Wine and Cook-outs on the 4th of July!
July 4, 2010
06:38:31Today is the 4th of July. Besides the fact that I am actually taking the time to write here on this day, which is incriminating enough, the special day reminds me of summer. Since we were kids the 4th of July meant something special. Family, friends, fireworks and cookouts! This is where my dilemma comes in.
As a wine advocate, someone who expounds the virtues of wine at any given opportunity, I would be remiss if I did not comment on the subject of which wines to pair with a cookout menu. If you were invited to a cookout which wines would you bring? Being rather warm in this part of the country around this time, one might typically think that this would be more of a cold beer or ice tea type of function. Nothing wrong with that! I too love beer and especially on a hot, beat down hot, type of day. So if you were so inclined, beer would be a good answer. The problem lies in the fact that I am “the Wine Guy”. You know that guy. Everyone knows that guy. He is the guy that shows up with wine at EVERY occasion. Weddings, funerals, holidays, birthdays, frankly any days.
So which WINE would you bring? Well you might start by trying to find out the menu. Call the host and ask what they are making, a simple question but sometimes hard to ask.
All cookouts are not alike. Gone are the days of just Hamburgers and hot dogs, replaced by skewers of chicken satay, grilled seabass, roasted corn cakes and more.
So I guess you might say that the same intriguing wine parings you normally are drawn to are applied here exactly the same way. Recently I went to a cookout with friends and found out the menu consisted of grilled flank steak, brats and lots of cold salads, some dressed in mayonnaise based dressings. Lots of choices here! Grilled flank steak usually means a marinade of some sort, so I picked a wine that could with stand the acidic nature of marinades and still balance the meat. Pinots can be overwhelmed, cabs can be to bold, so this time I picked out a Merlot. Not my favorite as you know, but the fruit and tannic base can stand with the acid and complement a brat also. I also brought a wonderful rose, with a great blend of fruit and mineral components that can crisp out mayo based dressings. Plus doesn’t summer just scream for rose?
Wine Success is a terrible thing to waste!
June 26, 2010
I continue to watch the market on wine and although prices seem pretty stable I still believe that it’s harder to find wines that fall into the category of “Value” wines. I think I have figured out the problem. Good wine! Hold on a minute, I know what you are thinking. How can good wine be the culprit? Let me explain.
You see, I think the wine industry suffers from its own advances. It suffers from better wine making, better farming techniques and grapes. It suffers from its own marketing machine and most certainly suffers from itself. Not there is anything wrong with this but it certainly makes it much harder to find values that nobody else knows about.
As the industry has matured, many new and important changes have basically over- saturated the market with good wine. There are plenty of good producers making very nice wines in every part of the globe. I know wine is not Kleenex. I mean how many ways can you make a tissue that different, right? But right now there is just too much wine being produced. Better yields per acre, better production methods and certainly a strained economic environment have helped to create this glut. Granted, not all wine is good. Some of it is down right undrinkable. If you have looked at your distributors catalogs lately you will see the enormous amount of wines actually being produced. It seems like it takes an hour just to get thru the whites. And that’s just one distributor. But it really comes down to one thing right? Price! Your guests think so. People are pinching wherever the can. Wine is near the top of that list. It is our own fault. We have ignored what our guest think. We haven’t listened to what they have been saying. But really, in an economy that is crippled we all need to do a better job putting wine lists out there that make sense.
It’s all well and good that you have a list full of the highly sought after wallet busters but what good is it doing for you if you are not selling it. People are dining with price as the central issue. You have looked at your dinner menus and made adjustments now it is time to look at your wine lists. Take the time to review your lists and make some tough decisions. Put wine back in the affordable range. I can not tell you how many people I speak with that are really put off by restaurant wine prices. They would love to enjoy a bottle with their meals but most restaurants make that cost prohibitive by using cost multipliers that are too high. I know a restaurant around here that is actually selling large quantities of wine with just a Retail markup philosophy. Some others are using a retail plus system and are doing quite nicely. The point is by making wines more affordable you are expanding your internal market of wine drinkers.
To long we have worked within the old adage that “I would rather sell one item for a million dollars then a million items at one dollar” Come on get with the rest of the world. Wine is still a luxury item to most diners. I want people to be able to enjoy wine with their meals. I believe you can actually increase this important revenue stream by lowering your pricing. More buying at less is better then few buying at none!
