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 How To Grow Your Hospitality Business
Excerpt 5
Interpreting Wine Lists
Good wine lists are organised by the main wine varietals (variety). On a wine list the varietals should appear in the order that they would be consumed. It is common to see Champagne and Méthodes at the beginning of the list while dessert wines and ports come at the end. The consumer also likes to be presented with a selection of wines from different wineries with a choice of price range. It helps to have offer a selection of wines by the glass with a range of prices. It is a good idea to offer quality wines at a more expensive price as well as cheaper wine. As we become more knowledgeable about wines we will understand the strengths and weaknesses of different vintages around New Zealand. A small well choose wine list can satisfy discerning customers just as well as the 400 bottle wine list. With over 300 New Zealand wineries to choose from, plus many more imported wines, there is an enormous selection available. Given such a choice, it is always disappointing to see whole wine lists constructed around one or two companies.
A restaurant with an extensive wine list of imported wines may choose to list them under the country of origin. Terroir is a term used to describe the distinctive style of a wine growing area which is influenced by climate, soil, and landscape and even culture. As the different terroir of New Zealand emerge, a wine list can also be organised by region.
Varietals should appear in the following order on a Wine List
- Champagne. Only sparkling wine produced in the region of Champagne should be listed here.
- Méthode Traditionelle. Wine made in a Champagne style.
- White Wine.
· Lighter bodied aromatic white wines. Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Pinot Gris, Muller Thurgar, Gerwurztraminer, Semillon.
· Full bodied white wine: Chardonnay, some Gerwurztraminer
- Red Wines
· Lighter bodied red wines. Rosé, Pinot Noir, Beaujolais, Grenache
· Full bodied red wines. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Shiraz
- Dessert Wines
- Ports or muscats. An authentic Port from Portugal, Muscat from Rutherglen.
Bring Your Own
Bring your own wine harks back to the days when there were only a few licensed restaurants. Diners would turn up at a restaurant with anything from a cask of wine to a keg of beer. Changes to drink driving offences and the host responsibility of licensees mean that the laissez faire approach of the past is no longer acceptable. Customers will hunt out BYO restaurants because of the saving in the cost of wine. In New Zealand you will pay between $3 and $10 per bottle for corkage. At Chez Panisse, they charge $US15 plus tax for the privilege. Even by charging $5 per bottle, the restaurant does not recover the costs to service the wine. Cleaning of the wine glasses after each service and the cost to replace breakages all mount up. I once served a woman who disappeared after I had gone through the wine list and made a recommendation. After a while she returned with the exact bottle I had suggested. The woman had gone back to her car, rushed down to a liquor store and taken my advice. I was somewhat incredulous when she gave me the bottle to open!
The cost is NZD $45 plus postage. Please use our order form
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