Wine List Archives

Delta’s Revamped Wine Selection Elevates the In-Flight Experience

As the holiday season approaches, Delta Air Lines has announced an enhanced, carefully curated wine program, along with seasonal meals and gourmet snacks crafted in collaboration with award-winning chefs.

Enhanced Wine Program

Delta’s wine selection is now expanding to feature a range of varietals and flavors from across the globe, developed in partnership with Master Sommelier Andrea Robinson. The airline’s commitment to diversity and sustainability in sourcing means each wine reflects the unique identity and craftsmanship of its region, appealing to both casual sippers and wine connoisseurs.

A sampling of this year’s wine program includes:

Domaine Bousquet Reserve Organic Malbec (Argentina): A rich, dark-berry Malbec from a woman-led winery, pairing seamlessly with beef dishes.
Barbanera in Bianco (Italy): A unique white Sangiovese with fruit and citrus notes, ideal for seafood and cheeses.
Ken Forrester Old Vine Reserve Chenin Blanc (South Africa): An aromatic Chenin Blanc that complements spicy and full-flavored dishes.
Hahn Chardonnay (California): An elegant, balanced, vegan-friendly Chardonnay with tropical and oak notes.
Albert Bichot Pouilly-Fuissé (France): A lively and aromatic wine, pairing well with buttery seafood and creamy pastas.

Each wine undergoes a meticulous selection process, highlighting the diverse communities within the wine industry. Delta’s Sky Sommelier program, aimed at training flight attendants, further enhances in-flight service by educating staff on varietals, regional attributes, and food pairings, enriching guests’ travel experience.

“Exceptional in-flight meals create memorable travel experiences, whether 35,000 feet above ground or in new destinations,” notes Kristen Manion Taylor, Delta’s SVP of Inflight Service. “Our dedication to quality, diversity, and sustainability ensures each selection aligns with our guests’ expectations of a high-standard culinary journey.”

The Winners of the “Star Wine List” Announced

Star Wine List of the Year is the celebration of the great wine lists in the world and the teams behind them. The prize was awarded in ten categories, and the winners in each category got a Gold Star and qualified for the international final which will be held in June.

The International Open was held as an online event on May 6. Of the countries in the finals, both Australia and the Netherlands had the most representatives, with 20 restaurants/bars each. USA had 13 and Canada 10 venues shortlisted.

The jury for the Star Wine List of the Year International Open 2024 includes four international wine experts:

Pascaline Lepeltier
Piotr Pietras MS
Heidi Mäkinen MW
Doug Frost MW MS

“The judging process was quite a challenge and scores were really tight in most categories. The level of wine lists was high and I was impressed by their complexity, depth and a clever, creative touch,” said jury panel member Piotr Pietras MS about judging the International Open.

His fellow jury member Pascaline Lepeltier said:

“How exciting it is to see so many compelling lists from restaurants I have never heard of: it is impressive to see how so many sommeliers all around the world are creating curated beverage programs, with wit and intelligence, sometimes in areas where access to wine is complicated. I salute all their passion and hard work, and I am glad Star Wine List decided to showcase them!”

Doug Frost, both Master Sommelier and Master of Wine, joined the online celebration on May 6.

“I have looked at a lot of wine lists, and judged them, over the years. This time it was both really difficult and interesting. And it was exciting to look at so many different lists, and I learned a lot from it too. And it’s obvious that the people who sent us these lists have worked really, really hard,” he said.

Here are all the Gold Star winners:

The best list overall
[Gold Star]
De Nieuwe Winkel, Nijmegen, Netherlands

“Wow, this is crazy. I’m overwhelmed, thank you so much. I don’t know what to say, I feel very very honoured,” said Gauthier Cauwels from De Nieuwe Winkel.

“This award is not only about a list, but also how a wine selection is coherent with the whole philosophy of a restaurant. De Nieuwe Winkel is showing us what the gastronomy of tomorrow will probably be, ancred but how so diverse, and dedicated to be a local actor while responsibly offering some of the most thoughtful and delicious wines, at a fair price. Congrats!” said jury member Pascaline Lepeltier.

Best Long List
For wine lists with more than 600 references.
[Gold Star]
Restaurant Le Coureur des Bois, Beloeil, Canada

“Thank you. We are so very happy, this feels amazing. It’s a big work for every member on the team to maintain the list. It’s a tough job to keep the list year after year. The verticals and the classics, as well as the newcomers and the up-and-coming wines. My role is quite difficult, but I’m so happy for the team I work with,” said head sommelier Jean-Simon Rioux-Ranger at the event.

“A beautiful, complex list showcasing both classic and new-wave producers. The list thoroughly covers not only well-known appellations, but it also includes hidden gems and up-and-coming regions. Impressive verticals from numerous wineries are an added value,” said jury member Piotr Pietras.

Best Medium-Sized List
Recognizes the best wine list with 200-600 references.
[Gold Star]
MotherVine, Adelaide, Australia

“Thank you so much, it’s a great honour. I really didn’t expect this. Our list holds all the types of wines that we love to drink ourselves, but we also want to have wines for every kinds of tastes. Our name speaks of a clone, but we also have a love for Burgundy, which I think is reflected in the list,” said Mathieu Smeysters, sommelier and co-owner.

