Congratulations to Steven McDonald of Pappas Bros. Steakhouse, The MICHELIN Guide Texas 2024 Sommelier of the Year winner, presented in partnership with Franciacorta!
With around 100 restaurants (making it the largest family-owned restaurant group in the U.S.), Pappas Restaurants has become a household name in Texas. For nearly 30 years, Pappas Bros. Steakhouse has been a standout in the portfolio.
The fine dining spot features 35,000 bottles of wines chosen by Master Sommelier Steven McDonald. The wine list is truly impressive, featuring rising stars, top producers, and back vintage wines at excellent prices. McDonald leads an equally impressive team, many being Advanced or Certified Sommeliers, and all being friendly.
We spoke with him to learn how he picks new wines and what he's drinking right now.
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How were you introduced to the world of wine?
I was a schoolteacher in Houston, and I moved to New York to switch industries, I just didn't know what. I discovered that there were these professionals that dealt with wine called sommeliers. I thought that was really cool, so I started learning more and started taking tests. I ended up working at a really nice MICHELIN restaurant called Ai Fiori before I moved back to Houston. It was a great place to learn and to be in that environment.
What’s your criteria for adding a new wine to your list?
It just has to be delicious for what it's supposed to be – for the money you're going to pay for it. We were lucky that we can have and sell anything in any category. We have flexibility where we can get a whole bunch of things, but it just has to be delicious, exciting, resembling its category or its territory in some way. If it's a cool story or has a social or climate impact, that's always a plus.We have around 35,000 total bottles on site – every category of wine on Earth, obviously a really excellent California Napa and Bordeaux section. Really great Red Burgundy, really great Champagne selection in terms of its breadth and length. We take wine super seriously. We make humongous investments and do a lot of our own aging.
How do we see sustainability on your wine menu?
It just so happens that some of the most exciting wines we have on the list are very socially and environmentally responsible.Chateau Pontet-Canet is great and they're biodynamic. San Polino Brunello di Montalcino has done some excellent leading work and regenerative farming. RAEN winery is doing some excellent work out in the far West Sonoma coast. The project was started by Robert Mondavi's grandsons Dante and Carlo. Interestingly, Carlo started Monarch, a tractor company that may change the way people farm with driver-optional electronic vehicles.
How has your taste in wine changed over time?
I start to get more appreciative of categories like Champagne and Burgundy, really higher-end Riesling, and Piedmont wines like Barolo and Barbaresco.When you're first starting into wine, you need a lot more impact and wines that are easier to understand. As you get more experience, you start to really appreciate the more nuanced, elegant side of wine.
What are you drinking these days?
Lots of Champagne, Burgundy, Barolo, and white Burgundy. It's a very exciting time in Champagne.What's your ideal meal and pairing?
At Bistro de l’Hotel in l'Hôtel de Beaune in Burgundy, there was this really excellent heritage roast chicken that was prepared and plated tableside, with beautiful, mature red Burgundy. It kind of sounds like a cliche, but it was one of those magical pairings in a magical place.
What is your favorite wine-related film, book, or magazine?
I love the publication Noble Rot. For educational content, I use GuildSomm. Kevin Zraly’s Windows on the World is still one of the great intro wine books. Jasper Morris’ Inside Burgundy, holy cow. That's an amazing book.
What's the biggest misconception about being a sommelier, or wine in general?
People think that you're stuck up or stuffy or only interested in selling luxury things, and that's just not true. In the modern day, there's a real shift in making it way more approachable, way more accessible, and exciting to a broader audience.What advice would you give to someone who wants to be in a position like yours?
Learn as much as you possibly can and be as hospitable as you possibly can. Be professional and be a leader. Someone will notice and give you opportunities for advancement. Third party credentials help a lot, and I think for restaurants specifically the Court of Master Sommeliers has a lot of value. Above all, you have to be a good businessperson because you're responsible for a business within a business.
Hero image: Courtesy of Pappas Bros. Steakhouse / Steven McDonald
