Rhode Island - The Beverage Journal

Transcription

Rhode Island’s only trade magazine and comprehensive online resource
for the local licensed beer, wine and spirits industry.
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APRIL 2015
FEATURES
10
On-Premise Advice
Spring into action on the get-prepped check list.
25
What’s Kosher?
Surprisingly, not all kosher wines are certified kosher
for Passover as well.
28
28
Tequila On Fire
High-end expressions are driving the category — and
challenging whiskies as sipping spirits.
36
A Family Distillate
Heaven Hill Distillery celebrates 80 years of crafting
whiskey and building brands.
40
Vin de France Steps Up
Annual competition provides even more momentum
for a new breed of French wine.
42
When Wine is On the Menu
With pairing menus, wine makes culinary artistry
more profitable.
46
36
42
Off Spain’s Beaten Path
Under-the-radar Cariñena region offers old vines, character
and value.
46
April 2015 RHODE ISLAND BEVERAGE JOURNAL 3
APRIL 2015
50
Selling the Good Stuff
Independents find reward in value sweet spots, avoiding lowest
price tier.
52
50
On Call with Jim Beam Honey
American Whiskey is happily tapping the whiskey’s sweet side
in NYC.
54
Tequila Double-Shot
Pernod Ricard brands Avión and Altos make a potent pair.
58
Bar Talk
Travis St. Germain straddles classic and modern at Clover Club
in Brooklyn.
52
58
54
DEPARTMENTS
5
6
12
14
Market Point
News Front
Association News
Around Town
LIQUOR BRAND INDEX
WINE BRAND INDEX
18
19
20
22
BEER BRAND INDEX
SHOPPING NETWORK
Retail Review
The Find
Beer Column
By The Numbers
23
24
26
56
Page 1a
THE INDEX
The largest compilation of beverage alcohol price and brand information.
4 RHODE ISLAND BEVERAGE JOURNAL April 2015
Serving Up
Cocktail Corner
Wine Buzz
New Products & Promotions
HOW B
E E R, W
INE
AN D S
PI R
G ET TO ITS
MAR KE TH E
TPLAC
E
See www.thebeveragejournal.com for online product access
RHODE ISLAND
BEVERAGE JOURNAL
Volume 79, April 2015, No. 4
(ISSN 0035-4652)
PUBLISHER
Gerald P. Slone
[email protected]
Ah, April. Let’s say goodbye to winter for good! Your
customers are craving great tastes that reflect the season.
°
Cocktail menu offerings can bloom into seasonal success. Read about how to
refresh your bar in this month’s Guest Column, found next to Serving Up.
°
RIHA’s Dale Venturini digs out from the winter snow toward a profitable
spring season.
°
The cover story is tequila. Stats show faster category growth in reposado and
añejo varieties, while luxury bottlings and extreme packaging are proliferating.
°
Veteran supplier, Heaven Hill Distillery, is celebrating their 80th anniversary this
year. What is the secret to their long-term success? Read on.
°
On-premise offerings shine a spotlight on your spring cleaning list; as well as
how to make and measure wine-pairing menus and dinners.
°
Off-premise takes a peek at wine pricing within the store. Locally, Retail Review
looks at a family-owned operation in Coventry.
Published Monthly By: The Rhode Island Beverage
Journal; 2508 Whitney Avenue, P.O. Box 185159; Hamden,
CT 06518 is devoted to all liquor, wine and beer licensees.
°
New Products & Promotions, The Find and Wine Buzz, and a special Kosher
Wine Focus, showcase trends and top picks in all flavors of the season.
Nothing may be reproduced or uploaded without written
permission from the publisher. This includes articles,
pictures, pdf files, online or electronic versions. Not
responsible for unsolicited material or advertising claims.
°
Make sure you know how to optimize your time and money by using the free
suite of business-boosting tools The Beverage Journal offers. Call Laurie, Brian
or Dana. Ask us how we can help you get tuned in and online.
EDITOR & ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
Dana Slone
[email protected]
DIRECTOR OF WHOLESALE SERVICES
Laurie Buick
[email protected]
SUBSCRIPTION/RETAIL SERVICES
Brian Slone
[email protected]
DESIGN
Evan Fraser
[email protected]
WRITERS
Lauren Daley
Bob Sample
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Island Beverage Journal. We reserve the right to reject
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O N T HE
C OVE R
By Deborah Kolb
ImageBrief.com
N EWSF R ONT
C A LI FO R N I A W I N E S F U E L $1. 49 B I LLI O N I N
U . S . W I N E E X P O R T S I N 2014
U.S. wine exports, 90% from
California, reached $1.49
billion in winery revenues in
2014, the second highest dollar
value for U.S. wine exports
and a 64% increase from
five years ago. Challenged by
a strong dollar and the West Coast port slowdown that began
last July, U.S. wine exports were slightly down compared to the
previous year while volume was up to 442.7 million liters or 49.2
million cases. Of the top 10 export markets for California wines,
the European Union’s 28-member countries were the largest,
accounting for $518 million; followed by Canada, $487 million;
Japan, $88 million; China, $71 million; Hong Kong, $69 million;
Mexico, $24 million; South Korea, $22.2 million; Nigeria, $21.9
million; Vietnam, $20 million; and Singapore, $16 million.
S P I R IT S , W I N E A N D B E E R S E E TH E R I S E O F
S M A LLE R B R A N DS , C ATE G O R I E S
Smaller brands and categories are
outpacing and, in some cases, taking share
from the more well-established in the
alcohol industry, according to Technomic’s
analysis of 2014 year-end results. The
largest categories in beer – domestic light
and regular – both shed volume, while
two of the smaller categories – craft beer and hard cider – each
posted double-digit increases. Vodka continues to hold one-third
of total spirits volume. Its momentum improved in 2014, but its
pace was eclipsed by several smaller categories, including Irish
whiskey, cordials/liqueurs and straight American whiskey. Table
wine dominates the wine market, and its 2014 trend improved
over 2013, but it was again markedly outpaced by the considerably
smaller sparkling wine category.
C A M PA R I A M E R I C A’ S N E G RO N I W E E K S E T
FO R J U N E
Campari and Imbibe magazine present
the third annual Negroni Week
from June 1-7, 2015. The charitable
event is designed to raise the profile
of the famed cocktail as well as local
charities. During Negroni Week, a
portion of the proceeds from every
Negroni or Negroni-related item sold at participating retailers,
bars and restaurants worldwide will be donated to the charity of
their choice. In addition, Campari America will donate $10,000
to the top fundraising establishment’s charity. Last year, over
1,300 bars and restaurants in 18 countries participated in Negroni
Week. Bars and restaurants interested in signing up can go to
www.NegroniWeek.com.
N O N -S C OTC H W H I S K Y TI P P E D FO R G ROW TH
S AYS N E W M A R K E T R E S E A R C H
The whisky segments outside
of Scotch are set for significant
growth over the next five years,
a new IWSR/just-drinks report
has forecast. The report, entitled
“Non-Scotch Whisky Insights 2015,” has predicted that the
U.S. whisky market, currently totaling around 37.1m cases, will
add some 11.5m cases over the five-year period from 2014 to
2019. The Irish whisky segment will increase by 4m cases from
the 6.3m cases sold in 2013. The report states that the “huge
and diverse” non-Scotch whisky category has become “one of
the drinks industry's major growth drivers” over the past few
years, and that “future growth looks assured” for all segments,
apart from Canadian whisky. The Tennessee whiskey business
continues to grow, with flavored whiskies attracting new-tocategory consumers.
RESTAUR ANTS PROJECTED TO ADD OVER
300,000 JOBS IN 2015
The
National
Restaurant
Association’s Chief Economist
Bruce Grindy breaks down the
latest employment trends in a recent
news release. He reports that eating
and drinking places, the primary
component of the restaurant
industry, accounted for three-fourths of the total restaurant and
foodservice workforce, while adding jobs at a solid 3.5 percent
rate in 2014. “The 2014 gain marked the third consecutive
year in which eating and drinking place job growth topped
3 percent, the first such occurrence since the 1993 to 1995
period.” He stated that the association expects the industry to
add jobs at a 3.4 percent rate in 2015, posting four consecutive
years with employment gains of at least 3 percent. The projected
2015 increase will also represent the fifth consecutive calendar
year in which restaurants added more than 300,000 jobs.
