Michele Anderson

The Essentials At Sawa in Park Slope, New York City, the wine program is centered on Lebanese, Mediterranean, and Maritime bottles, paired to the cooking. Anderson’s selection work gives the list its frame: coastal references, shared-table utility, bright acidity, savory depth, and wines chosen to meet food by the glass rather than sit apart from it. The Master of Wine framework brings rigor to that program without requiring a formal tone in the dining room.

In Anderson’s hands, disciplined tasting and technical understanding are used to read how bottles behave with texture, lift, and resonance alongside the Lebanese, Mediterranean, and Maritime character of the restaurant. Hospitality is the operating test for the list. The selection at Sawa functions as part of the cooking rather than as a static inventory, drawing out brightness, salt, spice, herbs, and warmth without crowding the plate. The craft lies in making the underlying expertise legible through the drinker’s experience, not through display.