Perla Jimenez 

Prof. Dagorn

HMGT 2402

03/24/2020

Retail Beverage Store Analysis

This past weekend, I visited a wine & liquor store called “Leiser Liquors Inc.” This establishment is located at 41-30 162nd Street in Flushing. I chose this store because I read online that they hold a great variety of wines. I made a call to the store before going over, and I explained to them that I was taking a wine course. I requested if I could come in and ask them a few questions regarding this assignment. The guy who picked up the phone said he was  unsure if they would be open the following day due to the virus, but he would help by answering any of my questions through the phone. The first question I asked was about how many types of wines they had in the store. He immediately responded that there are so many wines that he couldn’t make up a number. However, he did mention that the wines were organized by countries, and the appellations within that country. They had the sweet wines on one side and the semi-sweet in another and so on. As someone who prefers to see things visually, I decided to visit the store the next day.

Looking at the store from the outside, it seemed like a small shop. When I walked in I was quite surprised because the store is huge. The first thing I noticed were big signs hanging from the ceiling, indicating the number of the row and the country of the wine. Some signs also indicated if it was a red or white wine. There was mostly wine and barely any spirits. I started to look around to see all the different wines they had. I saw wines as cheap as $7 dollars and wines that went up to $97 dollars. Wines from countries that I did not imagine made wine like Croatia, Greece, New Zealand, Peru and many more countries that I never thought were also producers of wine. 

As I walked around in the store and stared at every single bottle of wine, One of the employees approached me to ask if I needed help. I mention how I was there for a project and that I’ve called the day before. The lady said she couldn’t help me without me asking any questions. After that, I ended up going to the counter and explaining to another employee my purpose for being in the store. With her head down looking at her phone she immediately responded that the manager is not here. I went to the row where the Coatian wines were located and another employee approached me by my name. It was one of my classmates from high school who said he could try and help with the assignment. He mentioned that they had over 4000 items in the store and that some of the wines that sold the most were cabernet sauvignon which cost about $9. Chateau Ste. Michelle Columbia Valley Merlot ($15), and 19 crimes which cost $9.27.

I ended up getting five bottles of wine because they were recommended by my ex classmate Johan.  I bought a Vale Do Bomfim, Duro Doc 2015, a Marqués de càceres, Rioja, crianza 2015, a Bordeaux blend  2015, Anthony Road Riesling Semi-Sweet 2018 from New York and finally a Pacific rim sweet riesling 2018 from Washington state. The overall experience in the store was alright, I would definitely be going back there because they just have so much that you can choose from. Although some of the employees were a little rude, that does not discard the fact that it is a great store and there are other employees who are great and willing to help. 

Most of the wines in the store had shelf talkers which makes it easier for customers to understand the wine.

Signs with the row number, country of the wine, type of wines and some even had the types of grapes.

An entire left side of a row was filled with Sparkling wine from California starting at $8.

I was very surprised to find wine from Hungary due to the fact that I did not know they made wine. This wine is a Chateau Dereszla From the region of  Tokaj in Hungary. It is a blend of three grapes, 85% Furmint, 10% Yellow muscat and 5% Kabar.

New York City College Of Technology

Yovelsi Ortuno

HMGT2402-E553 

Prof. Goodlad 

March 25th, 2020

Wine List Analysis

            Wine plays an important role in many cultures, in New York City almost any every restaurant whether is casual or fine dining restaurants you can be assured to find an assortment of wine, that is a way that restaurant help the guest immerged themselves in the whole experience, how extensive is the wine list depends on the sommelier and the chef or owner of the restaurant, they also pair certain wines with items from the menu, to elevate said experience.