Robert Mondavi…….A look Back
May 6, 2010
I just finished reading a book written by Robert Mondavi. Yes that Robert Mondavi. It’s an older book, written when he was about 85 years old. Its called Robert Mondavi, Harvests of Joy. It was published in 1999. Sadly, Mr. Mondavi passed away in 2008 leaving a legacy of one of Americas greatest ambassadors. And Not just the wine arena
I won’t give you a critique on Mr. Mondavi’s writing style or his punctuation. But one thing I wanted to talk to you about was the one thing I extracted from the book. Mr. Mondavi was the ultimate driven guy. And what usually drives a man (or woman)?
Passion. Plain and simple.
Mr. Mondavi quite literally, carried the California Wine Industry on his shoulders for many years. It was through his dedication and passion about his craft that the international wine community finally took wines from the new world seriously. I am sure that eventually the European Wine community would have looked at the wines from “The New World” as rivals but back in the 60’s it was blasphemous for them to even think that. Through countless hours of repetitive “Selling” (for lack of a better word), Mr. Mondavi “talked” his way into the hearts and minds of many important wine people around the world. He used every opportunity he came across to ambassador California wine to the world. He was always promoting the soil, the climate, the grapes and techniques for making wines. Tireless and to a sometimes to a fault, Mr. Mondavi’s relentless pursuit of making world class wines drove him achieve what now one thought could be done. Now that’s Passion!
It got me to thinking that maybe what your restaurants could use is a little passion. Establish your staff as “Ambassadors” for your restaurant. When they are out and about they should be “Selling” you place and your wine programs. It certainly takes commitment but if they truly believe in it, it should be easy. But it would be hard to get your staff excited about it if they don’t feel your passion. So be passionate!
The world would certainly be a better place with Mr. Mondavi in it, but through his children, Michael, Tim and Marcie, he has left us a great legacy and example to follow.
By the way, they do make great wines! A Tavola!
Regional Influences of Wines
April 23, 2010
During your stages of wine program development it is go to go back and revisit wines that maybe you had overlooked or forgotten about. The easiest way to do this is of course refer to your tasting notes. But maybe a more enjoyable way is to look at your wines by region.
Let me explain. If your wine list is a weighted list, meaning you heavy into say French wines, or Italian, start to revisit wines from different production regions. This way is not only educational but user friendly. It will certainly assist is remembering a specific wine or area which you liked but may have overlooked. It could also be an eye-opening exercise into new regions or micro climates within that region.
A smart operator then takes the information and creates an event from it. It could be a complex as a wine dinner, it may be just a micro climate flight of wines. Anyway you do it, it will add interest to your restaurant and give your customers a reason to think about you. Get the staff involved, training and teaching along the way. Explain the subtle differences that climate change or terrior can impart on grapes and the final product, wine.
Most countries have specific regions, pieces of a bigger puzzle, that produce wines. Get to know them and enjoy their unique history, culture and foods. Which reminds me, get the chef involved again! The will certainly love the opportunity to create something different.
Enjoy!
Spain’s Hottest Wine Region!
March 12, 2010
While Spanish wines have been around for a long time, many wine drinkers are just discovering them for the first time. Spain offers a diversity of wine styles which will please many pallets.
Wine production in Spain has undergone a major overhaul in the past 40 years. New world grape growing techniques and production methods combined with modern thinking winemaker’s have elevated Spanish wines to a level unprecedented in their history.
Long relegated to the bottom of a wine list or the back of a wine shop, Spanish wines are becoming much sought after and extremely expressive. Wines made from many different grape varietals some indigenous and some not offer many complex wines from all regions of the Spanish countryside.
One region is currently trending higher then others in regards to popularity of new age wines. That region is Catalonia. Here are just a couple of reasons
a) With more than 50 organic winegrowers Catalonia has the highest
concentration of organic winegrowers than any other country.
b) Barcelona- the capital of the region is a very popular and chic place to
visit. With its diverse culture, unusual architecture, art history and its
wonderful array of internationally renown restaurants Barcelona is one
of the Mediterranean’s jewels
c) Price Points- Although some wines from this region can fetch a good
price, most of the wine s produced in this region offer exceptional value
Although many wines are exported across the globe from Catalonia, the star of the region has been the Cava’s or Sparkling Wines. Many made in the traditional Methode Champenoise, and aged in wonderful caves high in the Mountains of the region, the sparkling wines offer the drinker a wonderful reflection of the wine regions offerings.
Priorat produces wonderful approachable wines made predominantly from the Granacha grape. Many high end wines are produced in this region and its popularity amongst winemakers has pushed this region into becoming Spain’s second D.O.Ca.
Tarragona, Montsant, Terra Alta, Penedes and Pla de Bages round out an impressive group of diversified growing regions, mainly with coastal influences.
Venture out even if you can get to travel their. The wines of Catalonia offer wine drinker’s a glimpse into the culture and diversity of the region.
