Restaurants Fine-Tune Their Wine By-The-Glass Strategies

Many restaurants are expanding their focus on wines by the glass to keep up with consumer demand and interest. Wine-by-the-glass programs run the gamut, of course, ranging from selections of familiar favorites to targeted wine types to esoteric labels. “The selection has to complement the cuisine, appeal to the clientele, and have a diversity in style from esoteric to wider appeal,” says Aviram Turgeman, beverage director and partner of New York City-based Chef Driven Hospitality, whose restaurants include Marseille, Nice Matin, Cafe D’Alsace, L’Express, Barbounia, Dagon, Acadia, Sempre Oggi, 5 Napkin Burger, and others.

“The strategy is to offer just enough but not too much, so we maintain focus, freshness, and properly trained staff,” Turgeman says. Lists typically include at least one Champagne, a Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc, and a Côtes Du Rhône, as well as rosé from Provence all year round.

New York City’s The Noortwyck takes a similar approach, with co-owner and sommelier Cedric Nicaise selecting a range of white, red, rosé, sparkling, skin contact, and sweet wines, usually numbering 16 selections in total. “We don’t have too many rules, most are based on pricing,” Nicaise says. “We want to have a healthy mix of price options ranging from the mid-teens to the mid-twenties. Within that price range we try to have a variety of style options: light wines, higher acid wines, and more neutral profiles.”

Luke Boland, corporate wine director for New York City-based Hospitality Department, wants by-the-glass selections at the company’s Point Seven, Coral, B&L Diner, and The Bronze Owl restaurants to feel recognizable and inviting. “Across all locations, we want to offer mostly familiarity with a little sprinkle of fun,” Boland says. “You will always see classics like Chardonnay, Sancerre, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon in almost all of the restaurants, but we have some fun pours in different places for those who want to explore.”

Boland adds that most of company’s restaurants feature at least eight wines by the glass. “Pretty much every spot has four whites and four reds, with slight tweaks. Champagne houses like Roederer, Dom Pérignon, Krug, Philipponnat, and Pol Roger are all currently poured at Point Seven, for example. We might also do something seasonal. Last holiday season we were pouring the stellar Arnaud Baillot Vosne Romanée—a wine that could easily sell for $70 a glass—for $35 a glass to offer some serious holiday value in a region that just keeps getting pricier.”

At French restaurant l’abeille in New York City, beverage director Pamela Walton gravitates toward classic flavor profiles and well-known varietals and regions. “Our approach, because of the French and Japanese cuisine, tends to lean on classic French options,” she says. “The must-haves are a white Burgundy, a red Burgundy, and a high-end Champagne. Sancerre is also often called for, so if not Sancerre, we must have a Sauvignon Blanc from a neighboring Loire village.”

Wine professionals must balance their approaches, however many say that too much focus on conveying information can make guests shut down. “Generally, I don’t think people coming to dinner are looking for an education,” says Nicaise of The Noortwyck. “Some guests want to have a new discovery or try something interesting, but a sommelier standing at a table lecturing the merits of St. Laurent is not my idea of service. Instead, we focus on building a by-the-glass list that includes a few interesting and unique options, while ensuring our staff is fully versed in the wines so that if someone asks, they have all the details.”—Carol Ward

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