Nichole Johnson 

Wine & Beverage Management                                                                 Professor Goodlad 

HMGT 2402 

Wine Analysis 

Bâtard is a modern European restaurant, located in the heart of Tribeca, NYC. Their menu focuses on classic cuisine with a focus on quality, seasonal ingredients and draws inspiration from their Team’s diverse background and experience.  

Roberta’s is a new Brooklyn pizzeria located in Bushwick.  Roberta’s is a celebrity-Chef magnet and is also known for being a bread bakery, having an internet radio station, having a garden and having event space. Roberta’s became an international brand when it started selling frozen pizza at Whole Foods. Their wine list has 12 pages compared to Bâtard.  

Three observations from Bâtard’s wine list are how detailed the wines are itemized re type and appellations, they provided producer spotlight’s that further described the embodiment of the wine and they also had offering of their favorite Burgundy wines that were $80 or less. Three observations from Roberta’s wine list include how simplistic the menu was in design. It was not fancy and for someone like me who is a novice; I would know what type of wine I wanted to select and could easily identify where the wine was coming from. My other note was that they offered large format wines. This is wine that comes in a bottle larger than the standard 750ml. The ones Roberta’s carry come in 1.5L and range from $90 to $300. My last observation was the vintages. The oldest wine vintage was from 1990, then 1996 with others ranging 2012-2018. 

Two similarities from the lists are that both offer a range of sparkling, white, rosé and red wines. And both can cater to the budget of someone willing to spend within $100 to $200 for a bottle of wine. Two differences from the list are that 1. Bâtard lists the grape variety and appellations while Roberta’s will list the region and country and Bâtard does not sell wine by the glass unlike Roberta’s.  

Overall, Bâtard lived up to its classification of a modern European restaurant with an exceptional wine list to accompany its meal offerings. The wine list at Roberta’s matches its outdoorsy vibes with a list that is unintimidating and simple to read. I learned that wines are sold in large format at 1.5L. Before, I imagined them to be decorations with no real idea of what it was. Learning about wines helped me to understand what I was reading in the wine descriptions, and what was important about where the wine was coming from. It also helped me understand why the value of the wine and location is synonymous with the price. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Works cited 

Roberta’s Wine List http://www.robertaspizza.com/storage/bushwickwine.pdf 

Bâtard Tribeca NYC Wine List https://assets.website-files.com/589293f958e9d3407be2b9ee/5de6e2964dd1a7145c17ec35_Batard%2012.3.19.pdf 

Complete Guide to all Large Format Wine Bottles, Sizes and Shapes retrieved from https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/wine-topics/wine-educational-questions/size-matters-explanation-large-bottle-formats/ 

Steinthal, Andrew. “Roberta’s”. The Infatuation retrieved from https://www.theinfatuation.com/new-york/reviews/robertas 

Gordinier, Jeff. “At Roberta’s, Pizza and a Broken Partnership.” The NY Times. April 1, 2015 

For this project, my classmate Jada and I chose to visit Slope Cellars, located in Park Slope.  Despite being surrounded by various businesses in such a commercial area, it’s very impressive how easy it was to spot the black and red sign that read “Slope Cellars.” Stepping inside was almost like entering a library. The walls were covered with wine bottles placed on large brown wooden shelves that reached the ceiling. There was even a railing between the fifth and sixth shelf that allowed for a roller library ladder to move throughout the space. To the right two cash registers and a friendly employee who greeted us immediately. Behind him placed on the same shelves were the liquors. Past the cozy wine library was a smaller section of the shop that was separated by color and design. This room was all white and had wine cases stacked on top of one another. After introducing ourselves we waited for our interview to begin. 

Mrs. Lenartz gave us a small tour of the shop as she explained to us how she started her business and her preference for how she manages everything. She showed us that the wines on the shelves were organized by country and then placed by region. Starting from the entrance the wines began in Spain and ended in Austria and the liquors were last. We learned that she and her husband opened the wine shop when it was just a run-down liquor store and used their restaurant experience to help guide them. She didn’t want to sell the more popular wines such as Santa Margherita, Pinot Grigio, and Yellowtail wines instead she was interested in selling organic wines from smaller producers to the community. She stated that great service was a priority and that anyone who entered would receive a warm welcome from the employees. It was clear that she took pride in having employees that are great with people and educated in the products they’re selling. She mentioned that her employees should be able to taste wine, be able to talk about it and pair it well with a meal. Walking around I noticed stars on the prices of the wine. She explained that the starts indicated if the wine was organic and that she placed small pieces of paper with said stars to act as a key so browsing the wines would be easier for customers. 

Ending the tour we were shown the back where the “cheap and tasty” labeled wines are placed. She shared how important it was to build strong connections with her customers and in doing that giving a positive influence on the community. We were able to see that as we noticed people having a great time browsing and even children playing with one of the employee’s dog. Overall I had a wonderful time visiting this wine shop. If you’re looking to buy great affordable wine in a small shop with great music and friendly faces, I would highly recommend “Slope Cellars.”

