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#