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.
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FIRST SIP Cheers April 2015 / Vol. 26 No. 3 Editor Melissa Dowling 203-855-8499 ext. 223 mdowling@specialtyim.com Associate Editor Kyle Swartz 203-855-8499 ext. 225 kswartz@specialtyim.com Managing Art Director Dodi Vessels dvessels@epgmediallc.com Production Director Cherri Perschmann 763-383-4425 cperschmann@epgmediallc.com Contributing Editors Amanda Baltazar, John Fischer, Emily McIntyre, Melissa Niksic, Jack Robertiello, Lucy Saunders, Thomas Henry Strenk Senior Regional Sales Managers Bruce Kostic 203-855-8499 ext. 215 bkostic@specialtyim.com Mark Marcon 248-761-6231 mmarcon@specialtyim.com Debbie Rittenberg 215-860-0306 drittenberg@specialtyim.com List Rental MeritDirect, Jim Scova jscova@MeritDirect.com 914-368-1012 Reprints Robin Cooper rcooper@SpecialtyIM.com Cheers ® is published by EPG Media & Specialty Information Editorial offices at 17 High Street, 2nd Floor Norwalk, CT 06851 Tel: 203-855-8499 • Fax: 203-855-9446 CEO Marion Minor Sr VP/Audience Development Joanne Juda-Prainito Sr VP/Finance & Operations Gerald Winkel VP/Beverage Group Amy Collins Cheers (ISSN 1051-564X—USP Number 007-239) is published nine times per year (January/February, March, April, May, June, July/August, September, October, November/December) by EPG Media & Specialty Information, 17 High Street, Norwalk, CT 06851. Periodical Rate Postage paid at Norwalk, CT and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Cheers, P.O. Box 2123, Skokie, IL 60076-7823 SUBSCRIPTIONS: One-year subscription rates: USA $35.00; Canada $50.00; air mail to other countries $75.00. All subscriptions payable in U.S. dollars. Payment must accompany order. To subscribe write: Cheers, P.O. Box 2123, Skokie, IL 60076-7823, or call the Cheers customer service line at 847-763-9565, Fax 847-763-9569, M-F 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CST. Subscription customer service e-mail: cheers@ halldata.com. Copyright 2013 by EPG Media & Specialty Information, 17 High Street, Norwalk, CT 06851. Reproduction without the express written consent of the publisher is prohibited. EPG Media & Specialty Information, publishes Cheers, Beverage Dynamics, StateWays, Wine & Spirits Industry Marketing, Handbook Advance, Liquor Handbook, Wine Handbook, Beer Handbook and Fact Book. THE GREAT STATE OF U.S. WINE IF YOU'VE BEEN TRAVELING AROUND THE U.S. AT ALL, you've probably noticed an infl ux of local wines. Places where many people didn't even know that you could grow wine grapes (Arizona? Idaho?) have been adding or expanding vineyards. While California produces 90% of all the wine made in the U.S., it's amazing how quickly several other states have grown their wine industries in the past 10 to 15 years. There are now some 8,000 wineries in the country. And consumers are embracing regional wines, whereas not so long ago most people would avoid local offerings. There was little cachet in drinking local, plus many of the homegrown wines weren't very good. It wasn't that you couldn't make great wine in states other than California, but many vineyards were planting the wrong grapes for the climate. They also didn't know how to work with the vines and had little understanding of terroir. Dr. Konstantin Frank, founder of Vinifera Wine Cellars in New York's Finger Lakes region, is largely credited with changing the course of American winemaking more than 50 years ago. An immigrant from the Ukraine, Frank fi gured out how to grow the delicate European vinifera grape varieties in cold climates, which meant the Northeastern U.S. could produce European varieties of wines. Respectable—and in many cases delicious—wine is now coming out of every state. Regional vintners have learned more about planting and maintaining vineyards and cultivating the grape varietals that will thrive in specifi c climates. They're also more knowledgeable about harvesting, blending, bottling, aging and marketing their wines. Consumers, too, have become more educated about wine, and increasingly open-minded about trying some unconventional choices. As such, local wines can be a unique selling point for bars and restaurants. As Kacey Montgomery, owner of Juniper restaurant in Boise, ID, points out in the article "Unsung American Wine Regions" (page 26), when guests visit from out of town, "they want a Boise experience." And the customers who are from the area are proud of and love to drink the local Idaho wines, she says. In addition to American wine, we also cover the rising popularity of amari (page 18), proper beer glassware (page 22) and coffee cocktails (page 34). And our cover story on tequila, which starts on page 12, details its ongoing evolution from a shooter to a sipper, and how it's fueling interest in other agave-based spirits. Cheers! Melissa Dowling Editor www.cheersonline.com 6 • April 2015