When the subject of restaurant wine lists comes up, at least nine times out of ten the conversation focuses on prices. Like most of us who write on the subject of restaurants, I`m on record screaming ”unfair” at
restaurateurs who mark up wines exorbitantly. I`ll undoubtedly do so again. But in recognition of the increasingly diverse and interesting wine selections at many Chicago-area restaurants, let`s change the subject this time.
Have you ever wondered how a wine list is created? Who chooses what`s on it and what`s not? What factors go into determining price? Are there selling tricks to help move the wine?
First, though, another question. Why should anyone care?
Restaurateurs should care because wine sales are up and are likely, for a while at least, to go higher due to the boost given wine on ”60 Minutes” in a report linking red wine consumption with the lower rate of heart disease in France. With spirits sales still in a tailspin and the economy militating against raising food prices, increased wine sales can provide needed revenue. Customers should care because a wine list and wine service that are first-rate can make a meal more enjoyable and will reflect the owner`s professionalism and commitment to providing a complete dining experience. It may be a coincidence, but many of the local restaurants doing best through the recession have very good wine programs.
It all starts, according to consultant Mary Ross, ”with space, time and dollars-and there never are enough of all three.”
So when Ross, who built the award-winning list at The 95th, meets with a client, she asks first where the wines will be stored and displayed, who will supervise the program and how much of his or her work hours will be devoted to wine, and how much will be budgeted to build and maintain an inventory.
”At first,” Ross says, ”the chef, the maitre d` and the manager all are likely to say they will be involved, but in fact wine is always the last thing they deal with. That`s why so many programs are haphazard and shoddy.
”Before we buy anything,” she continues, ”we need to decide what wines and what glassware are appropriate for the clientele, the menu and the image of the restaurant. This leads to discussion of the size of the list, its character (all-American, all-Italian, designation by grape types, etc.), percentages (of white, red, sparkling and by-the-glass wines) and flavors
(grape types and degrees of sweetness or dryness) that fit the chef`s food.
”Then we have to decide whether to go with a single supplier or with several. With a single supplier, a small restaurant will be able to obtain small quantities of wine and may even have its list printed free of charge. But if you put all your eggs in one basket, the wholesaler has a very heavy influence of selection and pricing. Larger restaurants almost always want several suppliers so they can bargain for discounts.”
The final part of the wine program falls under the broad title of marketing and includes deciding whether to make wine-by-the-glass a priority, how extensively to train the staff, and how to make customers aware of the restaurant`s commitment to wine. This can be accomplished by several means, among them placing a wine dispenser on the bar and a wine display near the entrance, printing table tents with specials, offering fixed-price dinners with wine, hosting winemaker dinners, even printing a newsletter.
”Owners have to realize that no bottle of wine will walk over to a table and sell itself,” Ross concludes. ”Wine isn`t Coca-Cola. There`s a need to keep the list up to date, to change vintages and prices and even labels. At the same time there should be constant education and incentives to motivate the staff. It`s not easy.”
So how does it work in practice? Janice Bergamini, who directs the very successful wine program at Bistro 110, explains the approach to wine there. She came to the Bistro a year and a half ago after learning about wine behind the bar at L`Escargot, Foley`s Grand Ohio and Jackie`s and on tasting trips to Europe and California.
At the Bistro, ”they were doing so much volume in wine,” she says,
”that they wanted someone to supervise the program.”
The Bistro has a French-American menu priced below the city`s luxury French restaurants. Always busy, the ambience is casual and lively. Therefore, Bergamini says, management decided wine should be played up as part of the Bistro dining experience and be accessible and uncomplicated.
This was accomplished by using flat-bottomed wine glasses instead of stem-ware (which also saves money because there is less breakage), limiting the selection to a modest 38 wines and linking wine and food by printing the list on the menu instead of separately. To save money, customers may choose among two modestly priced ($18.95) ”proprietors` selections,” a ”house”
sparkling wine and eight by-the-glass offerings.
”We want wines at moderate prices that cover the flavor spectrum,”
Bergamini says, ”with choices of chardonnay and cabernet at several price points. Because of our menu, I stick to American and French selections that include some offbeat wines compatible with our food. I taste lots of samples and am able to revise the list weekly. I judge wines for quality before I ask the price, but I don`t feel I can buy just for my taste. We need some that are sweeter than I like them.
Thus there is a dry Riesling from Washington State on the list and a little-known wine from Provence. Chardonnay and cabernet bottles are available in the $20, $30, $40 and $50 categories. Wines by the glass range in price from $4.25 to $6.
”It`s curious,” she observes, ”but the higher-priced by-the-glass chardonnays are the best-sellers. Merlot does very well, too. Distributors want exposure here, so sometimes I can get a deal or will be offered a close- out at a reduced price. Also, if I really like a wine, I`ll buy in volume to get the price down. If I`m tasting with a winery owner or rep, I usually can strike a deal instantly.”
Bergamini says she does not apply a blanket percentage markup to all wines. (An industrywide markup average that is nearly three times wholesale angers wine lovers.) ”You really can`t do that with the most expensive wines in a setting like this,” she says, ”and it`s nice to pass along a good buy.”
The Bistro turns conventional marketing wisdom upside down in another way. Instead of starting with the cheapest wine in each category and moving upward on the price spectrum, the most expensive wines are listed first. ”I call it upscaling,” says co-owner Doug Roth. ”It shows we have a quality orientation.”
Whatever you call it, it works. About 60 percent of the Bistro`s customers order a least a glass of wine at lunch, and the figure rises to 75 percent at dinner-well above the industry average.
Bergamini is quick to endorse Mary Ross` view that the key to this sort of success is the staff.
”If they like a wine, we just blow through it no matter what the cost,” she says. ”If they don`t like it, it won`t sell. In our tah a specific dish. I have them ask what types of wine the customers like and discuss style with them before they talk price.”
For connoisseurs
Where to find distinctive wine lists? In addition to Bistro 110, there are various Lettuce Entertain You restaurants such as Scoozi, Shaw`s and Papagus where a manager is responsible for developing a wine list specifically for that property.
For overall selection, no one beats the Italian Village, which offers a number of bargains on an encyclopedic list that features wines of France and California as well as Italy. Other Italian strongholds include Trattoria Convito, Convito Italiano in Wilmel represented at Montana Street Cafe, Geja`s Cafe, the Winnetka Grill in Winnetka, Melange in Glenview and the Greenery in Barrington. French classics are available at Le Francais in Wheeling, Carlos in Highland Park, Seasons in the Four Seasons Hotel and Le Titi de Paris, while the Everest Room has an unparalleled selection of Alsace wines. Charlie Trotter`s offers a magnificent Rhone selection and rare collectors` wines.
Wine-lovers seeking quality wines at bargain prices should consider Maxie`s in the McCormick Inn, Kinzie Street Bistro, Reza, Kenessey`s Wine Cellar and Kenessey`s Cypress in Hinsdale and two South Side restaurants, Ken`s and Summerwest.
