If you’ve ever wondered what happens when a Grand Award–level palate meets Greek Revival design sensibilities, allow New Orleans power couple Tory and Britt McPhail to be your pandemic-era mood board. In Wine Spectator, original author Hilary Sims spotlights how these two turned their Irish Channel home into a sanctuary built for hospitality, music, and—naturally—serious wine.
Key Takeaways
- Key themes: New Orleans, home design, wine pantry—stay informed on these evolving trends.
- The takeaway? Keep exploring, keep tasting, and don’t be afraid to try something new.
Why This Matters
Behind every great bottle is a story, and this one matters. It reflects broader trends shaping how wine is made, sold, and enjoyed. Stay curious—your palate will thank you.
When COVID shut down dining rooms, Tory, executive chef at Commander’s Palace, marked the day with a line that says it all: “On my calendar in Sharpie it says, ‘All heck breaks loose.’” — Tory McPhail, via Hilary Sims, Wine Spectator. Commander’s pivoted to curbside and a wine concierge, while Britt, a longtime wine distributor rep, shifted to Martin Wine Cellar, splitting time between the kitchen and the sales floor. That’s a heavy heel turn—yet the McPhails made home the calm eye of the storm.
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They’d designed their place in 2018 with clean lines, right angles, and handcrafted, weight-and-pulley windows that nod to the American South’s Greek Revival past. Inside, they traded extra bedrooms for a flowing 865-square-foot great room with an open chef’s kitchen. Think Viking appliances arranged like a mise en place you can live in—no wasted motion, just effortless “muscle memory,” as Tory describes it in the piece.
For the rest of us, here’s the takeaway: form should follow your favorite rituals. If you entertain, prioritize the spaces that make it easy. If you unwind with music, wire the house for a soothing soundscape. Tory pumps mellow tunes through a phone app so the whole place “feels like a spa on an early Sunday morning”—that’s a design decision as much as a vibe.
And then there’s the wine. Britt designed a visually striking 425-bottle pantry grounded in Old World loyalties—Emidio Pepe Montepulciano d’Abruzzo from Tory’s birth year, R. López de Heredia Viña Tondonia from Britt’s, Philipponnat Champagne from 2002 (the year Tory took the helm at Commander’s), and a white Burgundy heartbeat that includes a 2015 Raveneau premier cru Chablis horizontal. “We’re gregarious people,” Tory says. — via Hilary Sims, Wine Spectator. Translation: built to share, curated to remember.
Sharing looks different now, but leave it to New Orleans to keep things festive. The McPhails roll a wagon-style bar through the neighborhood for sidewalk sips—St-Germain spritzes, Cava, a splash of Chapoutier rosé—proof the party can adapt at six feet apart. Commander’s Palace even launched “Don’t Stand So Close to Me,” a Wednesday Zoom tasting where locals get three bottles and a pound of cheese delivered, then taste along with Tory and wine director Dan Davis. “We call it the Zoom that saved Wednesdays,” quips co-owner Ti Martin. — via Hilary Sims, Wine Spectator.
That mix of levity and care shows up in their community work, too. Tory and the crew cook for Feed the Second Line, a project supporting New Orleans culture bearers with delivered meals. Their menu includes delicious puns—“eggs Louis Armstrong” with trumpet mushrooms, pickled pork, and poached eggs over rice and red beans—because resilience tastes better with a grin.
If you’re looking to bring some of this energy home, here’s a practical blueprint inspired by the McPhails:
- Design flow for how you live: prioritize your kitchen circulation, dining nook, and hangout zones. You’ll entertain again—plan for it.
- Curate your cellar with memory anchors: birth-year bottles, milestone vintages, and a few beloved regions (Chablis is a flexible, food-friendly place to start).
- Build atmosphere: a simple whole-home audio setup changes the temperature of a room—especially on midweek nights.
- Keep community in the mix: host rotating Zoom tastings with friends, or support local restaurants running virtual wine parties.
What I love about Hilary Sims’ piece is how it reframes “wine at home” from a stopgap to a lifestyle. The McPhails aren’t performing; they’re living—and their house reflects that. Pandemic or not, the good life is equal parts thoughtful design, meaningful bottles, and generous hospitality. In other words: plan your space like a sommelier, season it like a chef, and leave room on the cart for your neighbors.
Source: https://www.winespectator.com/articles/wine-design-at-home-in-a-pandemic