For this assignment I decided to choose Asiate as my fine dining restaurant since I actually experience this restaurant for my dining room class and I had a chance to talk to the sommelier. Asiate is an New American restaurant with a seasonal menu located in the Mandarin Oriental. Their wine list stays the same throughout, you can see some of these wines once you walk to the restaurant, showcasing them in a wine wall in the back of the restaurant. With almost 50 pages of wine Asiate has an extensive variety of wine and spirts, both sommeliers put it together in a way that is easier to understand and follow. They sell some of their wine by either the glass, the half bottle, and the bottle, their wine list is composed 6 main parts:

• White Wines (Old world, with a focus on France, and new world as well)
• Red Wines (France and its regions take a huge part, but also other countries in the old world, and new world)
• Rose (mostly France)
• Champagne/ Sparkling Wine (Vintage – non-vintage, both regular and rose)
• Fortified and Dessert Wines
• Beer and Spirits (including rice wines)

In contrast I research Beauty and Essex with multiple location around the United States and under the TAO restaurant group Beauty and Essex has separated itself because the elegance of their ambiance, with a casual dining experience providing a menu that is meant for sharing, this trend has grown throughout the years making Beauty and Essex a pioneer for the style, their wine list is on the extensive side, but not as precise or easy to follow as Asiate’s wine list.

They separate their wine by grape variety, and then location, and vintage, they also offer wines by the glass or the bottle.  The wine list is organized as follow.

• Sparkling (which as Asiate are separated into vintage and non-vintage for both regular and rose)
• White wine (Chardonnay, Sauvignon blanc, Riesling, and others)
• Red Wines (Pinot noir, Cabernet, Merlot and blend, others)

One of the similarities I found between both is that they have wine from the new world and the old world, one difference however is that Asiate’s wine list is much more detail and extensive, also they have in their wine list the name of both sommeliers, Slim Mello the head one, and Ini Gabriel Uko, which was the one I had the pleasure of speaking with. Another similarity I found interesting is how the classified the champagne, vintage and non-vintage. Furthermore, a difference that I realized while looking at Asiate’s list in that on the list they also include spirits and cocktails, but at Beauty and Essex, they have a completely different menu for the cocktails.

This comparison had me thinking when I go to out to eat, and how much attention I pay to wine list, and all the attention to detail that go into them because they matter and because #istudywine, I also have a new found respect for sommeliers and their job, and to restaurants that actually take time to have a comprehensive wine list that goes along with their menus.

Citation

Asiate. (n.d.). Mandarin Orietntal. Retrieved from Asiate: https://www.mandarinoriental.com/new-york/manhattan/fine-dining/restaurants/american-cuisine/asiate/menu

Essex, B. &. (n.d.). TAO Hospitality group. Retrieved from Beauty & Essex LES: https://beautyandessex.com/new-york/wine/

Torres, F. (06 de 05 de 2018). wine and fine dining. Obtenido de matching food and wine: https://www.torres.es/en/blog/matching-food-wine/wine-and-fine-dining#

Chamber Street Winery is one of New York’s most recognized wine dispensaries. Located in lower Manhattan’s Tribeca area, it’s a very small but popular non the less. The Chambers Street Winery is known for having a staff that is well informed on wines and its array of natural and small batch vintage wines. I am very familiar with the area, so I choose to visit this location. The venue is small but cozy and inviting.

Upon arrival, I was greeted at the store by a staff member named Eban whom was very nice and friendly. He asked me if I wanted to know about “New-World wines or Old-World wines” I wasn’t familiar with either, so I countered with “can you explain both to me?”. He simple answered “Old-World Wine is traditional wines that grow within parts of Europe and New- World is everything outside of Europe”. I then went to and asked him a few questions about the most popular selling French wine which he said was there were so many but if he had to guess it would be the Descombes Georges 2015 Regnie Vielles Vignes. I asked him “how much does a bottle of Regnie typically cost?” He replied, “the one we have is 2015 and it usually goes for $34.00.” I asked him “what meal would this wine be paired with?” He replied “Grilled red meat, like a steak or pork chops because of its deep and silky on the palate. We made some more small take and I preceded to feel the space out.

