Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/197178
MARKET WATCH TIM TEICHGRAEBER ple come into a place like a steak house, they look for wines that go with steak, like a big cabernet. I'm sure Italian restaurants sell more Italian wine than we do, and I'm sure we sell more California cabernet than a fish restaurant would." Vogt said that he carries a couple of sweet red wines – an Italian brachetto and an Inniskillin sparkling cabernet franc dessert wine from Canada – but that they aren't particularly fast movers. He acknowledged that there might still be a stigma attached to sweet wines, and that could be one of the reasons why his customers seldom ask for them. © 2013 StaVin Inc. Even if the wines aren't generally a great fit for his restaurant's food, he's happy to give people what they want. "I think that what you drink at home is different from what you might drink when you go out," Vogt observed. "I think a lot of people feel self-conscious about ordering something they perceive as being 'uncool.' From my perspective, I don't care what you order as long as you like it. I have a list that's based on what I think works best with our food and what our clients like, combined." It may be that the people who responded to my requests for interviews don't represent the young, trendy, hip places that are selling a lot of sweet wine, but they do see a wide variety of tourists come through their doors. And an online look at the wine menus at numerous casual-dining establishments, including Applebee's, Carrabba's Italian Grill, LongHorn Steakhouse and P.F. Chang's, showed no sweet reds listed. The reasons could be many. Perhaps it's that these wines tend to be inexpensive at retail and have a low profit margin. Or that while they might be delicious to new wine drinkers, they aren't made in a style experienced buyers want. At least for now, it doesn't appear that diners are clamoring for sweeter red wines, and when they're offered, customers aren't biting. Maybe these wines aren't a good match for food, or maybe they're just secret indulgences best enjoyed in the privacy of one's home, just like a late-night pint of ice cream. Tim Teichgraeber cut his teeth For over twenty years we've searched the world to source the very finest oak known to wine. Our hikes through numerous forests in countries on two continents have yielded findings some winemakers consider treasure. Such travels have shown us the rewards of perseverance, and the importance of variety. Because even the most delicious wines rarely taste the same. ® StaVın Inc, P.O.Box 1693, Sausalito,CA 94966 (415) 331-7849 f (415) 331-0516 stavin.com w w w. v w m m e d i a.com in retail wine sales before becoming the wine columnist for the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Today he is a contributor to the San Francisco Chronicle, Tasting Panel, Opus Vino and other publications, when he's not working as an entertainment lawyer in San Francisco. Comments? Please e-mail us at feedback@vwmmedia.com. N ov - D ec 2013 | V INE YA RD & W INE RY M A N A G EM EN T 25