Discover SeaGlass Wines
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“FAST TRACK”
“FAST TRACK”
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
Growth Brand for 5 consecutive years
“FAST TRACK”
*Fast Track: The brand must have exceeded 100,000 9-liter cases for
year awarded, with double digit growth in each of the past four years.
All brands must be at least 5 years old.
Rising Star: The brand must be less than five full years old, and
must have exhibited notable growth in the past few years.
©2015 SeaGlass Wine Company, St. Helena, CA
SeaGlassWines.com
N EWSF R ONT
PERNOD RICARD ANNOUNCES SENIOR
G LO BA L E X E C UTI V E RO LE S
Pernod Ricard announced a series of
executive appointments of existing
leadership team members, beginning
July 2015. Pierre Coppéré is appointed Executive Senior VicePresident in charge of Growth Initiatives. Philippe Guettat is
appointed Chairman and CEO of Pernod Ricard Asia. César
Giron is appointed Chairman and CEO of Martell Mumm
Perrier-Jouët (MMPJ). Philippe Savinel is appointed Chairman
and CEO of Pernod. Additionally, Conor McQuaid, currently
Group Marketing & Commercial Development Director, was
appointed Global Business Development Director, the Holding
Department as of March 1. Peter Morehead, currently Industrial
Director of Irish Distillers Limited (IDL), is appointed Group
Operations Director as of April 1, 2015.
W I N E BOW G RO U P A N N O U N C E S TH E
R E TI R E M E NT O F FO U N D E R
The Winebow Group announced the
retirement of Leonardo LoCascio,
an industry leader for over 35 years,
effective June 30, 2015. LoCascio left a
career in corporate finance and banking
to found Winebow in 1980. Under
his leadership, Winebow became a major national importer
and distributor of fine wines and spirits. In 2014, Winebow
merged with The Vintner Group to create The Winebow
Group, which continues each company’s shared dedication to
quality, education and customer service. LoCascio was one
of the first individuals to introduce wines from lesser known
regions to the U.S. market, in particular those from southern
Italy, and has shared his knowledge at countless events,
industry functions, tastings and seminars around the country.
SIMMS APPOINTED PRESIDENT OF COMBS
WINE & SPIRITS
Sean Combs, Chairman and CEO of
Combs Enterprises, announced the
appointment of Dia Simms as the new
president of Combs Wine & Spirits, the
premium spirits business he created in
2013. As president, Simms will oversee
Ciroc Ultra Premium Vodka, luxury tequila DeLeon and lead the
spirits innovation business for the company. An award-winning
industry executive, Simms has “been instrumental in making
Ciroc an industry success” and has led the brand’s growth efforts
since its inception. Under her leadership, Ciroc was named one
of America’s Hottest Brands by Advertising Age (2010) and Market
Watch Spirit Brand of the Year (2011). She was also a key player
in the acquisition of DeLeon Tequila in 2013 and the brand’s
relaunch last fall. Simms will report to Combs and Brian Offutt,
Chief Operating Officer, Combs Enterprises.
BO U R DA I N FO R M S PA R TN E R S H I P W ITH
TH E BA LV E N I E
The
Balvenie
handcrafted
single malt Scotch whisky, and
chef, author and raconteur
Anthony Bourdain announced a
multifaceted collaboration that
will “bring attention to some of
America’s finest craftspeople.”
The partnership will be three-fold and will see Bourdain take
a leading role in a series of short films featuring makers from
around the country titled, “Raw Craft;” the selection of the
next two Fellows for the American Craft Council Rare Craft
Fellowship Awards in association with The Balvenie; and
curating The Balvenie 2015 Rare Craft Collection. “For me,
there is deep satisfaction in seeing people, with a particular skill
set and a real passion, produce a beautiful thing” said Bourdain.
H O US E LE G I S L ATI O N FO R B R E W E R S A N D
B E E R I N D US TRY I NTRO D U C E D
H.R. 232, the Small Brewer Reinvestment
and Expanding Workforce Act (Small
BREW Act), was introduced in the 114th
Congress on January 8, 2015. The Small
BREW Act seeks to reduce the small
brewer rate on the first 60,000 barrels
by 50 percent (from $7.00 to $3.50/barrel) and institute a new
rate $16.00 per barrel on beer production above 60,000 barrels
up to 2 million barrels. Breweries with an annual production
of 6 million barrels or less would qualify for these tax rates.
H.R. 767, the Fair Brewers Excise and Economic Relief Act of
2015 (Fair BEER Act) seeks to create a “graduated, equitable tax
structure, simplifying the tax code.” The bipartisan legislation
was introduced on February 5, 2015 to comprehensively reform
the federal beer tax imposed on brewers and beer importers.
Each act could impact on the cost of craft beer and the cost of
doing business as a small craft brewery.
N
AT ION A
LA
L
A PRIL 1 2 01
5
UNCH
Internal Sales data (2010–2014)
Mintel’s Global New Product Database
†
Kelton Research, 2014
*
**
PROVEN PERFORMER
HOT FLAVOR TREND
Canada’s #1 RTD brand translates into
a 20MM case opportunity in U.S. *
Tropical flavors skyrocketed in the last 2 years
(600+ non-alcoholic launches). Palm Breeze will
lead this trend in the FMB segment in 2014**
High-potenTial targeT
11MM Millennial women consuming
over 13MM cases of FMB yearly †
O N -P R E M I S E ADV I CE
SPRING…INTO ACTION
BY LEN PANAGGIO
After the winter we’ve had, we’re all suffering from cabin fever and
are ready to make up some of that lost revenue. Before we can do
that, there is a lot of work to do! Much like the end of summer,
when everything is beat and we can start the rehab process, spring
offers a time for renewal. As good operators, we need to step back
and examine everything we do, from top to bottom. There is a lot
on our plates this time of year, but let’s start with the beverage list.
Just as our food changes seasonally, so do our choices in beverages,
and we need to start planning for those changes now. I have talked
about my search for new and different varietals in the past, and
this is the time to try it. Rosé has finally taken off, and the season
for them is expanding beyond summer as our guests are beginning
to understand the virtues of dry rosés.
Lighter wines are the wines of choice in the summer, so my
suggestion is to mix up your offerings: drop some Cabernets and
add more Pinot Noir, Beaujolais or Chianti for reds and look to
drop some heavier Chardonnays by adding another Sauvignon
Blanc, Muscadet or even another food-friendly Pinot Grigio.
Of course, sparkling wines need to be available as guests are
beginning to understand it is more than a celebratory wine.
As I have mentioned before, in the beer world, real lagers, not
industrial lagers, are starting to arrive. I for one would embrace
these products as they are lighter in weight (not lo-cal) and are
more crisp and refreshing than an IPA, and actually have some
flavor! Perfect for a hot, humid day.
As you evaluate your spirits program, think about what you can
do logistically and the products you already have that you can use.
There are so many new items coming out; the big companies are
looking for the next home run, but be careful…trying to get rid of
them after it is apparent they don’t work can be a daunting task
at best.
Speaking of inventory, while you are in your POS system adding
new products, clean it up! Delete items you no longer have, make it
easier for staff to find things. Evaluate your pricing. We are being
assaulted with price increases
— proteins, electricity, water,
minimum wage, etc. — are your
costs in-line, allowing you to
make a reasonable profit?
When you have made all your decisions about product, you will
be going to print. Your menu and drink/wine lists are your biggest
marketing tools; they end up in the hands of your guests, so take
the time to make it right. Ensure your spelling, grammar, and
capitalization are correct and don’t rely on autocorrect! Attention
to detail sends a message to guests – good or bad. There are also
new types of easy-to-clean materials for menus that last longer and
hold up to the normal wear and tear we put them through. They
cost more up front, but in the long term, a wise investment.
