We’re doing just as you suggested. Plus I’ll do wine tasting on slower Tuesday nights with new wines on the list. The tastings normally sell out, plus most everyone flows from the tasting to the dining room.
After introducing CB to the crowd, I’m now selling more Vouvray than American Chardonnay. Customers are choosing DEI VNdM over cabs to go with their steak or beef dishes. If they want to spend more money they’ll buy a BdM off the list. All of these wines I can give them at $60-$100 and do well.
I remember the old ABC days and find that many of are customers are still looking for something new and different. Give them the chance to taste, then buy, and most will buy.
For my day job I still travel a bit and I’ve been lucky throughout that career to have stayed at better hotels on someone else’s dime (which beats the alternative ). And I have to say that the wine lists are abysmal in almost all these hotels. I know, most of them are premium or luxury chains here in the US, so I get it - they have to consolidate between all of them and can’t have bespoke lists. But does it have to be so…uninspired?
Last stay in Miami at the Elser was brutal - Bonanza Cabernet for like $80 anyone? And recently stayed multiple times at One Hotel in Nashville, and although a better hotel, the wine list is only a minor improvement - feels like they just let Southern Glazer compose it for them out of brands they want to move. Of course with the token higher end wine, that by natural law just has to be Opus One…
My country club used to have a weirdly varied list but there were always some good and interesting things sprinkled around.
Suddenly a couple years ago, it turned into a list you’d expect to see at a Des Moines Ramada Inn lobby bar. Most of the choices are basically the same wine — a dozen generic mid level California cabs, Pinots, chardonnays, mostly clustered around a similar price point.
Fortunately there is $10 corkage so I don’t really have to bother. But it seems obvious some big conglomerate just wrote the list for them and it sucks.
Now it’s mostly about asking! Distributors are suddenly finding BTG deals they don’t initially advertise. I recently ask about an excellent Chardonnay I wanted to bring in. Rep told me $31/bottle. Told him “ not at that price “. Before he left the tasting he asked me if I’d buy at $18. I took 3 cases. $18 was nowhere on any sheet he was showing! Said the price was good indefinitely.
A lot of opportunities are available for those that ask, and then buy. Probably doesn’t apply to government ran distribution systems.
). And I have to say that the wine lists are abysmal in almost all these hotels. I know, most of them are premium or luxury chains here in the US, so I get it - they have to consolidate between all of them and can’t have bespoke lists. But does it have to be so…uninspired?