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Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/30177
Operators across the country are focusing more than ever on green and environmentally friendly choices. By Deborah Parker Wong At Kimpton master sommelier Emily Wines created a program that features the wines from a different sustainable producer every month. ustainability is no longer a grassroots movement. Fueled by a groundswell of commitment on behalf of operators, beverage programs that have made sustainability a priority have taken hold in every corner of the nation and are becoming the driving force behind a wave of new businesses. Jumpstarted by the passion and chefs who advocated a regional and seasonal approach towards eating, sustainabile bevearges are now riding a wave of success. While the parameters of sustainable beverage programs diff er, the fundamental considerations of most operators are very much the same. Given the success of their eff orts, sustainable practices are generating interest and profi ts and are likely here to stay. Th is story looks a lineup of diff erent models of sustainable drinks lists in diff erent parts of the country. For many operations, a sustainable beverage program is one component of a larger, brand-wide eff ort to raise consciousness and protect the environment. At Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, a national chain of 51 boutique hotels and restaurants based in San Francisco, California, master sommelier Emily Wines created Wines Th at Care: a program that features the wines from a diff erent sustainable producer every month during the nightly hosted wine hour at Kimpton hotels. For her 2011 lineup, Wines selected producers like French Rabbit, Citra, Concha y Toro, Banrock Station and Hayes Ranch by Wente for their dedication to earth-friendly practices and local communities. Wines Th at Care is part of Kimpton’s company-wide EarthCare umbrella program that encompasses 50 daily environmentally friendly practices. “We were looking for ways to expand our EarthCare initiative and over the last two years we’ve achieved a lot with our beverage program. Th irty percent of the wines on our lists are eco-friendly choices including wines from organic, biodynamic and sustainable producers large and small.” Th e company also off ers in-house purifi ed still and sparkling water through a partnership with Natura that reduces waste and supports Th e Nature Conservancy. Wines’ approach to sustainability is to “avoid depleting the earth for short-term gain,” a philosophy that she puts in to practice on a daily basis through her various programs at Kimpton. www.cheersonline.com Sustainability was a priority for Talish Barrow when he designed the beverage program for Graze Gastropub, a small plate-concept sister restaurant to famed L’Etoile in Madison, Wisconsin. “I have always thought the tradition of European house wines [from the barrel to the carafe] was charming and the quality and cost benefi ts of wine on tap were appealing,” said Barrow who was inspired to source wines on tap after reading about them in the New York Times. Barrow lists a Dry Creek Valley sauvignon blanc and a Sonoma County merlot-cabernet franc blend sourced from Sonoma producer Silvertap’s portfolio of sustainably farmed, organic wines. At Graze, wines on tap are listed by the glass for $6, half liter at $16 and full liter carafes for $32 and Barrow sells through two 5.5-gallon kegs each week. “We’re on the same trajectory as the adoption of the screw cap and we’re quickly overcoming any stigma,” said Barrow. “Wine on tap reduces costs to the consumer by as much as 30 percent.” MAY 2011 | 33