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/51774
Kiley Wynne Efrone is the owner of Taverna in Florida and serves quite a few Italian wines. Block's "wishful thinking" would like to see the popularity of red Rhône grapes expand even further. He carries three California Syrahs including the Beckmen 2007 "Purisima Mountain Vineyard" Syrah from the Santa Ynez Valley ($45 a bottle. He's also partnered with Randall Graham of Bonny Doon for a mostly Grenache-based blend. ITALIAN INFLUENCE AND CLASSIC PINOTS California-Italian varietals like sangiovese and nebbiolo are also fi nding their niche. Producing wine with these grapes is a longstanding tradition in the state, as Italian immigrants brought over plantings of native varietals in the nineteenth century. Again, Pesquera gives a nod to the Central Coast, which has successfully experimented with varietals including Sangiovese. She believes their restrained use of oak and attention to these grapes has made them more interesting. Efron off ers Caparone Winery Aglianico ($8 a glass and $32 a bottle) from Paso Robles, which she calls the best domestic Aglianico she has ever tasted. And where does California Pinot Noir fi t into the mix? Th ough it better thrives in the state's cooler regions, it's produced in warmer areas as well, which results in a riper, higher-alcohol style of wine. Some winemakers appeal to fans of big, bold reds like cabernet sauvignon by extracting as much fruit, color and tannin as possible, and though the resulting wines aren't necessarily popular with many guests who gravitate toward big reds. At Fleming's pinot noir is second only to cabernet sauvignon in popularity for red wines by the glass, like the Mark West 2009 California Pinot Noir, and Migration 2009 by Anderson Valley's Duckhorn Vineyards. Of Pinot Noir, Pesquera waxes that it's, "Fickle and hard to grow, but when it's good it's sublime." Morton's lists California Pinot Noirs mainly from cooler areas, including Acacia and Etude from Carneros. According to www.cheersonline.com Field, these cooler microclimates are often able to draw out the grape's signature minerality and acidity. Pinot noir is well known, but guests may need a bit of coaxing to order one of the lesser-known California varietals or sub-regions: that's where staff training and education comes in. "Every Fleming's has a wine manager whose main focus is to make wine approachable and fun for our guests." To that end, wine managers conduct weekly tastings and seminars, and off er a comprehensive three-year wine education program. At Legal Sea Foods, Block created wine education videos for staff , after which they need to pass an assessment and distributors come into locations for the fi rst two months of a wine menu change, which occurs twice annually. Even operators without the resources for such extensive wine programs can be sure employees are well versed about California wines. Simonis regularly tastes wines with staff and describes their characteristics, but always trains them to also listen to guests' opinions about what they have ordered; Efron created the "Taverna Wine Bible," which employees consult to glean descriptions and background information on winemakers and production for each wine on the list. California continues to be the most prolifi c wine making state in the country. Whether guests are seeing a Bordeaux- inspired Meritage with a price to match, a wallet-friendly white blend, or anything in between, the state's various regions and winemakers can deliver. As Pesquera puts it, "Th e great thing about winemaking in California is the variety of top-notch wines we can off er. It's pretty amazing." Kelly Magyarics is a wine and spirits writer, and wine educator, in the Washington, D.C. area. She can be reached through her website, www.kellymagyaric.com, and on www.twitter.com/ kmagyarics. JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012 | 37