers would press the grapes, rehydrate them, and press them again. And usually they would give it to farm workers on their lunch break because it's super low ABV. It can be like 4%!
And piquette is great. It’s a step down from pet nat in terms of intensity. And it's so spritzy and light, it's the perfect thing to be drinking in the afternoon.
So yeah, I’d say it’s low ABV wines. We're going to see some cool innovation in that space for sure.
MF: Would that would be the wine of choice for wine and yoga events?
ETS: Definitely! Wine and piquette all day.
Las Jaras’s
Glou Glou 2022
Emily’s Picks | Wine 9
The name “Glou Glou” is the French way of saying “glug glug”, which I love because it’s just so clear as a descriptor. All of the wines from Las Jaras are fun, but Glou Glou truly has it all: it’s a fruity, chillable red blend from Northern California with acidity that just won’t quit. I try a lot of chilled reds, and in my opinion Glou Glou still wears the crown.
This song, much like Glou Glou, is light, cheerful, and perfect for an afternoon with friends.
MF: Music and wine can both evoke deep emotional responses. Can you tell us about a time when a particular wine and song pairing moved you emotionally?
ETS: I love the old jazz song from the musical Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered. Specifically the Ella Fitzgerald version. I love that song.
I was drinking this Fiano di Avellino that had some age to it. Which is really unique because not a lot of white wines do well with age. The ones that do, really do. And Fiano gets really flinty and sort of metallic in this interesting way when it has some age.
It was moody in the exact right way that that song is. I'm having this whole experience and the flinty taste of the Fiano was just like perfect overlap and it was one of the times where I realized that white wine could also be kind of moody.
Bodegas Raul Perez’s
Ultreia 2021
Emily’s Picks | Wine 10
The points of tension in this wine are perfectly balanced, which is not surprising since Raúl Pérez is such a visionary. Connection to the land and a respect for tradition go a long way in perfecting an art.
The back and forth between Rosalía and Ozuna is pretty irresistible. It’s hard to fake a connection like that.
MF: If you had the opportunity to design a wine label inspired by your favorite album cover, which album would you choose and why?
ETS: I'm honestly kind of surprised that a wine label doesn't exist with a play on this already, but I think that the Velvet Underground & Nico label with the Andy Warhol banana is a prime example of how this could be an iconic crossover between the arts. I feel like that's just perfect. Like it's doing it all.
Martha Stoumen’s
Nero d'Avola 2019
Emily’s Picks | Wine 11
Martha Stoumen learned to work with the grape Nero d’Avola while doing a harvest at COS in Sicily. This is her Nero d’Avola from Mendocino County which has deliciously moody notes like black cherries and smoke.
The lyrics in this song are emotionally charged, but what really takes it to an otherworldly place of longing is the sample of German yodeling.
“Every time I fall in love with a new bottle of wine, it's a whole journey.”
MF: Finally, if you had to describe your wine and music curation style using only three words, what would they be?
ETS: Well, this is a nod back to the beginning of the interview, but I would say romantic, nostalgic… and vibrant because I think a lot of the wines I choose are pretty vibrant
Where do I begin? Elisabetta Foradori is the queen of biodynamic viticulture, and a pioneer and presence in the global wine industry. I’ve had other expressions of Teroldego, but none that are nearly as complex as hers.
Foradori’s
Teroldego 2022
Emily’s Picks | Wine 12
The intensity and wild energy of this song is kept at a low-to-medium heat which makes it incredibly enticing.
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Thanks for Reading
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