“Zonda Wind” – dry hot wind coming down from Andes, usually in late spring-early summer, minimizing frost
Learn more about the Zonda here
Continental climate (dry)
“La Piedra” – Late summer hail
Weather report, April 8, 2020
Read what Jancis Robinson says about Argentina
Christy Hemphill
Prof. Goodlad
HMGT 2402
4/6/2020
Current State of Business
It’s unfortunate of how many people in the restaurant and wine industry is forced in going out of business because of epidemic we’re going through. As a young lady in the hospitality industry, I too faced the effects of working on the kitchen line. 85 percent of restaurants has closed but the 15 remaining that is open is also facing trails themselves. Food that was made from scratched and was daily delivered by food vendors, is now depending on canned goods. Hours has been cut extremely short or people has been laid off. Some managers took the task of doing multiple shifts such as being the roles of line cooks and dish washers. They had to reduce the menu’s top sellers. What they did to keep the restaurant business going is having their establishment opened for delivers and pick up orders. I find it to be very ironic how majority of people looked down on fast food industries and now there still in business compared to fine dining establishments.
Christy Hemphill
Professor. Goodlad
HMGT 2402
4/15/20
LIBERIA ClASS PREP
What is the name of the region where Sherry is produced? – Jerez also known as “Xeres” and Port.
List styles of Sherry? – Fino-style sherry, Hybrid-style sherry, Oloroso-style sherry, and Dried grape sherry
Explain the characteristics of the region’s climate. – The sherry region is in the southwest of Spain in Anadaulsia between Cadiz and Seville. Andalusia’s climate is hot and dry, but the climate of Jerez is cooler because of the Atlantic Ocean. The summer months are usually dry with no rain at all.
Identify the soil and explain what makes it unique. – Albariza soil has 30% of limestone rich chalky soil which is known for the growth of Palomino grape. Barro soil which is the clay soil, and Arena which is the sandy soil.
What is the Dominant Grape Variety? – Palomino, Pedro Ximenez, and Moscatel.
List styles of Sherry and explain the difference – Fino-style sherry are fortified to a low level of alcohol in order to permit the flor to flourish. Hybrid-style sherry begins with the fino sherry. During the aging process, the flor dies out allowing the wines to age in the solena. Oloroso-style is sherry wine with a higher alcohol strength to prevent the development at a later point. Dried grape sherry is a sweet sherry produced from Pedro Ximenez or Moscatel. These grapes are harvested at a high level. After being dried the grapes are pressed and partially fermented before being fortified and aged.
What is Flor? – A barrier of yeast thats rises on the top of the wine to protect the wine from oxygenation.
What is the result of using the solera system? – To ensure consistency. By blending multiple vintages, the possible variability of each year will be lowered. After a certain amount of years, the bottled wine will maintain a constant average age.
Chaoming Wu
HMGT 2402
Professor
Profesor Dragorn
Wine List Analysis
When I study Hospitality Management, I haven’t had red wine. Because I’m allergic.But I can try a little be.this is ok. When I take this class, I have discovered wine is not just an alcoholic drink, Food and wine pairings allow chefs and sommeliers to pair individual dishes with different wines in hopes of enhancing the flavor of both the food and the beverage. So, wine becomes a significant item for the restaurant industry., I will compare the wine lists from River cafe and Daniel Brasserie restaurants.
The River cafe is located in one of New York’s most unique and romantic settings, and is well known around the world as a wonderful culinary destination.Nestled riverside under the Brooklyn Bridge, The River CafĂ© exudes romance with its breathtaking NYC skyline views, gorgeous atmosphere and above all our classic American cuisine. At The River Cafe, they serve brunch, lunch and dinner at a fixed price.The River Café’s wine program, since 1977, is one of the most respected in the country. he River CafĂ© believes in long term cellaring and after thirty years has created one of the best international wine lists to be found anywhere. Some of the world’s greatest and most sought after wines, including Chateau Reyas, Chateau Petrus, Domaine Ramonet, Neillon, Vega Sicilia and Domaine de La Romanee Conti, are available in multiple vintages at The River CafĂ©.
