Cheers is dedicated to delivering hospitality professionals the information, insights and data necessary to drive their beverage business by covering trends and innovations in operations, merchandising, service and training.
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/598044
www.cheersonline.com 15 November/December 2015 • priced at $49 with a half-bottle or $84 for a 750-ml. bottle. "It's a great yin-and-yang combination," Bolton says of the popular fries and bubbly order, "a bit of luxury and gluttony wrapped into one." Price—especially on Champagne—can be a sticking point for many consumers. Some operators find that sparkling sales are easier by the glass or split or if bottles are priced to move. Mina Group's RN74 restaurant offers a number of Champagnes by the half-bottle, ranging in price from $50 to $70. "Moving product starts with pricing correctly," advises Grajewski. Sparkling wines are often marked up at a lesser rate than a comparable still wine, especially by the glass. Once a bottle is open, it has to be sold or it will be wasted. At Sage restaurants, wine lists are offering a more diverse by-the-glass selection of sparklers, including Champagne. "[We're] often pricing it below margin, to make it more accessible to consumers," adds Wise. Sage's Second Home concept offers three sparkers by the glass: Lunetta prosecco ($9); Nicholas Feuillatte Brut Reserve Champagne ($21); and Chandon Brut ($12). Overall the Sage restaurants sell the most sparkling wines by the glass. "It's a great gateway into our wine program at all of our restaurants, which gives the consumer a feel for our wine sensibilities and builds trust," Wise says. DOING THE SPLITS Firebirds has had great success with half bottles of sparkling wines. "Instead of offering it by the glass, we sell splits and avoid that waste," explains Pulsinelli. Many customers are ordering half bottles before dinner as an aperitif. "From an accessibility standpoint, splits have been a great hit for us," says Wise. Customers can trade up in quality without a big jump in price. For guests, half-bottles are the ideal solution to multicourse meals. "Splits allow them to start with a glass of Champagne and still enjoy a red wine later with their steak." Using some of the bottles that are already open gives restaurants more flexibility to boost offerings and sell more sparklers. After a bottle is opened for a glass pour at the Bubbly Mermaid, it's kept out in a big ice bucket that resides on the tiny bar, where guests can check out the labels. "Oftentimes, people will order whatever they see open," reports Naff. If an upper-shelf bottle was opened the night before but is still fresh, Naff will discount the wine to $15 a glass. Customers can also order half glasses, which encourages trial. The Bubbly Mermaid also draws customers Monday through Wednesdays with a two-for-one oyster special, which keeps the Champagne flowing. MIXOLOGY WITH A TWINKLE Champagne and sparkling wine have become a key component in cocktail programs, and operators are going beyond the basic Mimosa and Bellini. "A quick splash of sparkling wine adds texture and a layer of flavor to cocktails," notes Grajewski at Mina Group. Firebirds has found lately that the cocktails made with sparkling wine tend to sell well, says Pulsinelli. The Flirtini, priced at $10.50, has been a staple on the drinks list for years; it's a blend of Cruzan Mango rum, St. Germain elderflower liqueur, cranberry juice and a splash of Domaine Chandon. A variation on the Peach Bellini was a hit with guests last summer. "A touch of sparkling wine just before you drop it off at the table really gets the aromatics going, and enlivens the senses when you taste it," says Pulsinelli. At Sage Restaurant Group's Mercat al la Planxa, a tapas concept in Chicago, "one of our best-selling cocktails incorporates a dry sparkling rosé," says Wise. The drink, Rosado, mixes New Amsterdam gin with Aperol and orange blossom honey and a sparkling rosé cava. "I challenge anyone to be in a bad mood with a glass of sparkling wine in their hand," says Wise. Thomas Henry Strenk is a freelance writer based in Brooklyn, NY, specializing in all things drinkable. A CHILEAN SPARKLER TO TRY The país grape varietal, which arrived in Chile in the 16th century, had been largely forgotten and undervalued as a base for cheap country wine. A 2007 initiative between the Spanish winery Miguel Torres and the University of Talca, financed in part by the Chilean government, helped resuscitate this grape variety and improve the production and quality of wine made with it. The result is Santa Digna Estelado, a sparkling rosé produced in the Champenoise method. The pale pink sparkler, which helps support the 8,000 small farmers in southern Chile that cultivate the grape varietal, boasts fine bubbles and a fresh, fruity flavor and retails in the $25 range.—MD The wine list at San Francisco restaurant RN74, operated by the Mina Group, offers a number of Champagnes by the half-bottle, ranging from $50 to $70.