The conversation quickly turned to our wine lists and that the editor considered our list to be small. His comment was less criticism than consideration and I pushed him to elaborate upon what their editorial perspective, and him personally, looks for in a fine dining restaurant list. Moreover, we are in the midst of planning a moderate overhaul of our food and beverage offerings at Lawry's and I wanted to glean any advice possible from an industry insider. He cursorily commented that wine lists need to consistently convey the theme and ethos of a restaurant which was nothing too divined. But when I dug into his comment that our list was small, he cautiously expressed a frustration with the size of some lists in higher end fine dining establishments. In fact, he went as far as to say that he found some lists to be almost unethical in that these bibles of wine functionally mothball delicious products that should be enjoyed. Obviously, this is not the case in most restaurants but his comments and the fact that this publication gives awards based in part on the number of items on the list surprised me.
As a restaurant owner/operator, I am baffled by the working capital that some fine dining restaurants have sunk into their wine programs no matter what their wine sales are in the end. Let me be clear, I enjoy a well curated wine list that provides choice, engages the curiosity of an eager oenophile and allows a sommelier to express her craft but how many offering is too many? And how unique and/or redundant do lists needs to be keep them at the forefront of the industry. How many 4 or even 5 figure price tags are necessary on a list and how often do they actually sell? Considering this publication is regarded as a standard bearer for the industry, perhaps it's time to reset those very standards.
I cannot help but remember an article I read years ago on the NYT - http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/05/business/global/05tour.html
ReplyDeleteThe article basically narrates the auction of a small portfolio 18,000 bottles of wine out of a portfolio of 450,000 bottles by Tour d'argent. Imagine, a restaurant owning 450,000 bottles of wine! (and imagine the working capital).
Personally, I do get overwhelmed by gigantic wine lists at some fine dining restaurants. At some level, I generally surrender myself to the Sommelier and drink according to price and perceived value and matching it with food.
Hence, the article, "When Choice Is Demotivating" should prod restaurants to be more sane about their ever growing wine list. Restaurants don't only cater to the odd Michelin judges.
Tour d'Argent's caves are literally preshistoric in style (there are literally cobwebs in the rickety elevator one takes down to them) and practically endless-aisle in scale. For Tour d'Argent and the few in its league, I do understand that a cavernous wine list is a signal of superior quality- and surrendering to the somm makes all the sense in the world. For the rest, a far more approachable list makes far more sense in terms of inspiring consumer confidence.
DeleteI am also the sort of person that gets overwhelmed by huge wine lists, and usually just throw up my hands and pick something by my approximate price point that is from a region I've heard of and some varietal I know I like. I've gotten over any shame around ordering the cheapest bottle on the menu (supposedly studies show that you should never order the second cheapest bottle, as that's the one with the highest markup).
ReplyDeleteBut as soon as I read your post, I remembered my brother recently telling me that he had visited the restaurant that boasts the world's largest wine list -- Bern's Steak House. Trust my home state of Florida to come up with a restaurant that boasts a cellar with over 600,000 bottles (100,000 are in the restaurant, and 500,000 sit in the building next door). Apparently quantity and quality aren't completely mutually exclusive (assuming you think this award is worth anything): "Bern's Wine Cellar is the perennial recipient of the Wine Spectator Grand Award, the magazine's highest honor bestowed upon restaurants that display an uncompromising and passionate commitment to quality." The wine collection is so big it hasn't ever been properly catalogued. This led to the chance discovery of a 1947 Chateau Latour, valued at $30,000, making it one of the most expensive bottles of wine in the world. Seems like you can do a cellar tour as part of your dinner, so might be something worth checking out if you're ever in Tampa!
https://www.shape.com/healthy-eating/healthy-drinks/why-you-should-never-order-second-cheapest-wine-menu
http://www.bernssteakhouse.com/Berns-Wine-Cellar
Very fascinating conversation. I also think that hosting a bloated wine list is an the outdated way of boasting the prestige of a restaurant. To an extent, it does seem somewhat strange that in fine dining restaurants, the menu can be a seasonal but limited one curated specially by the chef. But fine dining establishments are still expected to have as many wines as possible on their wine lists. There should be a space for fine dining to have highly curated wine lists that is aligned with what the restaurant stands for as well.
ReplyDeleteInteresting insight Jennifer, next time I'd just order the cheapest bottle in a restaurant and see how it goes!