Daniel is a French restaurant located at 60 East 65th Street on the Upper East Side in Manhattan, in New York City. Since opening in 1993, Daniel has earned its place among the pillars of New York City’s bustling dining scene, receiving numerous accolades for its refined European cuisine, world-class cellar and gracious hospitality. The restaurant Boasting more than 25,000 bottles, our cellar ranges from exceptional old-world wines to innovative offerings by young vignerons. Daniel presents 25,000 bottles into the wine list . Wines are categorized into the region and going along with appellations. but this menu didn’t show any information for each wine.
All in all, both restaurants are different styles of presenting the wine list, But I think The River cafe menu is better. They do a good job in all. and They also have a better dining environment and food is also very good
Wine List Analysis
When it comes to living in New York City we have many options for so many different things. For example, if you want pizza it ranges from a simple $1 slice of pizza to a $7 slice of artichoke pizza. Another example would be with restaurants, you can have the traditional fast food restaurant like McDonalds or a 5 star Michelin restaurant like Batard Tribeca NYC. The same concept pertains to the wine lists of the restaurant establishments throughout the NYC. The evidence is there with over 3,000 restaurants having extensive wine lists in NYC. I will be comparing the wine list of 2 restaurants that I have visited which are The River Café and Gramercy Tavern.
Both of these establishments are fine dining restaurants but are each individually different. The River Café, as the name suggest sits right on the East River overlooking an amazing view of the city highline. It has more of an upbeat vibrant feeling with live music and a flowery scenery surrounding you. This type of environment can make it conducive to wine drinkers who would like to sit by the water and consume wine. On the other hand, the Gramercy Tavern fits the fine dining experience with a dim lit, reserved classic look which can also be conducive to wine consumers as well. As for the wine list of each restaurant, there are many similarities and differences. On both wine list you can find comprehensive list of champagne, sparkling wines as well as white and red wines. Other similarities they share are the countries and regions they come. For example, both restaurants acquire their wines from the United States more specifically the California Napa Valley and the New York Finger lakes. Other countries include France and some of its regions like Loire Valley, Alsace, and Bordeaux.  They also acquire wine from Italy and its regions such as Piedmont, Tuscany, and Veneto. They also acquire wines from Germany and Austria. In terms of pouring, both restaurants offer wine by glasses, half bottles, and full bottles. A difference between the two restaurants is The River Café gets most of its wine from France with California while The Gramercy Tavern gets most of its wine abroad at France and Italy. The River Café also has a more extensive list of Grand and Premier Cru than The Gramercy Tavern. A major difference is The River Café has a special collection which The Gramercy Tavern nor any other restaurant does not have, which is the Madeira Collection. This is a special collection of wine that comes from Madeira, which is a small volcanic island off the port of Portugal which was also used by Christopher Columbus.
After reviewing, both restaurants and wine list I would pick The River Café as a better option over the Gramercy Tavern. The River Café has a broader spectrum of wine which allows for people who are experienced or not experienced in wine to be able to choose a wine. Personally, overlooking a beautiful city highline and sharing a glass of red wine with your love one isn’t bad either
When I think of wine, I don’t get excited anymore. Mainly because I can no longer consume the beverage. Prior to being diagnosed with a rare stomach condition known as Gastroparesis, I did consume alcohol. Lots of it. After the diagnosis, my body changed along with my diet. Prior to registering for this class, I wasn’t happy for obvious reasons and I was also worried about not enjoying the class as much as everyone else. To me, wine is what many adults call the “happy juice”. In New York City, you will find a wide range of fine dining restaurants accompanied by a wide range of wine. Both red and white wines. The price ranges also vary from low to high. I’m more than sure you won’t have a hard time finding a great tasting wine in New York City.
The two wine lists I chose to compare are The River Cafe and Blue Ribbon. Fortunately for me, I had the opportunity to experience the wine at Blue Ribbon years ago and the taste was exquisite. During my visit, I had two different wines both were white wines. One glass was sparkling “Pierre GImonneT and FILS” and the other was “Riesling”. I didn’t know anything about wine prior to this class. As for The River Cafe, I planned on visiting the restaurant for my restaurant analysis, however, due to my dietary restrictions, I could not dine there.