Lastly, look at your bar; does it need some work? And what
about your equipment? I always did a
preventative maintenance program this
time of year to ensure the efficient use
of refrigerators that will be taxed later in
the season. Again, costs some money, but
avoids headaches. Talk to your staff; ask
them what tools they need to do their
job properly and efficiently. Getting buyin from them is big. The most important
resource is your human resource — make
them feel as if they have a vested interest
in your success, because it will come back
to you, and them, in spades.
There is much to do this time of year
to prepare for the May - September
timeframe, whether in the city or on the
shoreline. Remember, prior planning
prevents poor performance. After all,
your guests expect you all to run a great
operation, all around!
ABOUT
LEN PANAGGIO, BEVERAGE CONSULTANT
Len Panaggio’s career in food and wine spans more than three decades as an owner and as a beverage
director at some of the top restaurants in Rhode Island. Currently a hospitality consultant, Len is a graduate
of the University of Rhode Island and has attended the Culinary Institute of America Master Sommelier
program and the Sterling School of Service and Hospitality.
New to R hode IslaNd
atlaNtIc ImpoRtINg Is pRoudly bRINgINg New cRaft beeR, fINe wINe,
aNd cRaft spIRIt bRaNds to the Rhode IslaNd maRketplace
For full listing please see our Beverage Journal
pages 33 & 34 for full product offerings
@AtlAnticRi
Atlantic Importing Company
15 Centre of New England Boulevard Coventry, RI 02816
Office: (401) 702-4115
www.atlanticimporting.com/RI
ASSO C I AT I ONN EWS
THE HOSPITALITY AVALANCHE
BY DALE J. VENTURINI
Spring is on the horizon and here in New England, we’re all
desperate for warmer and better days ahead. We’ve suffered
through one of the worst winters in New England on record.
And, while we understand that this is the northeast and therefore
we will get snow in the winter, I don’t think anyone anticipated
what a battering we’d receive this year.
In a two-week period in January alone, parts of the region
accumulated more than 60-inches of snowfall, literally stopping
life — and business — in its tracks. From the snow, to the sleet,
this deluge of Mother Nature’s best efforts put an unbelievable
financial and labor burden on local resources, and its effects
reverberate like an avalanche throughout the economy.
Mandatory travel bans ensured that roads could be plowed and
that fire and police personnel didn’t risk life and limb to rescue
stranded travelers. And, while we can all agree that this was
absolutely the right call by our governor, the result was a virtual
shutdown of all Rhode Island business.
annual Restaurant Week in January, enticing locals to enjoy new
restaurants at a lower price point, the weather put a damper on
this popular, economy-spurring marketing vehicle.
Hotels did not fare any better, and many of the state’s hotels
stood almost empty as travelers canceled plans or were stranded
by delayed or canceled flights. Cumulatively, the loss of revenue
also showed in state and city/town coffers with drasticallyreduced meal, beverage and room taxes. According to the U.S.
Travel Association, each year travel and tourism generate $133.9
billion in tax revenue for local, state and federal governments.
Here in Rhode Island, that annual impact can be felt to the tune
of approximately $4 billion.
This decreased revenue stream from the hospitality and tourism
industries, coupled with the additional financial strain of
paying for round-the-clock plowing, sanding, and salting is the
equivalent of a financial blizzard.
Even as the snow melts away, its effects are felt in the frostheaved sidewalks and pothole laden roadways. We have a lot
of lost financial ground to make up for as we head into spring.
Hopefully, consumers will be ready to shed their months of
relative hibernation and get back out in their communities to
spend some money and celebrate the season.
As I said, we all know this is New England…and we know that
spring flowers and warm, sunny days are on the horizon. And,
I’m sure I speak for everyone when I say that they cannot get here
soon enough.
The hospitality industry felt the effects of the shut-down
particularly hard. Many of the businesses that depend on walk-in
customers, like restaurants, were decimated by the weather. Folks
who typically go out to eat once or twice a week are not going
to make up those nights out the following week, so the business
is lost forever. And, while the City of Providence hosted its
www.rihospitality.org
ABOUT
DALE J. VENTURINI, PRESIDENT & CEO, RHODE ISLAND HOSPITALITY ASSOCIATION
A veteran of more than 25 years in the hospitality industry, Venturini is considered by many to be the voice of the industry in the
state of Rhode Island. She has been instrumental in improving the industry’s educational and training programs in the state, as well
as enhancing the bottom line of the business she represents. Venturini splits her time between the office and the State House, a
constant presence for her membership.
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A RO U N DTOW N
SONS OF LIBERTY SPIRITS TAKES NORTH AMERICA
WIN FOR FLAVOR
Sons of Liberty’s Hop Flavored Whiskey won “Best Flavored
Whiskey in North America” at the Whisky Magazine's
World Whiskies Awards in New York City on February 24,
2015. Sons of Liberty Spirits Co-Founder and President
Mike Reppucci accepted the award at the annual Whiskies
and Spirits Conference. Reppucci said, “We’re now onto
the international round where we could potentially win
‘World’s Best Flavored Whiskey’ for the second year in a
row.” Last year, the South Kingstown distillery won for its
Pumpkin Spice Flavored Whiskey.
NEW ENGLAND TEQUILA & RUM FESTIVAL BEGINS
REGISTRATION
New England Tequila & Rum Festival vendor registration,
blind tasting competition registration and sponsorship
opportunities began last month for the three-day festival.
The event will be held on April 30 through May 2, 2015, with
a with a portion of ticket sales to be donated to Johnson &
Wales’ Fellowship Program. Companies and vendors who
wish to register may contact Donna Wing, Director of Sales
& Catering, Twin River at (401) 475-8438 for packages and
prices. Visit www.newenglandtequilaandrumfestival.com
for more information.
DISTRIBUTOR VISIT WITH CAPE CLASSICS
HIGHLIGHTS WINE REGION
M.S. Walker President Doug Shaw traveled to the wine
regions of South Africa to visit Cape Classics’ farms and
vineyards in February. As the brand’s first U.S. distributor
partner, Shaw first took this trip back in 1991, and recounted
the developments in winemaking that are unique to the
Cape Classic portfolio. “I felt a distinct aura of confidence
and pride with the proprietors and winemakers, yet a
humbleness that keeps them grounded. I believe this has
resulted in more risk taking with all elements leading up
to the final product, and ultimately more complex and
interesting wines,” said Shaw.
M.S. Walker President Doug Shaw and Thomas Webb, General
Manager of Thelema Mountain Vineyards, the first winery
represented by Cape Classics and imported to the U.S. through
M.S. Walker.
A RO U N DTOW N
THOMAS TEW RUM FEATURED IN NEWPORT
COCKTAIL COMPETITION
Thomas Tew Rum hosted its first cocktail contest at The
Revolving Door Restaurant in Newport on February 16, 2015.
Bartenders from around the state were instructed to create a
hand-crafted cocktail to highlight both Newport and Thomas
Tew Authentic Pot Still Rum. Newport Distilling Co. became
the first licensed distillery in Rhode Island in 135 years,
recreating an 18th century-inspired rum named after the
Rhode Island pirate and resident of Newport, Thomas Tew.
The event was part of the Newport Winter Festival.
1
2
1. The winner of the evening for both Grand Prize and People’s
Choice was “The Wink,” a cocktail crafted by Frank Martucci
of Twin River Casino. The Wink was then the featured cocktail
for the month of March at The Revolving Door Restaurant.
2. Newport Distilling Co.’s Thomas Tew Rum with a creation by
Jonathan Dille, The Grange, Providence.
3. Judges were Revolving Door Mixologist and Bar Manager
Jason Kindness; Chris Almeida, United States Bartender’s
Guild RI Chapter President; and Ryan Belmore, Owner,
What’s Up Newport.
3
Photos by Chris Almeida.
NEWPORT STORM LAUNCHES NEW FOUR-PACK
Coastal Extreme Brewing Company, brewers of Newport
Storm beers, announces its new four-pack addition, called
Rye of the Storm. The brewers used double the rye, double
the IPA and Cascade, New Zealand Orbit and German
Tradition hops to invoke floral and tropical citrus aromas
with an American Pale Ale kick. Rye of the Storm is now
available in Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts,
Pennsylvania and Maine. The new brew is 8% ABV.
