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/92599
drink," says Donatella Arpaia, owner of Donatella in New York. "I definitely think that prosecco as a category is becoming more widely known—especially in this economy. People still want to go out and celebrate." Arpaia's main focus in sparkling wines in her Neapolitan "Champagne no longer is the first choice for an effervescent restaurant are Martini prosecco and Asti. "It's a brand that people know, it does really, really well and is priced really well," she says. Donatella sells prosecco for $13 to $16 by the glass and by the Gruet blanc de blancs from New Mexico against many 100- percent chardonnay Champagnes." At the two Indulge Wine Rooms in Milwaukee, Wisc., proprietor Marc Bianchini sells sparkling wine from many major regions. Like other operators, he has found that guests are buying sparklers to celebrate for many reasons other than big occasions. "People are looking for something different and fun," he says. Bianchini offers choices in a range of prices but bottle for $45. "It's an affordable luxury," Arpaia says. "It's all about making the customer feel comfortable." The biggest attraction to sparkling wines "is that they are half at least the price of a Champagne," says Alex Karas, general manager of Quattro Gastronomia Italiana in Miami Beach. "The production method reduces our cost; we don't have to charge $100 for a great prosecco." The Italian-themed Quattro, a lunch-and-dinner restaurant, carries an all-Italian wine list except for Champagne, as well as a full bar. Its sparklers include prosecco, spumante and franciacorta—all of which are sold by the glass and in cocktails, as well as by the bottle. Prices for sparkling wines at Quattro range from $10 to $14, cocktails are $15 and bottles run from $39 to $46. Prosecco by the glass now accounts for 12% of annual beverage sales, Karas says, which represents a gradual increase. NOT JUST PROSECCO Italian sparkling wine exports to the U.S. increased by 36% in 2011 alone, according to the Italian Trade Commission's analysis of U.S. Department of Commerce data. But prosecco isn't the only popular sparkler. "There is a treasure trove to choose from," says Duncan of Bin 36. "Most countries have something good—South Africa, South America, Spain, Italy, France, Australia, domestic— there are so many choices." A few of the sparklers that Duncan recommends are Tabernero from Peru, a brut style that is 100% chenin blanc; Sziget, a mineral-driven Gruner Veltliner from Austria and a 2009 Raventos Brut Reserva, a Spanish cava, which retails for $20 a bottle. At Pickwick & Frolic, a Cleveland, Ohio, entertainment complex with a comedy club, sparkling wines from all over the world comprise about 35% of the inventory of 73 labels. Sales of both sparkling wines and Champagne have risen this year, says Dina Kostis, sommelier and Champagne bar manager, following a slump after the recession hit in 2008. "Sparkling is an easier price to swallow, and I think the quality is there," Kostis says. "For instance, I would put up www.cheersonline.com A bubbly glass of prosecco served at The Hubbard Inn in Chicago. NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2012 | 33