As I made my way through I felt like the spot was a tad bit on the clustered side being the space is so small, but the knowledgeable staff made up for the lack of space. The shelves were well organized and easy to decipher which region, year and grape variety of wine they had available.  One thing that stood out to me about the location was how the workers knew some of their customers by name. I felt like that personable approach will keep people coming and keep them in business for a long time.

I also visited a newly open wine store that is conveniently located in the corner retail shop of a high rise building. The spot is brand new and located at 363 Bond Street. They sell different wines from all parts of the United States as well as Europe and hard liquor. The set up is contemporary and very millennial friendly. I briefly visited the location, the staff was friendly but they did not allow photos to be taken inside due to security reason which I understood.

One place I did not produced wine is Africa. It actually has been producing wines since the 1700’s (possibly before). Africa is mainly known for is port style and fortified wines. Capensis Chardonnay which is an ultra premium wine that is aged in french oak is popular in the continent.

New York City alone is home to almost 50,000+ restaurants which whom a majority offer a selection of beverages including wines and spirits. When dining out you typically find yourself looking through an extensive wine list often with several pages like that at the Mercer Kitchen in Soho New York City. Often in the hope to pair your desired meal with the appropriate wine to complement flavors. Not all restaurants carry a large variety of wines eliminating the paradox of choice for guests and making wine selection a simpler experience.

Opened in July of 2018, Manhatta restaurant is located in the Financial District of NYC with a panoramic view of the New York City skyline. It is part of Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group which offers seasonal menu options as well as wines and beverages to tribute its dishes. The wine menu at Manhatta is modest and straightforward. Segmented into categories sparkling wines, white wines and red wines each group has between four to seven options listed. During my menu observation, I also noticed that the red and white wines listed were not vintage wines they all range between 2016-2018 from the countries of France, Germany, Italy, Austria, and the United States. Another observation was the French and Italian regions listed that I have become familiar with during my time in wine class such as Loire, Champagne, Burgundy, Bordeaux, and Rhone. The wines listed on the menu are all sold BTG (by the glass) and range between $18 for a Gruner Veltliner F.X. Pichler ‘Loibnerberg’ Wachau, Austria 2017, to $48 for Dom Perignon ‘Brut’ Champagne 2006.

Located on the corner of Prince and Mercer st in Soho, NYC The Mercer Kitchen opened its doors in 1998 and is a part of the Jean-Georges Vongerichten restaurant empire. The wine list at Mercer Kitchen is diverse and endless. With three pages to choose from and the options seemed endless and overwhelming to say the least. Mercer’s wine list has several categories, the first page lists champagne and sparkling wines along with a Sake option. Page two listed all the white wines, the left side listed the country of France and subcategories of its regions Alsace, Burgundy, Bordeaux, Loire and Rhone the right-side listed USA, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Austria, and Germany. The third and last page Listed red wine option also in the same order as the previous page with France to the left and other countries to the right this list included Spain, unlike the white wine list. The options at the Mercer kitchen are BTG (by the glass) and BTB (by the bottle) and I also noticed the options aren’t vintage. The prices range from $13 for sake tedorigawa yamahai junmai, ishikawa to $600 brut dom Perignon 2006 Moët & Chandon, Epernay, France.

The similarities and differences between the two restaurants are well stated. The wine list at Manhatta is simple and concise with options only sold BTG and minor vintage wines whereas the one at Mercer Kitchen is expansive with options BTG and BTB. What I did notice was that both restaurants carried popular similar options such as Sauvignon Blanc from Loire, France, Riesling from Germany and Pinot Noir from Oregon. I have visited both locations before having any wine knowledge and I must admit not once did I look at the wine menu. Overall, conducting this observation between restaurants has given me a sense of confidence to look at a wine menu at any restaurant and order a glass of wine that I will enjoy.

Citations:

Mercer Kitchen :Ideawork Studios. (n.d.). The Mercer Kitchen: Jean-Georges Restaurants New York: Wine. Retrieved from https://www.themercerkitchen.com/menus/wine/#!/menus/breakfast/

Manhatta :Menus. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.manhattarestaurant.com/menus/