Chef Recipes Made Easy: Richard Reddington’s Best

Chef Richard Reddington and wine director Chris Blanchard create impeccable, eclectic food-and-wine pairings at Napa Valley’s Redd. Here, F&W simplifies Reddington’s recipes and suggests easy-to-find versions of Blanchard’s wine matches.

Chef Richard Reddington may have been a sommelier in a past life. At Redd, his Napa Valley restaurant, he and wine director Chris Blanchard are so committed to wine that diners can pick a bottle first, then ask the kitchen to prepare a dish to match. Although Reddington shies away from labels like "fusion food" and "global cuisine," his wine-friendly recipes vary from succulent stir-fried chicken in lettuce cups (paired with a Tempranillo from Spain’s Ribera del Duero) to fresh arugula and Swiss chard ravioli in a delicate green garlic-wine broth (best with a California Chardonnay). Reddington’s newest project—released in February—is a house wine that he developed with Christian Moueix at Napa Valley’s Dominus Estate. It’s a Bordeaux blend of Cabernet and Merlot, appropriately named Redd Wine. What kind of dish would go best with it? Grilled meat or fish, or even barbecue, says Reddington.

Published April 2007