The sign outside the wine shop.

One of the walls with the wines placed on shelves, along with the roller library ladder.

A key that indicates how the wine is organized and what the stars on prices mean.

The wines in the back of the shop that are labeled “cheap and tasty.”

The red wine Atanasius Rot made in the Weinland region of Austria.

Wine tasting notes are derived from specific components of sugar, acid, fruit, tannin and alcohol. When it comes to wine and food pairings, there’s science. The wine must complement the flavors of the meals components of acid, sugar, bitterness, fat, salt and umami. The food must balance and harmonize with that of the wine, matching one another’s intensity. Acidity can enhance food flavors, fats can amplify or provide richness, salt can tone down bitterness or astringency. The way a dish is prepared also matters, hence why there are different pairings for the same protein. Many restaurants want to optimize guest experience by providing wines that can elevate the flavors of their course. Extensive wine lists overwhelm and confuse guests. Such restaurants have a sommelier to guide guests wine selection. Extensive lists established the recent trend of “micro lists”. The two restaurants I will compare is Charlie Bird and River Café.
River Café is an American fine dining restaurant.  It features a romantic setting, overlooking a waterfront. It is arranged by grape varieties then by region to terroir. It is offered by glass, half bottle, bottle and uniquely larger bottles. The wine list features at least 10 pages of wines featuring sangiovese, port, dessert wine, syrah, pinot noir from France, California, Canada, U.S, Spain, Australia and more. The first observation I noticed is the lists has ice wine, which is wine produced from grapes that have been frozen on the vine creating a sweet wine. The second observation is the 1998 La Romanée BOUCHARD PÈRE & FILS Grand Cru, $1250 was higher priced than the same 1996 La Romanée BOUCHARD PÈRE & FILS Grand Cru, $1050. I felt as though the 1996 vintage should’ve been expensive based on longer fermenting. The last observation is the longest list on the menu is the Pinot Noir that features over 70 selections. Charlie Bird is a casual-fine dining Italian cuisine restaurant with small hip hop accented décor. The first observation is that bottles are offered only unlike River which has glass, bottle and half bottle. The second observation is the restaurant has a micro wine list unlike River’s extensive. The last observation is the lowest price point is $55 and highest is $295 in which options are available for both prices. This restaurant also organizes their list by grape varieties and regions. They both also feature vintage wines; however, River also has non vintage wine. Overall, I understand the importance in wine varieties at restaurants and I learned that some lists may be longer than others to accommodate each course and it is definitely a skill to be a sommelier.

Reference

Garret, D. (2017, May 4). Wine Pairing: Food & Wine Recipes and Pairings. Retrieved from https://www.winemag.com/2014/11/12/mastering-the-art-of-wine-and-food-pairings/

Featured wine from France from the region Champagne. Produced by Henriet Bazin using Pinot Noir. Reveals hints of red fruit of the grape with a silky texture and a pleasingly dry finish

DeForville – Barbesco 2016 a red wine from Italy. The grape variety is Nebbiolo.

   A white wine from the region Nahe in Germany. The variety is Riesling and the vintage is 2015.

One of the walls of the shop displaying their wide range of wines

  Under the circumstances that we’ve been under physically going to a wine store was not possible. I looked up wine stores and one of first ones to pop out was Prospect Wine Store which is located on 322 seventh Ave Brooklyn NY 11215. Their website was simple yet visually appealing and organized. Countries were listed as well as regions, price ranges everything was there in a orderly fashion. One of the things that stood out to me was their featured items section. For the time being the Henriet Bazin – Champagne Brut Grand Cru Blanc de Noirs NV is their featured product.
I then called the shop, very politely I was greeted by Amy who happens to be the manager. I introduced myself and explained the task that was assigned. She agreed to talk briefly. She gave me a quick overview about herself explaining her history in the industry as well as her passion for wine. She emphasized their interest in organic and biodynamic wines. She said they strongly believed in giving their customers the best wines even if that meant not following the general trends. They also support their community and highly support small artisanal producers. Wine tastings, wine pairings and other workshops were done but now that the weather was getting better more often. She explained that a schedule was in place but had to be removed until further notice.
Amy also mentioned that the ongoing crisis is affecting them. The shop is trying to stay in business while following safety precautions. Phone orders are being taken but have a limited selection of what is actually being sold. Customers can either come to pick them up on the curbside of the shop or they deliver locally. Contact in the physical shop is extremely limited and staff is constantly cleaning. She apologized that she couldn’t stay on the call longer, but other calls were coming in. She happily invited me in after the chaos calmed down for a better experience as well as interview. She said to check out their website for their featured items as it was updated often as well as their Instagram for more visuals.

 

 

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.