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.
