ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Why I started
For years I believed wine was inseparable from fine dining — the structure on which menus hung their meaning. Then a few service moments cracked that belief: a tea pairing that carried umami without fatigue; a botanical ferment whose gentle phenolics held roast chicken jus; a verjus build that cut fat as cleanly as high-acid Chardonnay but left the palate sharper for the next bite. Those glasses didn’t feel like compromises. They felt like craft — with intent, origin, and structure.
I began chasing those flashes. Over two years and more than 250 bottles later, talking with producers, chefs, and sommeliers from Brooklyn to Copenhagen, Paris to Tokyo, a pattern was obvious: kitchens had evolved, while many beverage lists still treated “non-alcoholic” as an afterthought. The work of this site—and the book — grew from a simple question: If the plate deserves precision, why shouldn’t the glass match it — even without alcohol?
What excites me
- Structure that performs in service. Acidity that lifts fat. Bitterness and phenolic “grip” that frame umami. Texture that resets. Length that doesn’t overwhelm the next course.
- Technique and origin. Single-origin teas, koji and kefir fermentations, verjus blends, pét-nat teas, botanical extractions — methods with traceable intent, not flavor-for-flavor’s sake.
- A new vocabulary. Moving past “mocktail” into tasting language chefs and sommeliers can actually use in briefing: acid/bitterness/phenolic feel/texture/length, with service temperatures and glassware that survive the pass.
Why the book
This book is my attempt to chart that shift and help give this emerging category the language, depth, and cultural standing it deserves. It’s for chefs, sommeliers, and gourmands who care as much about what’s in the glass as what’s on the plate. It’s for those who’ve noticed that while menus have evolved, beverage lists often lag behind. And it’s for people like me — who once believed wine was essential to the dining experience, until discovering that complexity, craft, and joy can exist without alcohol. The next chapter of fine drinking won’t be written by wine alone.
How I work
- Reporting & tasting. Profiles begin with questions of intent (what structure are you building and why?) and process (fermentation, extraction, stabilization).
- Service-first editing. Every piece lands in practical terms: where a bottle sits on a menu, what it pairs with (and why), temperature windows, and stems.
- Atlas standards. Each entry breaks down ingredients, process, intent, nose/palate/finish, and structure—acidity, bitterness, phenolic feel, texture, length — so teams can deploy confidently.
My other role
Alongside writing, I founded Ace of Cups, a small no/low angel syndicate that supports craftsmanship-led, tea-forward and fermentation-driven projects. I keep investment details off this page; the point is simple: I back founders who are building liquids worthy of the dining room.
Vision
A dining world where specialty beverages — tea, botanical ferments, verjus builds, and beyond—stand beside wine with equal cultural weight. Where tasting menus have structure-first pairings that keep palates fresh across ten courses. Where beverage teams brief with the same precision they bring to the pass. And where producers who care about origin and technique are recognized not as exceptions, but as part of the canon.
– Roman Sydorenko
Author, BEYOND WINE: The Gourmand’s Guide to No & Low ABV Specialty Beverages – publishing March 2026