Yin And Yang In A Glass

Yin and Yang, two new custom blended wines for Oya and Sei

When it comes to wine, Andrew Stover, the sommelier and wine marketing director for Oya and Sei, is a DIY kind of guy. When he finds a lesser-known wine he likes that he can't get in DC, he jumps through the government bureaucracy hoops and imports it himself.

And when he decided Oya should have custom house wines to pair with its Asian cuisine, he headed to three vineyards to create a line himself.

The result is a trio of wines: Yin, Yang and the forthcoming YinYang. The first two are available by the glass and bottle at Oya and Sei, while YinYang will only be poured at Oya. You can also pick up a bottle of Yin at Cowgirl Creamery at 919 F St. NW.

Stover worked with Stuart Cellars in Temecula, Calif., to create Yin, a blend of Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Petite Sirah and Merlot. “We literally used test tubes and beakers to create the final blend from lots of different varietal wines,” says Stover.

For Yang, available this month, Stover didn't go far. He worked with Jennifer McCloud of Chrysalis Vineyards in Middleburg, Va., to create a white blended from Chardonnay and Vidal Blanc. The result, Stover says, is "similar to those found in Spain, with lots of vibrant acidity, which is crucial for pairing with seafood.”

This summer, he'll add to the portfolio YinYang, a rosé blend of Pinot Gris and Dolcetto created at Amity Vineyards in Oregon.