Again, the logical pairing is meat;
Prentice recommends fatty options
like roasted pork loin or filet mignon
wrapped in bacon, which serve as a
foil for the wine’s powerful backbone.
The Virtues of Variety
Traditional French grape Viognier also
has its share of fans at Purple, and
it has become a popular “
alternative” selection on many other wine
lists across the country. Prentice is
pleased that the higher-alcohol, more
bloated style that she says had been
the norm in Washington has evolved
into one that is more balanced and more easily matched with food.
Viognier has recently been positioned as Virginia’s signature
white varietal, and bottles there tend to have more in common with
those from France than from the West Coast. Stover has several
on OYA’s list, and believes that Virginia’s Chrysalis Vineyards’ balanced Viognier is the best one produced domestically.
“Viognier is a great alternative to Chardonnay, and that’s how
many restaurants position it,” Stover explains. With its enticing
floral aroma and a weight similar to many Chardonnays but without
the oakiness, Viognier can hold up to heavy soups, triple crème
cheeses and fleshy fishes.
Crisp and peppery Grüner Veltliner
has been the darling of many a wine
list over the last few years. It’s still popular, although it’s losing momentum
because it’s no longer a novelty. At
Eastern Standard Kitchen & Drinks in
Boston, a 200-seat establishment with
$100,000 in monthly wine sales, beverage manager Jackson Cannon markets
a lesser-known Italian white that may
be destined to become Grüner 2.0.
“Erbaluce is a great white wine
getting a lot of attention from people
wanting to move beyond Grüner
Veltliner. Erbaluce has sex appeal! Very
food friendly,” he explains. The Erbaluce di Caluso from Ferrando in
Piedmont has been a hot seller for $12 a glass, which Cannon loves
for its citrus notes and mineral quality.
Eastern Standard guests willingly explore lesser-known varietals.
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Consumer Confidence
As wine drinkers become more confident with unpronounceable
wine regions and grape names, operators are adding more off-the-beaten-path Italian varietals alongside traditional favorites like Pinot
Grigio, Chianti and Barolo. Cannon has successfully introduced light
red drinkers to Sicilian grapes such as the Nero d’Avola-based 2005
Cos Cerasuolo di Vittoria, positioned to sip with roasted meats,
charcuterie and heartier seafood like striped bass or scallops. Since
Italian cuisine now is often marketed with a focus on region, it
makes sense to offer local varietals alongside native dishes.
No matter the grape, education and sample tastes are paramount to marketing new or less familiar varietals to guests. On
most nights at Bacar, management opens a few bottles not
typically poured by the glass, offering samples to guests seeking
something different but unwilling to commit to a full glass or bottle
sight unseen. At OYA, monthly wine sales are about $75,000, and
promotion is a big focus. With really obscure wines, Stover likens
them to something familiar, describing, for example, Basque Txa-koli as similar to Pinot Grigio. Guests can taste any of the by-the-glass options; in this section of the highly descriptive wine menu is
where patrons find most of the unfamiliar grape varietals.
Menu wording and placement definitely draw attention to
noteworthy but yet unexplored wines. At Bourbon Steak, Parr lists
such wines under sections labeled “Secrets of the Sommelier” and
“Wines of Consequence.” Bacar offers 60 wines by the glass, and
some of the lesser-known grapes appear on the “Fifty Under $50”
section or flights such as “Staff Favorites” and “Exotics.”
How can operators stay ahead of the wine curve yet maintain
consumer satisfaction? Cannon recommends focusing on terroir
and winemaker style in addition to varietal. Stover agrees, and
adds, “I focus mainly on the quality and food pairing-ability of the
varietal. I like to think of myself as a trendsetter and therefore like
to show guests up-and-coming wines that may be trendy in the
future.” Indeed, rather than selling wines solely because they are
buzz-worthy, constant tasting and researching by the wine director
assures abundant options that live up to any surrounding hype. NCB
