About Wine - Volume 2 (1981)

[Music] this is volume two in a series about wine this program is aimed specifically at restaurant service selling wine you'll learn information about wine that you'll be able to put to practice on the job and we'll give you some basic selling techniques [Music] we'll be talking about understanding your wine list tasting and classifying wines we'll learn a little about some primary varietals and the generics and we'll give some thought to how wine goes with food [Music] American wine consumption increases dramatically each year more people understand and appreciate wines and wines are becoming an integral part of their dining experiences in almost all of Europe the per capita consumption of table wine far exceeds that of the United States for instance in France the average person drinks nearly 30 gallons per year year and the rest of Europe drinks almost as much here at home the average US consumption is a little over 2 gallons per year just as wine has become an important part of culture and the daily eating habits of many Europeans it's beginning to do the same in America you can be part of this [Music] change everyone knows that beverages constitute the largest profit margin in the food service industry compared to food drinks require less service cost less to make and bring in a larger margin of profit just think of all that has to be done to prepare a dinner the entree potato vegetable all cooked to order it's all very complicated compared to Simply opening a bottle of wine and serving [Music] it the same holds true for alcoholic beverages frequently these drinks can make the difference between a profitable business and an unprofitable operation it's important for you to keep taking the cocktail order but we hope you'll begin to emphasize wine too [Music] many restaurants have an amazingly low net profit frequently only 1 to 3% it's your job to sell not just to wait as waiter May imply your selling can help raise those profits and keep your job secure too it's no surprise that many restaurants aren't selling much wine their employees lack wine knowledge and management has no formal training for wine education either also many of the customers are unaware we can't expect you to be knowledgeable without instruction but it's up to you to help the customer understand and appreciate wine you can motivate them by having the proper attitude and sales techniques be polite but be aggressive just what do you need to know well let's start with some of the wines themselves get to know what's on your wine list and a little more more attend presentations and tastings so you can be more familiar with wines and even more important be able to know firsthand what a particular wine May taste like wines can be divided by their color and how dry they are table wines for drinking with food are generally [Music] drier let's start with the simplest there are generics and there are varietals generics are white pink and red they are generally a blend of several varials most restaurants will have one of each as a house wine usually the red is dry and is called a burgundy after the region in France the pink called Rosé may be dry or slightly sweet it too is a blend from several different types of grapes the white generic is normally on the drier side not much sweetness to The Taste and is usually called a shab shab is also a region in France and in America has come to generally mean white dry table [Music] wine these generics have been Blended to go with most Foods many customers are delighted to drink one of these generic house wines but a good many more would be interested in trying something more complex or interesting let's take a look at the most common white wines and we'll go over how to pronounce them correctly we'll look at them the way they should be presented on a wine list from dry to Sweet dry light and somewhat flowery is the somon Blanc or fumi Blanc the king of the white grapes shardana probably the most costly and frequently the most popular with a gourmet appetite in whites California chardonay have become world renowned they've won International tastings for several [Music] years Shannon Blanc generally on the dry side with a touch of sweetness similar to the French V very popular in restaurants and these are the reings named after their German Heritage they vary in amount of sugar or sweetness but are generally light and dry like their sister grape the Moselle or mosul another European grape from Germany and France from here with the whites you'll find a large assortment of other wine gtra Miner a spicy white that's becoming more popular with many flavorful dishes and there are several fine sweeter white wines that are usually meant to accompany desserts in the past most roses haven't been considered classic table wines however there is a trend to fine clean and drier roses available such as petite Rosé game Rosé or Rosé of Cabernet or Zinfandel in the red wines we'll deal with eight of the more common California Dry dinner wines we've arranged them in the order of light to big or heavier wines first a game boal a young light red bearing its French father's name balet is usually consumed [Music] young burgundy usually a blend and many fine ones available Pon Noir an American wine styled after its Burgundian [Music] Heritage Barbara a classic red of Italian Parenthood zinfindel all Californian a grape of robust and bountiful flavor frequently compared to a raspberry-like edge in flavor [Music] becoming more popular the Petit sarra a slightly peppery tasting wine but bigger in taste than the name implies formerly considered only a blending grape several wineries are beginning to recognize the importance of Mero a grape of French heritage 2 and probably the most important and most expensive I of the classic American red dry wines Cabernet saon see those aren't too hard as one waiter once told me if the customer can't pronounce them and neither can I how can I expect to sell any taste these wines and learn how they're different in another of our programs we'll go into more detail on how wines are made and what to look for in taste and [Music] smell one reason that wines enhance food so well is that wine is food wines become part of the meal and complement it just as any other dish would it's another taste that becomes exciting you should learn which wines taste best with which foods and conversely which foods taste best with which wines some customers may want to select a wine first and then order their food to compliment it those are the real wine [Music] lovers it's a matter of balance the wine should enhance the food the food should complement the wine a simple wine such as a house wine should go with simple Foods light wines should go with light or Del ately flavored foods such as fish sometimes a light red wine is appropriate and goes well with fish or chicken complex wines go with complex [Music] Foods the old cardinal rule of white wines with white meat and reds with red meat isn't so Cardinal anymore but many people still prefer whites with fish or poultry and reds with steak or beef it has to do with taste and flavors but in spite of the many red meat dishes sold white wine continues to outsell Reds heavy Foods need a bigger wine as a compliment one balances the other there's no hard and fast rule about red or white wines going with certain foods it's a matter of taste and balance red wines are generally more complex than whites because they're aged in Wood some white wines are are aged in wood and have great complexities but in general white wine does not require as much aging as red [Music] wines now study your wine list and see how you can relate the Foods on the menu with the wines you [Music] sell and when you dine out compare other restaurant menus and wine lists with yours many customers are going to ask what do you recommend with this entree they expect you to know and they'll trust your judgment if you don't want to be specific at least guide them to the proper [Music] area besides knowing the wine list you must know what's in stock and what isn't if you anticipate selling several bottles of the same vintage they must be available and if necessary be properly refrigerated or chilled in time to [Music] serve sometimes red wines can taste harsh with lots of acid and tanin when they're young as they acquire more bottle aging they soften in taste becoming more mellow and pleasing that's why older wines often cost more than young ones [Music] ask your Chef or manager which wines he recommends with which dishes and try them yourself from time to time naturally you must be familiar with which wines are available in your restaurant and where possible know the price of the wines without always having to refer to the wine list as you become more familiar with each wine on the list it will seem more natural for the customer to order it but you have to be comfortable [Music] too you'd be surprised how much you can learn and pass along to the customer by just understanding how to read a label let's look at [Music] some each label is like a diary of the wine it tells us that the name of the winery and the variety of wine where the winery is located and where the grapes came from when they were grown and picked the Vintage [Music] year and gives us certain facts about the wine making process at the winery if it's labeled an estate it means it was made by the winery and the grapes were grown in their own [Music] Vineyards produced and bottled by means the grapes were bought from a grower and the rest of the process took place at the winery selled and bottled by states that the wine maker bought the juice from another producer and bottled and cellared or aged it before he released it for sale and the label tells you what percentage of alcohol the wine has most dry table wines red and white will be from 11 to 14% some wineries are producing light wines which means they contain 7 to 9% alcohol most of the German white wines are lighter than American white wines [Music] get to know the back of a label if there is one it frequently tells more history of the winery the varietal and other facts that are fun to know and that you can point out to your customers more information about wine [Music]