The River Cafe offers a great selection of wine. What I enjoyed most looking over the wine list were the options for glass, half bottle, and full bottle. The prices, in my opinion, are reasonable. I say that because after learning about the grape varieties and regions, I somewhat understand the uniqueness of the wine groups. Prices ranged from $16 to over $2,000 dollars. I would love to taste a top-notch wine in my next lifetime. From what I heard, the wine is delicious and worth the price. Some students that visited the restaurant for their analysis said they even got a “little tipsy” from the wine.
Reading over Blue Ribbons wine selection, it is nowhere near comparable to the wine at The River Cafe. At Blue Ribbon, you have the option to “taste” the wine for a low price or you have the option to buy a glass of wine. The prices range from $13-$500. There’s a selection for sweet and fortified wines, wines group by region and valley.
If I had to choose between both lists, I would go with Blue Ribbon. Not because I tasted the wine before but because of the selections. There are not too many options compared to The River Cafe. Choosing a wine from The River Cafe, I would lose my marbles and it’s not because of the process. There are just too many wines for my brain and palate to process. Hopefully one day there will be a cure for my stomach condition and I would be able to enjoy several glasses of wine. Perferebbaly white wine. Prosecco to be exact.
  Wine has been around humans from the moment homosapinas were able to ferment and realize the full potential of what small little grapes can do with a little bit of help.As the decades come about we see not only fine dining establishments accompany their exquisite food with wine , but also casual dining restaurants.One very known Michelin star location is the River Cafe where we have a sommelier who even teaches at Citytech. On the other hand we have Blue Ribbon as a casual restaurant.
  The River Cafe is located near the riverside of the Brooklyn Bridge. It is known for its wonderful view of the sky-liners, boats passing by and the sunset as the day goes on.Open in 1977, the elegant location with a strict dress code has lived up to its reputation of having a Michelin star.The wine selection that they have is extensive and is quite renowned for having some of the most sought after wine around the world. Blue Ribbon has been open for over 26 years and allows their location to contribute with their aesthetics.If you were to Google Blue Ribbon you would see that they are known for being wide awake at 3am for a bite which helped its reputation.Â
    The wine list is not as extensive as The River Cafe but does come with a nice list for people to choose from.Unlike the River Cafe that has a list that runs over 10 pages , Blue Ribbon has a nice little selection of 4 pages.Both of the wine lists tells the consumer the location where the wine was from, the year that it was created and what type of grape that was used. The River Cafe listing has a higher price range which as little as $25 but can go as high as 9,000.Comparing that to Blue Ribbon which goes from $8 dollars for a glass up to $100 the price difference can speak up for the rarity or quality of the wine.Something else that I noticed was that they separated the type of wines that they have from white,red,spirit, and sparkling.These wine list makes sure to compliment what both restaurants seems to be mainly serving.This makes it easier for the guest to make a choice that accommodates what they are ordering to eat also. These restaurant have different standards but makes sure that they are equipped with wine that can help better their restaurant.
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Stephanie Udeji
Wine Analysis
New York City is known to be home to many renowned restaurants that have set the standard for food preparation and service all over the world. Being a melting pot of many cultures, most chefs plan their menus to incorporate all of the present cultures and flavors in New York City. Fine Dining restaurants offer diners the opportunity to have their meals paired with wines. Their extensive wine lists show their attention to detail and the thought put into each meal presented. Casual dining restaurants often offer more cocktails than wines. The wines offered typically are the most popular amongst diners.
Opened in 2005 by Joe and Linda Bastianich, Del Posto is a fine dining Italian restaurant that has been serving New Yorkers quality food. Located on 85 10th Ave, New York, New York the restaurant was awarded one Michelin star and is the only standing four star Italian restaurant in New York. The menu offers diners a prix fixe menu for lunch and dinner, that have many pasta dishes prepared in numerous ways. Blue Ribbon is a fast-casual restaurant by Bruce and Eric Bromberg, which was established in 1992. There are multiple locations in New York City, Los Angeles, and Miami. With different variations of their restaurant, Blue Ribbon offers diners classic American dishes and international cuisines like sushi.