“This wine list highlights both national and international wines from exciting producers and manages to make the selection very diverse. The balance between different producer styles is successful and the offering is delightful throughout all pages,” said jury member Heidi Mäkinen MW.

Best Short List
Recognizes the best wine list with fewer than 200 listings.
[Gold Star]
De Nieuwe Winkel, Nijmegen, Netherlands

“Thank you, I feel very happy and honoured for the recognition. We try to do things differently, only cook plant-based for example. And our wine list is a reflection of that. We also have a beer sommelier, with an amazing list, and botanical cocktails. I want to send a big thank you to our owners who let me keep building this list, and thank you to all my colleagues,” said Gauthier Cauwels from De Nieuwe Winkel.

“Frankly, it’s easy (if expensive) to write a great wine list when you have several thousand selections. I’ve always believed that the truest mark of smarts is the ability to write a well-rounded and complete short wine list. Winkel has provided a list for every gustatory and financial appetite. Sure, there’s a focus upon cooler sites and Bordeaux is under-represented, but there are so many other wonderful options that it just doesn’t matter,” said jury member Doug Frost, Master Sommelier and Master of Wine.

Best Sparkling Wine List
Recognizes the best list with sparkling wines
This category is presented by Nyetimber
[Gold Star]
Ristorante del Lago, Bagno di Romagna, Italy

“We saw many wine lists with amazing Champagne selections; this one didn’t necessarily stand out for that but, rather, its crazy, nearly encyclopedic list of Italian bubblies. Okay, the Champagne list was great too,” said Doug Frost.

Best By the Glass List
Recognizes the best by the glass list.
[Gold Star]
Ten Minutes by Tractor, Main Ridge, Australia

“Thank you so much. I can only thank the wine team and the chefs, as well as our owners. Of course, people come to our restaurant to enjoy our own wines, but we want people to be able to enjoy a full restaurant experience, and enjoy other fantastic wines apart from ours,” said Kyle Barton from Ten Minutes by Tractor.

“Anyone entering this venue will be delighted by the offering by the glass, as it allows delving deep into different wine styles from around the world. Each choice, whether local or from further afield, is chosen carefully, so it would be a real struggle to choose what not to drink!” said jury member Heidi Mäkinen.

Best Newcomer List
Recognizes a venue that recently opened
[Gold Star]
Enoteca Boccaccio, Melbourne, Australia

“Thank you so much, such a great honour for us. Enoteca Boccaccio has been a dream project for my bosses, the d’Anna family. We’ve been open a little less than a year, and it has been such a lovely journey to build this list,” said wine director Elena Leardini.

“They may be newcomers but they offer a fantasy of some of the sexiest names in wine: Selosse, Krug, Raveneau, J.J. Prüm, Emidio Pepe, Rinaldi, and Borgogno, all with remarkable vertical selections. The largest of all the verticals? One of the greatest values in Italian wine: Produttori del Barbaresco,” said jury member Doug Frost.

Sustainable Wine List
For the Sustainable Wine List category, not only the wine list is evaluated, but also the stated actions of the venue, as described through a questionnaire in the application.
[Gold Star]
Esters Wine Shop & Bar, Santa Monica, USA

“It is always so inspiring to see more and more places looking for solutions to make a restaurant a more sustainable place, especially when it goes beyond just the selection of committed farmers and winemakers. This is what set Esters apart; actions and support not only to education and promotion of sustainable farming, but an involvement in the local community to help the needed environmental and social changes to happen,” said the jury’s Pascaline Lepeltier.

Here is the link to the winners:
starwinelist.com/wine-story/the-winners-in-our-international-open-with-competing-wine-lists-from-19-countries

Source: Star Wine List

The World, Residences at Sea, Awarded ‘Best Ship Wine List’

The World, Residences at Sea has been awarded “Best Ship Wine List” by The World of Fine Wine magazine for the ninth consecutive year.

Beverage Manager Kelley Michael Schaefer said: “To be awarded Best Ship Wine List for so many consecutive years alongside such notable establishments is a tremendous honor. Our Beverage Team, with its knowledgeable and experienced sommeliers, has the privilege and pleasure of working for our Residents who are a quite sophisticated group of wine connoisseurs. Our worldwide itinerary has allowed us to develop long-standing relationships with winemakers and owners across the globe who give us access to allocations of their finest labels, even when productions are small. We also purchase wines locally, so consequently we can create a vast collection in our cellars and wine vaults. It’s a varied collection that we are very proud of.”

The World’s master wine list includes 15,000 bottles and over 1,200 selections from 20 countries.

In addition to special wine experiences, the World’s Beverage Team collaborates with the chefs to create menus and wine pairings that highlight the cultures and foods of the destinations visited.

Source: World of Fine Wine Magazine

Six Tips for Ordering Wine in Restaurants

Here’s a convenient list on why wines get marked up, and how to get the best deals and service when ordering. The list is compiled by EBT who interviewed some trade experts.

