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/63431
T acid whites," says Amy Goldberger, sommelier and wine director at Fifth Floor Restaurant in San Francisco. "Th ey are excellent pairing wines and people seem to really enjoy them all." Th e change of heart among consumers goes along with the directors alike, high-acid white wines like sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio and riesling are gaining ground on restaurants and bars' lists. "Wine sales are defi nitely looking up in the area of aromatic, high he days of big, bold, oaky chardonnays dominating the white wine scene could very well be coming to an end. Once the darlings of sommeliers and food and beverage glass list fall into the high-acid category. She also has a page on her wine list dedicated to showcasing the high acid varietals. "We have a lot of savvy diners in the Bay Area that know what to expect from these wines. Th ey may come in and ask for a specifi c grape varietal and region." For Jacob Fairchild, CSW, director of wine sales and operating Six out of the 10 wines on Goldberger's white wines-by-the- to experiment with new wine fl avors, operators fi nd. "Th e trend has a lot to do with the fact that Americans are more educated: much of it from television shows," says Brett Davis, master sommelier and co-owner of Doc Crow's Southern Smokehouse & Raw Bar in Louisville. "People are noticing that they can pair these [wines] with food." As consumers grow more comfortable with the wines, they natural evolution of wine discovery. "When you start learning about wine you start drinking and learning, you tend to like the bigger bolder stuff : that really impresses you," says Olivier Dufeu, wine director at Indian restaurant Junoon in New York. Th e more educated customers become the more likely they are partner at Houston-based Lasco Enterprises, which runs fi ve restaurants across Texas, "Wines like these tend to make their way to a list based on style and diversity. [Gomba] Gavi for example, which is made from the cortese grape in Northwestern Italy, is such a unique wine it almost demands a spot on every wine list simply because nothing else compares. Same with food; as a food menu grows in diversity or changes with the season, the wines one can pair with these foods must change as well." Most of his restaurants off er at least one or two of these high- acid whites by the glass, but Fairchild notes that the majority of these varietals are purchased by the bottle. explore other options and fi nd that higher-acid wines tend to work better with food. And wine executives are enthused. In fact, many managers have seen an increase in high-acid wine sales during the last fi ve years. To keep consumers interested they are showcasing how well these wines work with food and teaching their staff on the fi ner points of food and wine pairing. FOOD FRIENDLY Sommeliers and wine directors have known for a while that high acid white wines can work well with food. And these rules often need to be carefully highlighted to customers in order to insure that many of them have a good experience when exploring these new fl avors. "Our rule is to always recommend wine that has higher acid than the food. Wine should also be sweeter than the food," explains Davis. "Texture and balance are important in pairing wines. You taste a high acid wine and your mouth waters. It gets the saliva going which draws you to food and drink. Th e bigger, fl abbier [lower-acid] wines don't have the same eff ect." Of the 45 white wines on his list, he would categorize some disguises the acidity, which is why they are appealing to most guests, not just sommeliers." www.cheersonline.com 40 percent to be in the high-acid category. "We try to bring in the high acid wines in a non-intimidating way," notes Davis, adding that pinot gris is catching up with chardonnay as a top seller at Doc Crow's. Goldberger agrees. "Th e balance of the wines sometimes The Fifth Floor in San Francisco offers many pairings with high-acid wines. MAY 2012 | 39 drinking public, on-premise nudges from an educated staff can really increase sales and experimentation. "It takes the sommeliers to bring [these wines] to the EDUCATED SUGGESTIONS While media may have played a role in educating the wine attention of consumers," says Goldberger. "People are interested in learning about new styles and more terroir-driven wines and how they interact with food."