Del Posto’s wine list is very extensive, with the type of wine and where it was produced. Their entire beverage menu is 241 pages long. It has a directory for white wine, red wine and champagne. Some of the bottles of wine are priced as high as $1000. Blue Ribbon’s wine list is 4 pages long and is organized by wines of all types, beer and at the bottom spirits. Their selection of red and white wine of extensive but is lacking in rose and sparkling wine. Being that I have dined at Blue Ribbon, their wine selection is in accordance with their menu which offers a decent selection of food.
Some of the differences between the two restaurants are that Del Posto’s wine list is far more developed and offers a wide range of wines and beverages and they are paired with the meals offered. In contrast, Blue Ribbon has a shorter wine list and they are not paired with menu items. Del Posto’s wine list is significantly longer than their menu which gives diners the opportunity to have their meals paired or they can opt to choose a wine of their choice. The format of the menu differs as well. Del Posto has formatted its beverage menu by listing all the type of one wine on one page. Blue Ribbon has all of its beverages listed in a small font with its prices listed on the side by glass and pint. The two wine lists are similar by listing the year and location of production. Both beverage lists are well organized with the prices for beverages based on glass, pint, liter, and half-liter.
After doing this research what I found was that the price a restaurant charges is dependent on the services given to their diners. Blue Ribbon being a fast-casual restaurant not much attention to detail was put into pairing meals with wines. Del Posto being a fine dining restaurant, they want to offer their diners an experience that not only includes delicious food but tasty wine to go along with their food. After this research, I an interested to going to Del Posto to have the entire experience that is being offered.
New York has a variety of different restaurants throughout the five boroughs. I’ve always been interested in visiting a restaurant and trying the “perfect” wine to pair with my meal, but have yet to have had that experience. Coming into City Tech’s Hospitality Program, I was interested in learning so many different things this field has to offer, especially the wines. With that being said I chose to base my wine analysis on one fine dining and one casual restaurant. The restaurants are called Gramercy Tavern and Blue Ribbon.Â
Last semester I had the honor to visit and analyze the famous, Gramercy Tavern. It was filled with many options and the beverage list is filled with a variety of alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks. Gramercy also offers a wine pairing with your 3-4 course meal. They offer it for around $79-$100 per person. With that being said the wine list was huge! Going on their online site to get a recap of how it looked and it was beyond my expectations . The wine list is 34 pages long. They have a variety of different selections of wine in which, is very organized and categorized. In this wine list they also have the different wine prices and how much each specific ounce will cost. Different wines from red, white, sparkling , etc. They offer a variety of wines that come from places like Italy, France , California, to even the city of New York. When dining at Gramercy, I noticed that many people had different options to have their wines. Gramercy offers half bottles, full bottles, and wine glasses in different ounces.Â
Although I have never been to Blue Ribbon I found it interesting with the variety of locations they have from New York City all the way to Los Angeles. The beverage/ wine list had the different wines and “spirits” list. This list was 4 pages long. They had it very organized and had the prices of each beverage. The wines differ from countries and states like France, Chile, Spain, and even Long Island, New York. I do like how specific and detailed the beverage list is. For example, they have listed a wine as “A & P De Villaine, “Les Clous AimÉ,” CĂ´TE Chalonnaise 2015”, and Cote Chalonnaise is a subregion of the burgundy wine of France.Â
As I analyzed both wine lists, The difference in the two restaurants was that one beverage list was 10x larger than the other. That is very understandable, due to one being a fine dining restaurant and would demand more than a casual restaurant. I noticed the difference in pricing as well. The similarities was the very detailed descriptions on the wine and the organization each restaurant had. When analyzing both these restaurants, I learned that a wine list can go beyond 35 pages. It is incredible how many wines we have around the whole world. I also learned that having the opportunity to compare both these restaurants and wine list, gives me a different perspective on how to look into more wine list for every restaurant I visit.
Reference:
https://media-cdn.getbento.com/accounts/06eddfdb5447c253b35abe48f22bfb2d/media/PRaScYJ0QiSmabBrfWDe_GT_WineList%203.11.20.pdf
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/52fd7162e4b0d3e64dc29631/t/5d9cfacaff43b44336b79ec8/1570568906303/BR-BK+Wine+List_10.08.2019.pdf
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