The highest-priced bottles have the lowest markups

If you are determined not to pay more than £25 for a bottle of wine, you might be missing a great deal, said Mark McDonald, chef and co-owner of Old Vibe Kitchen & Bar in Costa Mesa. “Sometimes it can take a year or more to sell 12 bottles of £150 wine,” he explained. “Typically, if I did a standard markup on that it wouldn’t be approachable, and it would be harder to sell. We want people to experience some of these wines that are a little more special, and that are a higher price point. So, we take less of a margin on those.”

Wine by the glass has the highest markups

The “I’m going to save money by having just one glass” plan doesn’t always work out as cost-effective. After all, many restaurants charge the same or nearly the same price for a glass as they would for the bottle. That’s because if they serve one glass and the rest of the bottle doesn’t sell in a week, it will not be at its best, unless they’re using a Coravin or similar, and therefore they’ll have to throw it out anyway.

The per-glass price of a bottle that’s £10 wholesale would be £12. Even if it’s only marked up double £20 when it’s sold by the bottle, you buy two glasses of wine, and you’re spending £24. Might as well buy the bottle and get four glasses for £20.

Lawry’s Restaurants solved that problem by narrowing down its by-the-glass selection. “We did some analysis on it. If you have the right amount of wine by the glass for the restaurant, it really doesn’t cost any more,” said Laura Ratner, director of service and training at Lawry’s Restaurants Inc. “It’s like, if I’m going to have a glass and a half, two glasses, as is my dining companion, then definitely get the bottle and yes, you’re more assured of a higher quality product, you know exactly how long it’s been open. It just makes more financial sense.”

The wine service you get at a restaurant can’t be replicated at home and that’s why you’re paying extra

It is a fact that most restaurant wines come directly from wineries or a trusted distributor or agent. Bottles don’t sit around at room temperature on supermarket shelves, or worse, out in the sun on a loading dock. They have been stored at the restaurant cellar, often in temperature-controlled areas, which is part of the restaurant’s footprint;
The selection is always going to be better than the average person could own or store themselves, sometimes with hundreds of bottles or more. Restaurants have well-trained staff, sommeliers and general managers on hand to answer any questions about the wine and to hear from you about what kinds of wines you like. Most good restaurants will have made sure their team attend wine tastings at work led by experts from distribution companies or wineries; and
The glassware must be sturdy. When fine dining rooms use fancy, fragile glasses, they could be losing a dozen a week. In most restaurants, when the wine list gets revamped, the glassware also receives an upgrade.

Don’t think you’re paying a sommelier’s salary

Starting in the late ’80s, the number of people getting sommelier-certified saw an uplift. Fine dining restaurants at the highest levels still might have somms, but most restaurants, even upscale chains, can’t afford to pay a somm full-time so that expense is not getting passed on to wine buyers. Most often restaurants require waiters and general managers to study wines served and/or get some sommelier training.

“We can’t afford to pay somebody hourly to come in just to open wine between six and nine o’clock, it doesn’t make sense,” said Lewis. “I’m like an acting GM. I do the wine service. I’ll open wine all day long.”

The most popular wines are sold at the lowest prices

Restaurants won’t excessively mark up a well-known wine. “Don’t forget, people now have their iPhones when they’re going to a restaurant,” said Tony Maalouf, restaurant manager at the Mission Inn Hotel & Spa in Riverside. “They have an idea what they’re buying and they know what the market price is for that wine,” he said.

Corkage fees: Remember the rules of engagement

Bringing your own wine has become more common in some venues aiming to keep overheads down, especially during and post-pandemic. But we often need to remember in these instances that wine is the only thing on the menu for which you can name your price. Remember, if you bring your own wine then it’s only courteous to show up with something that’s not already on the wine list, especially a bottle you’ve been saving for a special occasion. It’s also considered a nice gesture to offer the server a taste.

#wine #winelovers #winetasting #wine #instawine #winetips #winelist #winetime #sommelier #somm #restaurant #vino #vin #redwine #whitewine #rosewine #foodandwine #winegeek #winebar #winecellar

Sources:
Drinks Business
EBT

Japan Airlines (JAL) Launches New First Class Wine List Champagnes include: Salon and Dom Perignon

JAL has been renowned for serving up some of its home nation’s best sake, but now the Tokyo Narita-based airline is taking inflight drinking to a whole new level thanks to a new wine list that includes Champagne Salon.

JAL will be the only airline serving Champagne Salon Vintage 1999 in First Class, which will be on the wine list alongside Champagne Dom Perignon’s Vintage 2003, and 17 other fine wines that span the globe from New Zealand’s Martinborough to California.

Fellow expat countryman and winemaker Kenzo Tsujimoto’s Kenzo Estate Rindo, from California, will also be available in First Class on selected flights.

It’s not just First Class passengers that get the best wines, commencing February Executive Class will also find a new list that includes nine new wines and Champagne Joseph Perrier Cuvee Royale Brut.