ATLANTIC IMPORTING & DISTRIBUTING EXPANDS
INTO OCEAN STATE
Atlantic Importing & Distributing announced its Rhode
Island market entry. Based in Framingham, Mass., Atlantic
Importing was founded in 1995, beginning by hand-selecting
and importing wines, spirits, beers and gourmet products for
liquor stores and later, into distributing statewide throughout
Massachusetts. Now in Rhode Island, Atlantic brings a strong
portfolio of craft beers, craft spirits and fine wines from
around the globe.
A sample of products new to the market from Atlantic Importing
& Distributing’s portfolio.
A RO U N DTOW N
THE EDDY HOSTS MELETTI 1870 TASTING
1
2
3
On March 4, 2015 The Eddy in Providence and Horizon
Beverage’s Origin Division hosted an industry tasting of
Meletti 1870. Inspired by a family legacy of producing
artisanal Italian cordials, Matteo Meletti developed a
traditional bitter aperitivo called 1870. Named after the
year in which the distillery was founded in Ascoli Piceno,
1870 pays homage to the distillery’s storied past. The
resurgence of traditional spirits in craft cocktails has led
to an increase in demand and fifth generation, Matteo,
turned to the family’s archives and reinvented “an old
recipe for modern day.”
1. Meletti-inspired menu at The Eddy.
2. The Saint Sonia Cocktail, a low proof cocktail, also called
a “shim:” 1.5 oz., Meletti 1870, .5 oz. ginger syrup, .5 oz.
cinnamon syrup, 1 oz. lemon juice, egg white.
3. Matteo Meletti, Proprietor/Owner, Meletti 1870; Alberto
E Lopez Lara, Executive Chef, The Dorrance; Vito Lantz,
Beverage Program Manager, The Dorrance; Greg Mayer,
Bartender, The Dorrance; Sophie Daniels, New England
Regional Manager, Opici Wines; Gabriel Rodriguez, Origin
Beverage; Tyler Schweppe, Bartender, The Dorrance.
USBG RI LAUNCHES FERNET-SPONSORED MEMBER
COIN
1
2
3
United States Bartenders Guild (USBG) Rhode Island
chapter members celebrated at The Avery in Providence
on March 9, 2015. The event brought together members to
pick up their USBG/Fernet chapter coins. Kirsten Amann,
Fratelli-Branca’s Fernet Brand Champion, kicked off the
evening’s festivities along with USBG RI board members,
including Chapter President Chris Almeida. Anyone
interested the chapter and its activities can contact
[email protected].
1. Kirsten Amann, Fratelli-Branca’s Fernet Brand Champion
spins the wheel on a game used for members to earn
their coin.
2. The Fernet coins are a Guild play on the military tradition
of coins representing missions, which were then used in
Officers’ Clubs. The coins here are used to challenge the
buying of a round with others in the Guild who are present.
3. Twin River Casino’s General Manager of Beverage
Operations Frank Martucci with John Richard, owner of
The Avery.
4. Janna Espada, USBG RI member; Elizabeth Sawtelle, USBG
RI Secretary; and Pat Cull, USBG RI, Treasurer.
4
A RO U N DTOW N
NEWPORT’S COCKTAIL WARS SPOTLIGHT LOCAL
BARTENDERS
1
2
Local bar talent participated in a six-week series of
Cocktail Wars at various Newport venues that began in
January. The finals were held at The Gas Lamp Grille
on February 25, 2015. The four finalists were Victoria
Bartolomei of Easton’s Point, Ryan Kennedy of The
Revolving Door Restaurant, Jason Kindness of The
Revolving Door Restaurant, and Adrienne Nicole of Forty
1 North. First place went to Jason Kindness, with Ryan
Kennedy taking second. The series was sponsored by
Horizon Beverage of Rhode Island.
1. Jason Kindness mixes before the judges.
2. Cocktail Wars event and sponsor poster.
3. Victoria Bartolomei and Ryan Kennedy.
3
Photos by Tristan Pinnock.
MATTIELLO AND PEREZ APPOINTED TO RIHEF BOARD
OF DIRECTORS
1
2
The RI Hospitality Education Foundation (RIHEF)
announced that Johnston resident, Nicole Mattiello and
West Warwick resident, Lauren Perez, have been appointed
to its Board of Directors. Mattiello is the Marketing and
Development Director at Pranzi Catering. She returned to
her family’s business in 2014 after schooling and a career
in healthcare industry. Lauren Perez is General Manager
of the Hampton Inn & Suites Providence/Warwick-Airport
hotel and has many years of hospitality experience, working
in some of the state’s most well-known properties. Perez
was previously on the RIHA Board of Directors in 2013.
With more than 650 foodservice and hospitality members
in Rhode Island, the RIHEF has represented the hospitality
and tourism industry in the state since 1982.
1. Nicole Mattiello.
2. Lauren Perez.
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RE TAI L R EVI EW
Anthony’s Wine
& Spirits
BY BOB SAMPLE
A
nthony Petrarca, proprietor of
Anthony’s Wine & Spirits, never
complains about a snowstorm. His
rationale: inclement weather is invariably
good for his business. This winter was no
exception. The storms that dumped record
amounts of snow on the Ocean State also
increased sales at Anthony’s Wine & Spirits.
The 2,500-square-foot store was founded in
1993 by Petrarca’s father, Anthony Senior.
The building has been in the family for much
longer. Several years before it was a liquor
store, Petrarca’s mother and father operated a
unisex hair-styling salon at the site. The elder
Petrarca retired 10 years ago. Petrarca’s wife,
Carla, also manages the store part-time.
Beer is the store’s mainstay, accounting for
approximately 60 percent of sales. The rest
is evenly divided between wine and spirits.
“Beer is always our most popular seller,”
said Petrarca. “When the economy moved
downhill in the last decade, a lot of the higher
end wines and spirits fell to the wayside, but
our beer sales held steady.”
LO C AT ION
895 TIOGUE AVENUE
COVENTRY, RI
FAC T S
SQUARE FOOTAGE: 2,500
YEARS IN OPERATION: 22
With the growth in popularity of craft beer,
the market has shifted from a handful of
dominant brands to many smaller ones.
Keeping up with trends and ensuring the
store’s mix meets public demand is the
job of Tamara Mageau, who is Petrarca’s
niece. “She does all the purchasing for our
microbrew section, and she’s very dedicated,”
said Petrarca. “She goes to all the major beer
expos and other industry events. When a
new craft brew comes out, Tamara will often
do a demo herself. She’ll educate customers
on the history of the company that makes it,
the type of beer, and other selling points.”
The store makes equal effort on its wine
offerings. Petrarca said the hottest sellers
right now are blended wines. In addition,
most red wines sell particularly well during
colder months. During summer, beer and
wine tastings take place at the store each
week; in the winter that scales back to
every two weeks. The store does occasional
spirits demos as well, which are hosted by
distributors. The hottest current trends are
flavored bourbon and Scotches.
With several larger stores nearby, Petrarca
also works especially hard to keep prices
competitive. A 2,500 square foot building
next door serves as a warehouse. “Having
that additional storage space helps us to buy
in larger volume – and we pass the savings
along to our customers,” he said.
Two important success factors for any
business are to get to know customers
by name and to take an interest in what’s
going on in their lives, said Petrarca.
“Here, everyone knows everybody else,” he
continued. “In fact, we still have people
who come in and remember my dad or mom
cutting their hair 30 years ago.”
