“ ‘What would you recommend?’ It’s a question the sommeliers and wine directors of The Ritz-Carlton are accustomed to hearing, given the astounding range of varietals and vintages on offer. Fortunately, they’re always happy to be of service when guests ask to be guided to the perfect pairings for memorable meals and events.”

This article originally was assigned to include several sources from a range of properties. But one person steadfastly ignored all my emails and voicemails, despite this article being arranged through corporate HQ. (He finally did reply—about a month later, and literally on the day I was scheduled to ship the article to my editors.) Another person agreed to participate … then went MIA after I shipped over the questions, never again responding to my increasingly frantic messages.

Meanwhile, Jonathan Morán—wine director at Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve in Puerto Rico—took the time to answer all of my original questions, even though they arrived during the week his property was preparing to reopen after the devastation of Hurricane Maria. In fact, he also agreed to participate in a “lightning round” where I tossed out names of random types of foods and asked him to select the best wines to pair with them. (The lone dish that didn’t make it into the final draft: fried chicken. His answer was a light lager.) Mr. Morán moved one step closer to sainthood that week, in my estimation.

Head here for the full piece about pairing wines with meals, at The Ritz-Carlton’s “Journey Into The Ritz-Carlton” site.