Beverage Dynamics is the largest national business magazine devoted exclusively to the needs of off-premise beverage alcohol retailers, from single liquor stores to big box chains, through coverage of the latest trends in wine, beer and spirits.
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/724527
6 Beverage Dynamics • September/October 2016 www.beveragedynamics.com ON THE Web HOW RESTAURANTS ARE CHANGING CONSUMERS' TASTES FOR RIESLING Staying abreast of what's hot on-premise is important for beverage-alcohol retailers. Customers frequently come in looking to replicate an experience they recently enjoyed at a trendy bar or restaurant. Accordingly, Beverage Dynamics runs relevant stories from our on-premise sister pub- lication, Cheers. Such as this recent feature on how top operators are changing how consumers think about Riesling: Bone dry and mineral-tinged or unctuous and dessert-like, it's never been a sweeter time for riesling. The highly aromatic, über acidic white varietal is classic, consistent and arguably a little confusing. Riesling can be super sweet, decidedly dry and everything in-between. Its aroma and fl avor profi le runs the gamut from stone fruits such as apricot to actual stones like fl int. And wine professionals seemingly can't get enough of it, with summer promotions and pairing dinners aplenty extolling its virtues. Perhaps the only issue for restaurants selling the variety is the lin- gering perception that all riesling is sweet . . . but these bottles don't defi ne the entire category. Anjoleena Griffi n-Holst, corporate beverage director of Table 301, a Greenville, SC-based operator of seven concepts, likes to conduct an experiment with guests. She encourages waitstaff to offer a taste of Table 301's Heinz Eifel kabinett riesling from Mosel, Germany, along with a taste of its Vouvray. "It surprises the guest to see that chenin blanc surpasses the residual sugar level of the Heinz Eifel," she says. For the full story, visit: www.beveragedynamics.com/ontheweb For the full story, visit: www.beveragedynamics.com/ontheweb For the full story, visit: www.beveragedynamics.com/ontheweb promotions and pairing dinners aplenty extolling its virtues. offer a taste of Table 301's Heinz Eifel kabinett riesling from Mosel, Germany, along with a taste of its Vouvray. "It surprises the guest to see STAFFING FOR SUCCESS: THE ART OF HIRING, TRAINING AND RETAINING EXCELLENT EMPLOYEES In this web feature, Melissa Niksic writes about best practices for top retail stores when hiring and educating staff: For beverage retailers, fi nding employees who are a good personality fi t for your oper- ation is just one part of the equation: you also need to make sure your staff are well-trained and capable of passing along detailed product knowledge to your customers. Hiring the right people, giving them a strong onboard- ing experience and providing them with ongoing training are all important components of customer-service success — which ultimately translates to success for your business. EIGHT THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT CACHAÇA With the Olympics in Rio, we looked at Brazil's national spirit. Here's a sample of what we found out: 1. CACHAÇA IS THE THIRD MOST-CONSUMED SPIRIT ON THE PLANET Of course, this stat is greatly aided by the cultural popularity of the spirit among Brazil's population of around 205.3 mil- lion. But as with other spirits already widely consumed outside of America — like baijiu, for instance — cachaça would seem a natural fi t for the ever-expanding U.S. craft movement. 2. CACHAÇA IS ON THE RISE IN AMERICA Category sales grew 28.9% in America in 2013-14, according to Axinte. And this was largely fueled by a rise in interest in craft cachaça: handcrafted and bar- rel-aged expressions. The Novo Fogo cachaca distillery in Brazil. The Urban Grape in Boston has a strong system for hiring and training staff.