Cheers

Cheers July/August 2016

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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www.cheersonline.com 29 July/August 2016 • The highly aromatic, über acidic white varietal is classic, consistent and arguably a little confusing. Riesling can be super sweet, decidedly dry and everything in-between. Its aroma and fl avor profi le runs the gamut from stone fruits such as apricot to actual stones like fl int. And wine professionals seemingly can't get enough of it, with summer promotions and pairing dinners aplenty extolling its virtues. Perhaps the only issue for restaurants selling the variety is the lingering perception that all riesling is sweet. Sure, there are luscious examples made in Germany and elsewhere, but these bottles don't defi ne the entire category. Anjoleena Griffi n-Holst, corporate beverage director of Table 301, a Greenville, SC-based operator of seven concepts, likes to conduct an experiment with guests. She encourages the waitstaff to offer a taste of Table 301's Heinz Eifel kabinett riesling from Mosel, Germany, along with a taste of its Vouvray. "It surprises the guest to see that chenin blanc surpasses the residual sugar level of the Heinz Eifel," she says. KEEP ON TROCKEN Millennial consumers in particular tend to be adventurous and thirsty for knowledge about riesling, including emerging regions and producers. Many are also savvy enough to know that German offerings labeled "trocken" are dry. Table 301 restaurant Soby, for instance, offers the 2014 Dönnhoff trocken riesling from Nahe, Germany, for $55 a bottle. Julian Mayor, head sommelier for the 172-seat Bourbon Steak in Washington, D.C., notes that when guests discover trocken riesling, "you can see their eyes light up, and you know that they'll remember to look for [trocken] when they're searching for a dry white wine." Bourbon Steak features the 2014 Robert Weil trocken riesling from the Rheingau ($60 a bottle) and the 2008 Sybille Kuntz trocken riesling from the Mosel ($40 a bottle.) Bump up the sugar level just a tad, and Mayor says you get easy-drinking kabinett riesling, such as the 2012 Meulenhof Erdener Treppchen kabinett riesling ($49 a Bone dry and mineral-tinged or unctuous and dessert-like, it's never been a sweeter time for riesling. bottle), with "pretty sweetness that integrates well with the fruit fl avor." The 2012 Niersteiner Paterberg Spätlese Riesling ($79 a bottle), is "for those who like a fuller body with intense sweetness more similar to candied apricots," Mayor says. He admits that long village names on the wine labels and the varying sweetness levels can make German "The weight and texture are fuller than those from Germany, and the sweet- ness levels help invite the guest to reconsider riesling as a great white to pair with food." — Anjoleena Griffi n-Holst, corporate beverage director of Table 301 in Greenville, SC, enjoys introducing guests to Alsatian riesling. Julian Mayor, right, head sommelier for Bourbon Steak in Washington, D.C., fi nds that many guests enjoy easy-drinking, slighter sweeter kabinett rieslings.

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