Another important consideration is to
provide something extra to keep customers
coming back. This includes helping
customers to their cars with packages and
other services. “We get lots of compliments
on our customer service,” he said. ■
If you own a small, medium or megastore and would like to be featured,
email: [email protected]
THE
FIND
Ron Duan
2015 Winner of
USBG National Legacy
Cocktail Showcase
LIMITED-EDITION JOHNNIE WALKER
CELEBRATES LUNAR NEW YEAR
John Walker & Sons has announced the second annual
release of a collector’s edition to commemorate the
celebration of the Lunar New Year. Johnnie Walker Blue
Label Year of the Ram marries traditional Chinese ceramic
artistry with one of the brand’s rarest and most luxurious
expressions of the art of blending. When four bottles, with
their signature Johnnie Walker slanted labels are placed side
by side, a single image unfolds—like a magnificent Chinese
scroll painting. SRP $258. 80 proof. johnniewalker.com
E&J GALLO ANNOUNCES
NATIONAL EXPANSION OF VINIQ
No, this photo is not doctored; the liquid
inside is shimmering. The latest addition to
Gallo’s expanding spirit portfolio, Viniq, is
America’s first shimmery liqueur—and is the
largest introduction in spirits since 1978, based
on sales growth following the regional product
launch. Viniq Original is a fusion of vodka,
Moscato, natural fruit flavor and a one-of-a-kind
shimmer (the same ingredient that gives
frosting its sheen or rock candy its
sparkle). Best served on the rocks or
with favorite mixers. SRP $19.95/750ml,
$12.99/375ml. 40 proof. viniq.com
BACARDI RETOOLS BOTTLE
FOR FIRST TIME IN OVER A DECADE
Celebrating its 153rd anniversary, Bacardi announced their
first packaging update in more than a decade—inspired, not
surprisingly, by bartenders. Taller, slimmer and more cylindrical,
the new, easy-to-grip bottle aims to ensure superior balance and
the perfect pour. Labels made from recycled cane fiber add a green
touch. The makeover represents an important complement to the
“Bacardi: Untameable Since 1862” campaign. Fittingly, the new
packaging was seen for the first time by industry members at the
2015 USBG National Legacy Cocktail Showcase sponsored by
Bacardi, which took place in February in Miami. bacardi.com
NEW HENNESSY COGNAC:
CENTURIES IN THE MAKING
Turning 250 years old is no small accomplishment, so Hennessy
Master Blender Yann Fillioux crafted a Collector’s Blend worthy of
the anniversary. Fillioux filled 250 barrels (each 250 liters) with a
blend of eaux-de-vie ranging from 15 to 40 years of age. Renaud de
Gironde, member of the Hennessy Tasting Committee, describes the
liquid as equal parts structured and refined—“It is not a comfortable
leather armchair, it has too much energy for that.” Bitter orange,
chocolate and loads of spice jump out on the nose. Packaged only
in 1L bottles, the Collector’s Blend is expected to run out in about a
year. SRP is $600. hennessy.com
B E E R COLU MN
BPA: BEER CAN LININGS
CHALLENGE THE INDUSTRY
BY JACK KENNY
Last summer I wrote about beer cans: about how popular they are
among commercial lager consumers, and about the fact that craft
brewers are canning their products more than ever before. It was
a positive view of canned beer and its future. Since then I have
come across the rising concern over a chemical that is used in the
interior linings of beer cans. The chemical is bisphenol A, called
BPA for short, and it is controversial among producers, regulators,
healthcare providers, consumer advocacy groups, and regular folks
like us.
BPA is a component in the plastic epoxy lining of beer cans –
and many other cans as well – for the purpose of preventing
the contents from reacting with the aluminum. It’s also part of
many other items with which we come into contact, such as water
bottles, dental fillings, medical and dental devices, eyeglass lenses,
CDs and DVDs, household electronics and sports equipment, to
name a few.
The chemical has been associated with a range of human ailments,
including cancer, diabetes, irregular brain development in
children, and reproductive issues. In 2012, the FDA banned its
use in baby bottles and sippy cups, and later added infant formula
containers to the list.
According to medicalnewstoday.com, bisphenol A “can behave in
a similar way to estrogen and other hormones in the human body.”
The report says that BPA “is an endocrine disruptor – a substance
which interferes with the production, secretion, transport, action,
function and elimination of natural hormones. BPA can imitate
our body’s own hormones in a way that could be hazardous for
health. Babies and young children are said to be especially sensitive
to the effects of BPA.”
The article goes on to list the possible health effects, just about
everything nobody wants to have: heart disease, effects on memory
and learning, breast cancer, asthma, male impotence, and a bunch
of other reproductive undesirables. By this time you are wondering,
as am I, if we should keep drinking canned beer. Consider this:
Cans accounted for 53.2% of the beer market in the U.S. in 2012,
according to the Beer Institute. Right now the packaging industry
doesn’t have a good replacement for BPA in its can liners. So
what’s going on?
There are two schools of thought, as you can guess. On one side is
the FDA, which says that BPA is okay, at least for now. In an article
published in February of this year, Mother Jones writer
Tom Philpott said, “The FDA,
after a lengthy review process,
has opted to give BPA a tentative thumbs-up.” Last year the agency
pronounced BPA “safe at the current levels occurring in foods.”
The European Food Safety Authority recently ended its own BPA
reassessment with the same conclusion, Philpott wrote, “though
the French government vehemently disagrees and has instituted a
ban.” (motherjones.com)
In 2010, Health Canada found BPA in eight canned beers that
it tested, but called the levels “extremely low” and reiterated
its assessment that “current dietary exposure to BPA through
food packaging uses is not expected to pose a health risk to
the general population.”
The other side is populated by quite a few scientists and medical
people who point to research reports from around the world
showing that consuming canned beer, soup, soy milk and
other products resulted in high spikes of BPA in the urine
of test subjects.
What are the brewers saying? Some of those who bottle their beers
say that they will not add cans to their line-up until any potential
risk is gone. Oskar Blues, the Colorado company that started the
can craze among craft brewers, says it is looking for alternatives to
BPA. What are those alternatives? Right now there seem to be two.
One of them is polyvinyl chloride (PVC) which comes with its own
set of negatives, including hormone disruptors; the EPA classifies
it as a known carcinogen. The other possibility is bisphenol S, or
BPS, which is a close relative to BPA and said to come with its own
set of chemical issues for humans.
Not all of the beers I consume come from cans, but I doubt if I’m
going to reject them outright over this controversy. BPA is coming
at us from all sides, it seems, so I’m going to keep studying the
issue and reporting. In the meantime, I’ll think fondly of my Uncle
Steve, who drinks a 30-pack of Schaefer cans every week. He’s 94
years old.
ABOUT
JACK KENNY
Jack Kenny has been writing The
Beer Column for The Connecticut
Beverage Journal since 1995.
WRITE TO HIM
[email protected]
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How Beer, Wine & Spirits Get To The Marketplace
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Beverage Publications, Inc. P.O. Box 185159, Hamden, CT 06518
Tel: 203.288.3375
BY T H E
NUMBERS
MONTEFALCO SOARING
The once-sleepy Umbrian wine region Montefalco and its signature
grape Sagrantino are on a tear. Data at the inaugural “Anteprima” event
revealed that in the last 15 years, production of Montefalco Sagrantino
has more than tripled. In 2014 alone, 3.5 million bottles of Montefalco
Sagrantino DOCG and Montefalco Rosso DOC were sold, resulting in a
revenue of £100 million, the highest number to date.
According to research by the Edmund Mach foundation, vineyard
acreage in the DOCG area increased fivefold since 2000, going
from 122 to 650 acres, while the number of bottles produced per
year spiked from 666,000 to 1.5 million today. These increases in
production have led to a 3% increase in employment opportunities
and a 17% increase in tourism to the area.
BLEND NATION?
The Sagrantino grape had all but disappeared by the 1970s, but a few
committed producers in Montefalco resurrected it. Since achieving
DOCG status in 1992, the region has seen a massive transformation.
41%
HOW TO SAY JUGGERNAUT
IN FRENCH: ROSÉ
of all new wines on
the market last year
were red blends
Yes, America’s current
generation of American wine
drinkers has been raised on
varietal wines. And in fact, good ol’
Chardonnay remains America’s most
popular wine, according to Nieslen
sales figures from 2014. But what
comes after Chardonnay these days?
Cabernet Sauvignon is next, and then
Pinot Grigio. And right on those grapenamed wines’ heels: Red Blends.
