70
Beverage Media
October 2012
TASTING
CORNER
to personally assist most every customer
who comes into his store, listens care-
fully for certain cues in what custom-
ers say about the wine they are looking
for. He explains: “If they ask for a wine
they’ll be having for dinner, to me, that
signals they are open to my suggestions.
Once they ask, it’s really no more dif-
ficult to sell these wines than a Côtes
du Rhône.”
While Cabernet Franc, Petite Sirah
or Tannat mentioned on their own are
apt to elicit a blank stare, they are much
more likely to get the attention they
deserve when mentioned as a mealtime
helper. Adding that the wines over-de-
liver in character for their price is also
a good way to evoke a bit of adventure
in customers. Another conversational
consideration: Someone who asks for “a
Cabernet or Malbec” or “a Zinfandel or
Rhône red” is already predisposed to look
beyond a single grape. It’s not much of a
reach at all to steer someone who likes a
big Zinfandel to a comparably priced Pe-
tite Sirah. Merlot’s supple frame aligns
nicely with Chinon or Bourgueil. And
words like “big” or “rustic” are cues that
can open the door to Tannat.
Savvy chefs and restaurateurs know
to hone in on the natural affinity these
neglected reds possess with an astound-
ing variety of ingredients and regional
cuisines. At Palladio Restaurant at Bar-
boursville Vineyards in Barboursville,
VA, James Beard Award-winning chef
Melissa Close Hart likes to pair the win-
ery’s Cabernet Franc with dishes such as
roasted bone-in pork loin or a selection
of local Virginia artisanal cheeses. At
Manhattan’s trendy Cookshop, wine di-
rector Richard Luftig regularly features
Madiran, Cabernet Franc and Petite Sir-
ah, For Cookshop’s Catskill duck main
course, Luftig might recommend a clas-
sic Madiran: Château Peyros or Château
Bouscassé “Veilles Vignes” from noted
vintner Alain Brumont.
Luftig also oversees the wine list
at Hundred Acres restaurant in Soho.
At this establishment, wines are cat-
egorized by style, so he places Petite
Sirahs such as Ridge in the “Big!!!
Bold!!!” section, and Chinon under
“
Red With Green” to highlight the
Cabernet Franc’s herbal edge. At ta-
bleside, if a party is ordering a braised
beef dish, for example, he would de-
scribe one of his Loire Valley reds as a
“
baby Bordeaux.” This is, he explains,
a comparison most clients are able to
readily relate to based on their previ-
ous wine-drinking experience.
Christopher Barnes of Chambers
Street Wine, in lower Manhattan, says,
“
Wines from Cabernet Franc are some
of our best-selling wines, as we are spe-
cialists in the Loire Valley. Probably for
that reason we don’t really sell 100%
Cabernet Franc from anywhere else.
A wine like Baudry’s Chinon Domaine
is so well-structured and complex, it’s
easy to sell.”
While Chambers Street Wines
might be a special case in its focus on
offering a plentiful array of Loire Valley
reds, for both merchants and restaura-
teurs, selling these under-appreciated
reds needn’t be a total uphill climb. It’s
all about listening carefully to a cus-
tomer’s verbal cues and steering them
toward some delicious discoveries.
■
WHAT'S FOR DINNER?
‰
For customers who look for suggestions
food-first, here’s a sampling of delicious
match-ups to suggest:
For Tannat:
short ribs, skirt steak, lamb
chops, grilled monkfish
For Loire Cabernet Francs:
herb-roasted
chicken, grilled salmon, anything with chimi-
churri sauce, grilled veggies, upscale pizza
For Petite Sirah:
barbecue preparations,
burgers, italian pork sausage (mild and hot),
meat loaf, veal chops, spaghetti and meat
balls with red sauce
Savvy merchants and sommeliers know
how to discern verbal tips from their
customers. Here’s what they listen for:
IF THEY ASK FOR A WINE THAT’S….
■
hearty, rustic or bold, offer
TANNAT
■
fruity, smooth or food-friendly,
suggest
LOIRE CABERNET FRANC
■
fruity and spicy, try
PETITE SIRAH
CULINARY CUES & CLUES
WHILE CABERNET FRANC, PETITE SIRAH OR
TANNAT MENTIONED ON THEIR OWN ARE
APT TO ELICIT A BLANK STARE, THEY ARE
MUCH MORE LIKELY TO GET THE ATTENTION
THEY DESERVE WHEN MENTIONED AS A
MEALTIME HELPER.
