Ah, summer is here. At this point, we’ve all had a few very hot days, and customers are beginning to shun even room temperature drinks in favor of ice cold ones. Tired of serving gin gimlets and beers? Here are five summertime wine drinks that’ll push those beverage sales sky high. Read more
In her recent article “How Millennials Are Changing the Wine Industry,” Kathryn Buschman Vasel stated that Millennials are drinking more wine than other generations did at the age of 21, and that this is rocking the wine industry as we know it. Specifically, Millennials are rocking the wine marketing industry as we know it. This younger age group, born between 1980 and 2000 is pressing wineries to make a change in the way they present their wines, and restaurateurs and bar owners should ensure that they also understand what wine marketing is all about today. Here’s your cheat sheet for wine marketing that speaks to Millennials and more. Read more
I love wine, but I usually don’t order it at bars. In fact, I frequently don’t even order it at restaurants. It’s not because I can’t find wine, actually it’s the opposite: wine is everywhere these days. The sad truth is, when I used to order wines at bars, most of the wines I ordered were disgusting–and if your wine sales are low, your wine might be disgusting, too.
If you open wines for single-glass pours on a haphazard basis, store the opened bottles behind the bar for an indeterminate amount of time, or stick all of your wine in the fridge, your wine is likely to be terrible. If you want to sell more wine (or at least sell the wine you’ve already purchased), you need to do better. This article offers four wine storage fixes to increase your wine sales.
Spring is officially here – and with it comes that warm breeze that you’re probably feeling right about now…
Wait. What I meant to say was, “Brrrr! Someone close that door!”
Actually, spring weather, as we all know, is extremely unpredictable. Given that fact, it’s hard to know just what your patrons will be craving most as it starts getting warmer. (Er, that is, a little warmer. Occasionally warmer?) Well, regardless of how you might best describe spring, to be realistic, it’s probably best to have a wide range of drinks available from which your patrons may choose. Read more
Fortified wines are a wonderful and warming drink, perfect for sipping during these last cold days before spring really kicks in for good. There are many misconceptions about fortified wines (such as port and sherry, such as the illustrious Amontillado) – including the notion that they’re just for dessert or that they’re actually a type of spirit (they’re not). These are unfortunate notions, as they tend to steer many people away from enjoying the aromatic, delicious, and complex pleasure that these drinks have to offer. Fortified wines, as their name suggests, are strong (thus leading to the incorrect perception that they’re a type of liquor). While they are indeed sweet, they’re not just for dessert; thus, there’s no reason to be shy about encouraging a patron who just wants to spend some time at the bar sipping something special to consider giving fortified wines (which also include tokay, muscat, vermouth, Marsala and Madeira) a try.
A new drink hit the scene last year, beer-wine hybrids. I’m sure that this new beverage is going to be one of the hottest drink trends for 2014, but you may not have heard much about it because it premiered just before the fall and holiday rush. It’s not quite wine, and it’s not quite beer, but it’s not quite what you’d expect if you just poured some wine into a fresh, cold pint. The popularity and visibility of this new drink is increasing, and soon your guests will be asking you questions about it, questions that you, your sommeliers, and your cicerones should know the answers to.
Now that we’re in a brief lull between drinking holidays, you have the time to learn everything you need to know about beer-wine hybrids. Read more
Springtime is here, and that means that your guests’ drinking tastes have changed to reflect the warmer weather. In the springtime, your customers are clamoring for lighter, fruitier drinks that they can sip while lounging on your newly opened patio. These warm-weather drinks are the kind that inspire your customers to sit for hours in small, informal gatherings and laugh at the college students who walk by in flip-flops, shorts, mini-skirts… and goose bumps. To help you select your new featured drinks for your digital wine menu, I’ve compiled a list of what springtime drinks your customers are wanting right now. Read more
There’s a joke that generally goes something like this: “Someone told me I could make ice cubes from leftover wine. I’m confused…what’s leftover wine?” Of course, if you’re a bar or restaurant owner, you may not be laughing, as you know that having just the right amount and variety of wine for your clientele can be pretty tricky. You don’t want to run out of what patrons want, but you also don’t want to be stuck with inventory that’s not moving fast enough – especially once the bottle has been opened. You could steer away from offering wines by the glass, but will you alienate patrons who aren’t willing to order a whole bottle? As discussed previously here, a partial solution can be to offer specific pairings or wine flights to help move your inventory according to your needs.
When your customers decide to buy a bottle of your wine, they are, in essence, gambling. They put their money on the table with the belief that the wine they’re ordering will be great. Sometimes, your customers are amazed by the wine they place their bet on, sometimes they think it’s okay, and sometimes they make the wrong choice and they flat-out hate it. When that happens, they’ll never come back to your restaurant again, no matter how good your food is.
Because wine has become such an intimidating drink, and because so many of your customers are too nervous to make such an expensive bet, you aren’t selling as much wine as you’d like. How can you fix this? You can make your wine relatable to your customers by sharing each bottle’s story. Read more
Did you know that wine is now produced in all fifty U.S. states? While fine diners today increasingly demand locally grown (or even locally foraged) food – and while more and more bar patrons thirst for local craft beers – local wine in most areas has been a much more difficult sell, for a whole host of reasons. However, the benefits to the environment in terms of fuel emissions due to shipping are similar. Depending on what’s available nearby, taking on the worthy challenge of adding local wines to your menu – and winning over patrons who will support those efforts – could pay off in a number of ways.