Recent Nielsen figures confirm that
U.S-made red blends have become
legitimately the hottest wine category in
our market, growing 11.7% by volume in
2014. An even more compelling figure:
41% of all new wines on the market
last year were red blends—which
likely will lead merchants to continue to
devote even more prime shelf space to
red blends. Nielsen Senior VP Danny
Brager notes, however, that unlike
the Moscato trend, red blends do not
appear to be attracting new consumers;
rather, the blends are being purchased
at the expense of varietal wines.
Sales of Merlot were down in 2014,
though not as much as Shiraz (-14.5%
by volume). Riesling and Zinfandel
Red Blend Power Brands:
Apothic, Cupcake Red Velvet and Ménage à Trois
also decreased. Cabernet Sauvignon
was a winner, however, growing 9.5%
in 2014.
On the import side, sales of wines
from Spain, Chile and Argentina slipped,
but Portugal swelled 9.9% by volume
and 13.4% by value. And, according to
Nielsen, Millennials appear to be driving
the growth in Portugal and are also the
biggest fans of Greek, Austrian and
South African wine.
On final takeaway: the fine wine
market is creeping upscale. The
average price for a 750ml bottle of wine
in Nielsen-measured stores hit a record
$9.41 in 2014.
For the 11th consecutive year, exports
of rosé wines from Provence to the
U.S. grew at double-digit rates in
2014, climbing 29% on volume and
increasing 38% on value according to
the the CIVP/Provence Wine Council.
Here in the U.S., the trend is even
steeper. Retail sales of imported rosé
wines priced at $12+/bottle grew by
41% on volume and 53% on value in
2014. This is compared to respective
rates of 1.0% and 3.3% for our total table
wine. In addition, the average price per
bottle in this category rose to $16.83, a
sign that “consumers are seeking out
premium rosé—a segment in
which Provence continues to
be the leader,” said Francois
Millo, director of the council.
And it can still get
better for Provence: The
plentiful 2014 vintage
was “a blissful dreamcome-true for Provençal
vintners,” according to
Michael Romano, importer
of Maison Belle Claire, from
Côtes de Provence. ■
SE RV I NGU P
CHRISTIAN’S
382 THAMES STREET # 1
B R I S TO L , R I
CREATIVE IDEAS
AFTER TOUGH TIMES
CHRISTOPHER ALMEIDA
BY CHRISTOPHER ALMEIDA
It has officially been spring for almost two
weeks now. Yet, I bet there are still mounds of
snow to be seen. Hopefully, none of them are
occupying precious parking. It’s been a tough
winter and folks are itching to get out and
about. Many of us now need to figure how to
recoup some of that lost winter revenue. We
also cannot just hope that available parking
and cleared sidewalks will bring our patrons
rushing back in.
Christian’s, a woodfired grille located in the heart of
downtown Bristol, is all about big flavor,
wood grilling, creative interpretations of
classics like wood-fired chicken wings and
wood-fired apple tarts — and innovative
house cocktails, with names like Worker
Bee and Jazz Flute.
HOUSE MIXOLOGIST: PJ Ferreira
COCKTAIL: El Bandito
RECIPE: Rinse rocks glass with 1/4 oz.
Del Maguey Mezcal Vida by swirling in
glass or two sprays with atomizer. Mix:
• 2 oz. Espolon Blanco Tequila
• 1 oz. juice of wood-charred grapefruit
(cut a grapefruit in half, char it on a
wood grill, then juice)
• 1/2 oz. house ancho chile-agave
syrup
• 1/2 oz. St. Germain Elderflower
liqueur in a shaker with ice
Shake until chilled. Strain over fresh ice
and garnish with grapefruit peel.
Recipe for ancho chile agave syrup: Take
8 oz. water and 2 dried ancho chiles,
stemmed and seeded. Boil for 4 minutes.
Strain and add 8 oz. agave nectar.
El Bandito “gets its depth from the juice
of the charred grapefruit and notes of
smoke and earthiness from agave and
chile, rounded with floral and citrus,”
says Ferreira.
guest columnist
The Farmer's Almanac was pretty right on
about this winter, and now also calls for
spring and summer to be warmer and drier
than normal. This means there will be a
great summer season for all of the coastal
venues, which could mean an even slower
than normal summer in the city. What’s to
be done?
Many rely on Facebook and Twitter to
promote their specials. Yet what will set your
venue apart? Putting together a program to
host parties, creating a schedule of monthly
events, charity events, wine, beer and spirit
tastings focused toward your guests to catch
their attention are just a few ideas.
If your venue has a television, trivia nights
based around the showing of a cult TV show
could be a cool way to draw customers in and
keep them there longer. But if you do have
TVs, during the daytime try and turn them
off, unless there is a game on. Watching the
news during the day can be a downer. Fully
creating an environment where people can
escape for even a short time, night or day,
can be priceless.
How about an amateur cocktail competition?
Revive your mailing lists to keep guests
informed with a newsletter featuring events,
employees and maybe even a “guest of the
month.” Then there are the drinks. Break
out the blenders and work on a frozen
drink or two, maybe try out a swizzle or tiki
cocktail on the menu… everyone loves to see
ice being smashed with a mallet. Whatever it
takes to catch some attention and keep our
patrons engaged.
Then there is always that point in the summer
when folks are looking to escape the heat.
Get your HVAC system checked out early in
the season. Making sure the temperature is
comfortable is as important as your food and
drinks being on point.
Giving people a place to escape the heat with
some wi-fi access never hurts either. I know
it can get annoying at times for servers, but a
cold beer while tweaking spreadsheets can go
a long way. It’s better to see a laptop on the
bar than to have an empty stool.
And never forget the lighting or the music.
Are your playlists diverse and suitable to the
environment and season? Service, vibe and
attention to detail will set you apart. Dial into
your own unique vibe. Ask yourself: “Why
would I eat or drink here if it’s beautiful
out? What would make me sacrifice a few
hours of fresh air and sunshine to an indoor
venue? What are the irresistible offerings I
can’t live without?”
Creativity can be the cure here. Thinking
outside of the box and trying new ideas is
not something to be afraid of; it may be the
only answer.
ABOUT
CHRISTOPHER ALMEIDA
Christopher Almeida has been working in the
service industry for almost ten years. He is the
2015 President of the United States Bartenders’
Guild Rhode Island Chapter, the photographer
and market representative for The Rhode Island
Beverage Journal and works a small brand from
Barbados called Cockspur Rum. Christopher has
crafted his work life to meld all that he enjoys.
COCKTA I LCOR N E R
WARMING UP,
COOLING DOWN
W
armth of the sun…check. Snow melting…check.
Birds chirping…check. Margaritas a-mixing…
well, what are you waiting for—Cinco de Mayo?
National Margarita Day was actually back in
Februrary, so it’s high time to catch up with this colorful, flexible
cocktail menu staple. The Margarita-esque recipes below keep tequila
in the picture, but with a few twists.
“Battle”tested
Vampiro
ROASTED JALAPEÑO MARGARITA
ZARZA
This Roasted Jalapeño Margarita is extremely simple to make, and highlights
the combination of sweet and savory.
The mild spiciness of the roasted jalapeño
mixer with the slight sweetness of your favorite blue agave blanco tequila makes for
a truly enjoyable Margarita experience.
The Zarza is a sweeter approach to the
Margarita, adding not only agave syrup
into the mix, but blackberry liqueur as
well. The smooth flavor of the Sauza 901
makes a real difference in this drink.
Add tequila, lemon juice, syrup and bitters
into mixing tin, add ice, and shake for
approximately 10 seconds. Strain into
highball glass over new crushed ice. To
finish, pour juice blend on top and garnish
with skin of celery stalk.
2 oz Sauza 901
1 oz Agave syrup
1 oz fresh Lemon Juice
Splash Blackberry liqueur
Blackberries
1 part Powell & Mahoney Roasted
Jalapeno Margarita Mixer
1 part 100% Blue Agave Blanco Tequila
Combine all ingredients,
excluding blackberry
liqueur. Shake well.
Strain and serve over
crushed ice in a rocks
glass. Add blackberry
liqueur on top. Garnish
with fresh blackberries.
