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Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/537558
www.cheersonline.com 37 July/August 2015 • weird and out-there wines." An orange wine from Croatia went over pretty well with the curious crowd. The 2008 Roxanich "Ines" ($85) from the Istria region was made from seven varietals and spent fi ve years in oak. "It's one of the best orange wines I've ever tasted," Kroll says. FOOD-FRIENDLY FINDS Mere curiosities are not enough to fuel an effective restaurant wine program, however. They must also work well with food. And these wines deliver, say operators. "As with any region, the criteria is, are the wines well-made, balanced, and do they work with the restaurant's cuisine," says Hon. A number of Eastern European wines fi t that criteria, he says. "I adore the malvasia coming out of Croatia; it's aromatic, with good body and bright acid. It goes well with Sepia's food." Brasserie Zentral's cuisine is infl uenced by the chef 's Austria-Hungarian heritage, and wines from the region are a good match, says Giraud. "The wines complement the food, and vice versa," he notes. "We believe that if it grows together, it goes together." At Lower48, the dry furmint from Hungary is the top-selling wine by the glass, says Nocifera, who adds that the Slovenian malvasia is a personal favorite. "For me those wines go best with the chef 's cuisine because of their richness with balanced acidity." TONGUE TWISTERS Marketing these wines to American consumers can be diffi cult because of the Slavic vocabulary, with all those consonants and crazy diacritical accent marks. This is not an insurmountable obstacle, of course; it just takes some work on the part of staff and consumers. "Americans have just fi gured out how to say 'sauvignon;' I'm not sure they are ready yet for pošip and rkatsiteli," laughs Davis. "That's something somms have to work on." Pronunciation can be a problem, "and there aren't the familiar international varietals," says Hon. "So that makes it harder for a regular wine consumer to get into the category." Brasserie Zentral offers an easy fi x: "Customers don't want to try to pronounce the names, so we use bin numbers to make ordering easy," Giraud says. SOURCING SITUATION "One of the challenges is that not a lot of these wines are being imported into the U.S. yet," says Hon in Chicago. The wine director says he would be interested in Georgian wines, if he could get distribution. "The distribution channels are not yet in place," echoes Davis. "Those countries don't have the shipping infrastructure that France, Italy and Spain have, which creates logistical challenges." The few Eastern European wines that do make it to the New Orleans market are through small, boutique distributors. "There are some up-and-coming stars in those regions; we just aren't seeing them here," Davis says. In the D.C. area, Kroll sources all his Eastern European wines from just one company right now. "It's not like other wine regions of the world where you can compare importers," he points out. Giraud reports that there are several great distributors in Minnesota. "Plus, with the internet, I can travel anywhere in the world and if I fi nd a wine I want to serve at the restaurant, it is not hard to get it within a few weeks or maybe within a couple months." STORIES SELL As with most lesser-known regions and wines, hand-selling is the best way to move bottles. And there are some great tales to spin. Properly handled, Eastern European wines can be an interesting addition to any restaurant wine menu. "These wines are defi nitely a hand- sell, but they are easy hand-sells for me because of the value. They are entry- level price points," points out Kroll. "The story of the Eastern European countries coming out of the ashes of a civil war and reinventing themselves in a very competitive wine market is intriguing," says Hon. "That's good for hand-selling wines. You want that story, and with Eastern Europe, there are a lot of stories to tell." Sepia carries a red from the Dalmatian coast; the varietal is similar to the more familiar zinfandel. That connection helps the wine sell well. "I have these wines on my list because I want to support them, and because I think they are really good wines," says Davis. "They give the somms on my staff something exciting to talk about when they are hand-selling." There is a money-back guarantee policy at Brasserie Zentral. If a customer doesn't like a bottle of wine, Giraud will take it back. He knows he can sell the bottle by the glass. Every Wednesday, Giraud also uncorks a few special bottles to offer by the glass at the Foreign Legion, a wine and cheese bar. This allows guests to try two or three more exotic wines at a set price of $15 without committing to a full bottle. The promotion is well attended, with a number of adventurous regulars. Says Nocifera at Lower48, "In the end, Eastern European wines are a great value and a great glass of wine, and that's what's I'm looking for: to enhance the guests' experience. I think these wines help do that." Thomas Henry Strenk is a Brooklyn-based freelance beverage writer who has tasted many of the wines of Bulgaria, Moldova and Croatia, as well as those of Georgia. "These wines are defi nitely a hand-sell, but they are easy hand-sells for me because of the value. They are entry-level price points." – Brent Kroll, wine director for the Alexandria, VA-based Neighborhood Restaurant Group o