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: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/28636
bars and taverns rose to 14.3 in 2010 over 13.1 the previous year. Specifi cs on Italian wines were not available. To get Italian wines on the menu at a solid price point, Showen says, “I dig through my distributors’ books, do my homework and try to pick up on wines that are often obscure and diffi cult to move without hand selling.” Helping that cause might be the current value of the Euro. “I defi nitely think that prices of all European wines are leaning towards more value now that the Euro and the dollar are looking more equal,” Showen says. However, Drew Hendricks, who as director of wine manages nine concept’s wine lists for Houston, Texas-based Pappas Restaurants, says that price trend will take a few months before most restaurants feel it. “I don’t know if we’ve seen it right now, but I think we’ll see it happening in the next six to eight months with presells and pricing,” he says. “T e way importers have us buy, it takes us four to six months to see any change in pricing.” Pappas restaurants range from casual Louisiana-style Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen to two fi ne-dining Pappas Bros. Steakhouses in Houston and Dallas. Another trend boosting Italian wine-by-the-glass sales, Hendricks says, is the growing sophistication of the American consumer. “I think overall the American consumer is more interested in wines around the world,” Hendricks says. “We’ve seen a big jump in all categories in our restaurants. I think more people are looking to explore diff erent areas and regions of other countries that they were in the past.” And for the two high-end steakhouses, Hendricks says, “Barolo and Brunello [the Piedmontese heavy-hitting reds] work really well with the richer cuts of meat. Super Tuscans are quite fl eshy and pair well with fi let. I think Italian wines work really well with steakhouse cuisine. We’ve seen a big uptake in the interest in Italian wines on the fl oors, not only by the glass but also in the bottle.” T e steakhouses off er four Italian wines by the glass, priced from $9 to $25 for six-ounce pours. Hendricks’ best-selling varietal is pinot grigio. A Rocca will cost $9 at the steakhouses, while Pappadeaux off ers Mezzacorona ($7 to $10) and Santa Margherita ($12 to $15) in fi ve- and eight-ounce pours. “Pinot grigio is a go-to classic style of wine,” Hendricks says. “Everybody understands the style of pinot grigio much the way they understand the style of chardonnay. And our servers recommend it quite a bit. We see a lot of people going for that eight-ounce pour and a lot of people willing to move up in price point.” www.cheersonline.com At Pappas restaurants the increasing interest of the American consumer is driving Italian wine sales by the glass. APRIL 2011 | 37