Shake and strain over ice into a Margarita
or Old Fashioned glass. Garnish with a
lime wedge.
Roasted
Jalapeño
Margarita
SPICY RASPBERRY MARGARITA
A Margarita with Tabasco may sound a bit
daunting, but don’t let this spicy addition
fool you. Using the velvety sweetness of
Chambord, this Margarita ends up being
a balance of sugar and spice.
VAMPIRO
The Vampiro is a unique, vegetal twist
on a Margarita using tequila, lemon
juice, ginger root syrup, celery bitters
and a juice blend made up of beet,
celery and carrot juices. Created by
Trent Simpson of La Urbana in San
Francisco, this cocktail was the winner at
the Battle of Tequileras in San Francisco
in January.
2 oz Don Julio Blanco (or tequila blanco)
1 oz fresh Lemon Juice
1 oz Purely Syrup Ginger Root
1 dash Celery Bitters
½ oz Juice blend of Beet, Celery
and Carrot
1½ oz el Jimador Reposado
½ oz Chambord
1 oz Sprite
2 oz Sour Mix
3 dashes Tabasco sauce
In a shaker filled with ice,
add ingredients
and shake to mix.
Pour into Margarita glass
rimmed with spicy salt.
Garnish with a lime wedge.
KOSHER
FOCUS
W
PASSOVER
BEGINS
APRIL 3RD AT
SUNDOWN
ith Passover on the
calendar this month,
it’s time again for
the perennial question: What makes
a wine kosher for Passover? Kosher
wine, of course, must be created under a
rabbi’s supervision, and be handled only by
Sabbath-observant Jewish males. Kosher for
Passover certification, however, like food,
hinges on avoiding all things connected
to bread. Specifically, the yeast used to
ferment the grapes must not come from any
of the grains that are prohibited
on Passover, namely barley, oats,
rye, spelt and wheat. However, the
yeast can be derived from various
types of fruits or sugar. Most, but not
all, kosher wines are in fact kosher for
Passover. Additionally, all wines exported
from Israel are kosher for Passover.
A “P” on the label lets buyers
know that the wine is not
just kosher, but kosher for
Passover as well.
SHILOH LEGEND 2010
Shiloh’s “Legend” is a blend of Petite Sirah,
Petite Verdot and Shiraz, with each varietal
aged separately in French oak
barrels. Once blended, the wine
is further aged for an additional eight months in French oak.
Hailing from the Judean Hills,
Legend is a deep red, opaque
color, with black fruit aromas
and a rich earthy, fruity and
spicy palate.
RECANATI ‘YASMIN’
RED MEVUSHAL 2011
Part of the Recanti “Yasmin” series
of wine, this red from the Jezreel
Valley in Israel is specifically produced to be “mevushal”—keeping
it kosher regardless of who serves
it. Made from 80% Cabernet
Sauvignon and 20% Merlot, this
supple, medium-bodied wine
with flavors of ripe red berry
fruit is a wonderful all-occasion
red that will complement a wide
array of dishes, especially meat
and poultry.
royalwine.com
SRP: $39.99
CARMEL SELECT
Currently the best-selling Israeli wine in
Israel, the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon and
the 2013 Sauvignon Blanc expressions
of Carmel Select both received 89 points
from Wine Enthusiast. The Cabernet
Sauvignon has aromas of black currant
and berry fruit. The Sauvignon Blanc is
aromatic with tropical fruit notes, a back
drop of cut grass and a clean, citrusy finish.
royalwine.com
SRP: $10.99
GRINALDA KOSHER VINHO VERDE
The 2013 Grinalda Kosher from Aveleda hails
from the Vinho Verde region of
Portugal. The grapes are pressed
at low temperatures, the must is
clarified and fermented at controlled temperatures, and the wine
is filtered and cold-stabilized
before bottling. This blend of
native grapes—40% Trajadura,
30% Loureiro, 20% Arinto and
10% Azal—yields a young and
vibrant wine, with a delicate
fruity aroma. Ideal with seafood
and salad.
palmbay.com
tri-vin.com
SRP: $25
SRP: $11.99
RECANTI DIAMOND SERIES
CHARDONNAY 2012
This 100% Chardonnay wine comes from hillside
vineyards in Israel’s Galilee district, at an altitude of
2,500 feet above sea level. The wine is fermented
in small French oak barrels and aged sur lie for
nine months. It is then mixed with yeast every three
weeks, enhancing creaminess and complexity.
Aromas of tropical fruit, caramel and hazelnut lead
into a full-bodied palate and long, smooth finish.
palmbay.com
SRP: $16.99
WINE
BUZZ
JOINING THE RED BLEND WAVE:
STAGS’ LEAP WINERY ‘THE INVESTOR’
No price point is exempt from the fast-evolving,
steam-gathering trend of the Red Blend. Stags’
Leap Winery’s new contender, The Investor, takes
aim at the luxury end of the spectrum, tapping into
another trend: $25+ wines continuing to come
back in popularity. The Investor 2012 blends Petite
Sirah, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, yielding a
complex, full-bodied red that is right at home as a
steakhouse wine and ready to appeal to consumers
with high wine involvement. Available nationwide
for $53. stagsleap.com
NEW ROSÉ WINES FROM
THE NORTH AND THE SOUTH... OF ITALY?
Pink is hot. So hot that suppliers who previously
stuck to red and white are happily expanding their
style palettes. And while Provence arguably remains
the gold standard for crisp rosé, the region certainly
holds no monopoly—dry pink wines are made well
everywhere these days. Recently joining the pink
parade for the first time: Mezzacorona
2014 (SRP $8.99), made from 100%
Lagrein grapes, locally grown along
the Adige Valley north of Trento. And
Sicily’s Stemmari 2014 (SRP $9.99)
is produced from 100% Nero d’Avola,
which is cultivated on sandy soils
in the Ragusa province. Of course,
the truth about rosé is that terroir
takes a backseat to style; crisp,
fruity and refreshing is dry rosé’s
calling—and that can be attained
from a multitude of red grapes,
all over the globe. Interestingly,
these two new Italian pink wines
are labeled “rosé,” not rosato.
Chalk that one up for the French?
gruppomezzacorona.it
stemmari.it
Zac Posen, leading
women’s fashion
designer, teamed up
with Ecco Domani for
his first ever
wine label design.
ZAC POSEN GIVES
ECCO DOMANI A
STYLISH MAKEOVER
Acclaimed fashion designer Zac Posen
will be dressing-up Ecco Domani for
summer. Posen, whose designs are
frequently found on red carpets as well
as catwalks, is bringing his signature
style to the Pinot Grigio bottle, which
will be available nationwide starting
in May. This easy-drinking Pinot
Grigio from the delle Venezie region of
northern Italy melds citrus and floral
aromas with tropical fruit flavors to
create a crisp, refreshing wine. SRP
$10.99. eccodomani.com
RUFFINO JOINS THE
‘GRAN SELEZIONE’ TIER
With the 2010 vintage, Ruffino has re-created
Riserva Ducale Oro as the winery’s first entry
in the Chianti Classico consorzio’s “Gran
Selezione” classification that debuted
in 2014. Designed to distinguish these
Tuscan reds as the ultimate expression of
Sangiovese (80% minimum is required),
the new classification represents just 10%
of all Chianti Classico production. An
eligible wine must be produced entirely
from winery-owned vineyards; be aged
a minimum of 30 months in oak; and be
approved by a tasting panel. SRP $42.
ruffino.com
©2015 Palm Bay International, Boca Raton, FL
New Package • New Screw Caps • New Sauvignon Blanc
It’s a new moon
T
here’s no arguing with the numbers: high-end and superpremium tequilas have never before been as popular and
successful in the U.S.
Just-released 2014 sales data compiled by the Distilled
Spirits Council (DISCUS) reveal what most retailers and
many marketers already knew: higher-priced tequilas have
caught fire. Super-premium (SRP $30+) brands shot up
nearly 15% in volume, while high-end premium ($18$30) and premium ($12-$18) grew at the same healthy but
more modest 3.7% rate. So strong is the top end of the
market now that super-premium accounts for about 40%
of supplier revenue in the tequila category.
