What would Alpana drink . . . at Schwa?!

Mistress of merlot, meritage and all types of vino Alpana Singh doles out advice to a reader dining at BYOB sensation Schwa for the first time:

"I find that when it comes to avant garde food, sommeliers can get really creative and utilize unknown grapes and regions and they can also reach into their bag of tricks and pull non wine items such as beer, sake, cocktails or add liqueurs, bitters and other aromatics to wine to make them more complimentary to the dishes.

"It's hard to pinpoint a style of wine that would pair well across the board with avant garde gastronomy but overall I would say that the wine must have a high degree of acidity in order to keep the pairing clean and not overwhelming. I would stay away from heavy, oaky and buttery whites and over ripe, extracted and alcoholic reds since they tend to mask the intricate flavors and textures of food."