Description

Below is a summary of Restaurant Wine magazine issue #133-134, published in Sept/Oct & Nov/Dec 2010. This issue is available for purchase online by clicking “Add to Cart” below.

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Featured in This Issue

2010 On-Premise Wine Forecast

After a bleak 2009, 2010 looks to be a much better year for wine in USA restaurants — but not a return to pre-2008 sales bliss. Some thoughts on the ‘wine lessons’ of 2009 and where wine sales on-premise are going next.

Wine Marketing Savvy: 10 Ways to Boost Customer Interest in Your Wine Program

The on-premise wine market has changed dramatically in the past two years. The recession — and its grinding aftermath — have changed how customers view wine in restaurants, and the types of wines they are purchasing. In this revealing article, we provide techniques and tools that can perk up your restaurant’s wine sales — and keep customers returning to your restaurant.

Operation Profile

When the recession hit, upscale restaurants, in particular, suffered terribly. Yet this upscale seafood restaurant, located in the heart of a major tourist area, actually held its own, in part, due to its progressive, dynamic wine program. What did it do with wine to help insulate sales from a sagging economy?

Well, for starters, in 2005 it implemented an intelligent, forward-thinking wine pricing policy that generated positive, enduring, customer goodwill — which encouraged value-minded customers to continue to dine here, even during tough economic times.

Wine Recommendations

The “best of the best” — 354 top wines are recommended, out of more than 1,200 tasted. Dozens of California Chardonnays are highlighted, across the price spectrum; so are many first rate Sauvignon Blancs, as well as a selection of Pinot Gris, Rieslings, Viogniers, and Gewurztraminers. We feature a range of fine Roses, and dozens of top-rated Cabernet Sauvignons (and blends) from the 2005, 2006, and 2007 vintages, primarily from northern California. We move to Merlot, then, and Syrah, and Rhone-style reds from California and Washington. And recommend next a wide variety of Pinot Noirs, largely from the 2007 and 2008 vintages. Our focus on wines from the USA ends with several outstanding Zinfandels and Petite Sirahs.

In the past year or so, Chilean wines many have benefited from the ‘value perception’ many budget-minded consumers have of them. Well, the good news is that Chilean wines continue to get better and better, and that wine values abound here. In this issue, we single-out 39 of them, including the best Syrah we’ve ever tasted from Chile, regardless of price — and it sells for just $192/case wholesale.

Riesling is thriving in American restaurants, and those from Germany — perhaps the world’s finest — continue to warrant a great deal of on-premise attention. Here are some of the best available from the 2008 vintage.

Our international journey next takes us to Italy, for a range of moderately priced whites, roses, and red wines. And then to New Zealand, for some outstanding Pinot Gris and Pinot Noirs, as well as highly recommended Sauvignon Blancs and Rieslings. After a brief visit to Portugal’s Douro Valley for several delicious reds, we end our tour in South Africa with a range of excellent whites (Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc), and two Roses that are very modestly priced.

Restaurant Survey: The Recent Evolution of Your Wine Program

What 16 restaurants from across the USA have done in their wine programs in the past two years, in the face of the weaker economy and sagging wine sales.