Restaurant Wine, Issue 104 (Nov./Dec. 2004)

Wine Pricing Issue

Operation Profile
The New York restaurant has spurred the thirst of wine drinkers by moderating its markups and selecting quality wines from small, family owned wineries. It also has raised eyebrows by not offering a single wine by the glass. Yet, business is booming, and sales are well ahead of projections for their first full year of business.

Promotion
The world of airport restaurants changed dramatically after 9/11/01, as customers began spending more time in them. This Portland restaurant responded by expanding and upgrading its wine program, and used an ingenious, practical, simple wine training “club” to ignite the wine interest of its servers. Oh yes, wine sales have also increased by 50% here in the past 3 years.

Wine Recommendations
175 wines from 9 countries have been singled out “excellent” or “exceptional” by Master of Wine and Master Sommelier Ronn Wiegand from among hundreds he has tasted recently.

They include sparkling wines from California, France, and Italy; a range of fine USA Chardonnays, Cabernet Sauvignons, Merlots, Pinot Noirs, Zinfandels, and Syrahs; and dozens of great value imports (Australian Shirazs, Chilean Carmenere, German Riesling, Italian whites, Tuscan and Piedmont reds, New Zealand Pinot Gris, South African Pinotage & Shiraz, Spanish red blends). Our wine spotlight is a 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon from one of Napa Valley’s most consistent producers.