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!

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.