Brian Bowden, a VP overseeing spirits, beer, beverages
and tobacco for the California-based BevMo! stores, notes
that customers are more often open to higher-priced tequila
expressions. “We’ve seen an increase in our price points
toward more of the premium and super-premium and a
OPPOSITE PAGE, LEFT TO RIGHT: Blue agave, seen here in Patrón’s
fields, is now a common baseline for quality, prompting suppliers to
emphasize other key techniques to stand apart. DeLeon is one of many
putting extra care into barrel regimens. Herradura hosts a big event for each
year’s Colección de la Casa release; the limited-release project is geared
yielding fine cask-aged reposado tequila for sipping, not margaritas. Sauza
901 has both a celebrity founder (Justin Timberlake) and triple distillation as
points of distinction. Roca Patrón is one of a handful of tequilas produced
using the ancient “tahona” stone-grinding technique.
TEQUILA ON FIRE
Wood treatments are becoming a hotbed of
experimentation among high-end producers. While
regular Patrón is aged in a mix of new and used
barrels, the Roca line rests in single-use bourbon
barrels. BELOW: Herradura is among a growing
number of producers to add a luxury or limited
bottlings to enhance the entire line; the Selección
Suprema Extra Añejo and Colección de la Casa
tequilas top the portfolio. Bottom right: Larry
Schwartz, President, North America, Diageo and
Sean Combs hope to replicate the success of Cîroc.
decrease in mixtos. During the holidays,
for instance, whether for gifting or personal
consumption, some of our best SKUs were
between $75 and $125 in terms of sales.”
Those people in charge of producing,
branding and packaging tequila have a
few ideas why the market is changing.
“Different expressions, premiumization
and personalization—those are the trends,
along with craft cocktails, that can be
said to be driving the discovery of quality
tequila,” says Ann Stickler, SVP, Managing
Director for Brown-Forman’s Herradura, El
Jimador and Antiguo tequilas.
“Overall, consumers want to drink
better,” says Andrea Sengara, Director,
Tequilas at Diageo, where Don Julio was
joined last year by ultra-premium DeLeon.
“They’re more interested in a quality story
and brands that have credentials. We see
that across Scotch and whiskey and we
see it in tequila. It’s truly a beautiful spirit
to be appreciated.”
PRICEY, BUT LED
BY QUALITY
DeLeon is a prime example of how tequila’s
price limits are being pushed. Now with
two lines priced at the top of the category,
there are the three expressions in the
ultra-premium line retailing for $60 - 70,
“Different expressions, premiumization
and personalization—those are the
trends, along with craft cocktails, that
can be said to be driving the discovery of
quality tequila.” — Ann Stickler, Brown-Forman
and three in the the Luxury line; a joven
mixture of blanco and añejo at $150, a
cask-strength extra añejo at $350 and the
$850 Leona, finished in Sauternes barrels.
Other high-end brands have joined the
fray. Not surprisingly, with every upscale
expression sharing a common denominator
of being 100% agave, communicating
points of distinction often involve other
aspects of production, notably piña
preparation and distillation techniques,
blending, aging and wood treatments.
For example, Terlato Wines recently
added the $45-$65 super-premium Riazul
to their Artisan Spirits portfolio. The añejo spends two years in French Limousin
oak, teasing hints of caramel, honey and
vanilla out of the barrels. Lunazul’s Primero añejo is aged 18 months in American
white oak. Tres Agaves ages their añejo in
Woodford Reserve barrels for 18 months.
Corzo points to triple distillation as crucial to their añejo being “the fullest, most
complex expression of modern tequila.”
Baron “Platinum” is another tequila brand
that is distilled three times, “resulting in
an extract that gets cleaner and cleaner,”
eliminating any off odors or tastes.
Casa Dragones Joven takes a different route to distinction, employing creative blending on top of multiple distillation and “ultra-modern” filtration. Their
twist: hand-finishing their silver tequila
with five-year-old extra añejo. Casa
Dragones then goes into a handmade
bottle of lead-free crystal, individually
engraved with the brand’s “pepita” signature design element.
TEQUILA ON FIRE
As packaging goes, extra credit is
surely due to 1800 Tequila, whose
newest offering, 1800 Colección,
an extra añejo, comes in handnumbered bottles, within a customdesigned pewter decanter designed
by artist Gary Baseman. The design
is inspired by the tragic love story
between a Mexican warrior and a
magical mermaid. Only 40 bottles
have been made available—at a suggested
price tag of $2,000.
Two-grand is a bit steep for most
aficionados, but a sure sign that
consumers are in fact willing to trade
way up came last year with the launch of
Patrón Spirits’ Roca Patrón line, with a
90 proof silver, 84 proof reposado and 88
proof añejo, Roca retails between $69$89 and is made using the traditional
“tahona” stone-ground as well as aging
in single-use bourbon barrels, unlike the
standard Patrón which uses a mix of new
and used barrels.
“The Roca roll-out has far exceeded
our expectations, and our expectations
are usually very high because new
products are so few and far between for
us,” says Patrón Chief Marketing Officer
Lee Applbaum. He attributes the success
to Patrón’s brand equity and the growing
consumer appreciation in general for
higher-priced spirits. “The category is
growing with a lot of new entrants, and
the interest in artisanal, hand-crafted
spirits is good for us in tequila,” he notes.
DEMAND FACTOR
As tequila consumers look to broaden
their palates, brands like Roca, with a
different production method and higher
proof, become more appealing. Three
years ago Herradura launched a limited
release program that foresaw just such a
level of interest, called Colección de la
Casa, in which reposados are finished in
different types of casks (in 2014 they used
Scotch whiskey barrels).
Brown-Forman’s Stickler says the
limited expressions sell out, encouraging further experimentation at the high
end. “The category is really turning to
more premium offerings and as consum-
ers are rediscovering the
craft of tequila, getting
interested in añejo and
reposado and exploring
the other expressions.
It’s a joy to be having
the conversation about
tequila and quality.”
She notes that while
Herradura’s Selección Suprema
extra añejo, one of the stalwarts of the
category and retailing near $400, is clearly meant for the connoisseur, the Coleccion line is generally priced under $100
and allows the tequila aficionado the opportunity to step up. “But even the fact
that people are regularly paying $40 for
a bottle is so encouraging’” adds Stickler.
“And now, whenever people start to take
the next step in exploration in the category, there’s something there for them.”
“This is an exciting time for the extra
anejo category,” says Avion’s president
Jenna Fagnan. “We launched our Reserva
44 last year and have seen an incredible
reception. Both tequila consumers as
well as whiskey consumers are drawn to
the complexity and depth of a good extra
añejo tequila.”
BARREL POWER & BEYOND
Two-grand is a
bit steep for most
aficionados, but
a sure sign that
consumers are in
fact willing to trade
way up.
“Extra añejo has tremendous opportunity to grow,” notes a spokesperson for
Proximo Spirits, which now includes Jose
Cuervo, 1800 and Gran Centenario in
its portfolio. According to Nielsen tracking, extra añejo has grown by about 8%in
volume last year. 1800 XA is fairly new
to the market, but producers
don’t see it as just tequila,
but rather “more as a fine
brown spirit for special occasions,” according to the
Proximo spokesperson.
That places extra añejos
in competition against
high-end Cognacs and
Scotches, with producers consciously targeting
those luxury consumers.
Among current initiatives, Avion is rolling out a by-the-barrel program for retailers
with their reposado expression. By-the-barrel programs, quite common among whiskey producers, are fairly new to the tequila
world. Herradura has for a while been inviting on-premise customers to select their
own barrels, a program with a premium attached. Recently, some retail customers are
asking about añejo barrels. “It’s a very personal thing that allows them to be part of
the experience. What a great trend to have
customers coming to us to have that experience—you wouldn’t have seen that five to
ten years ago,” says Stickler.
All these evolutions are only the beginning, say many in the tequila business.
“The tequila market in U.S. was,
and still is underdeveloped, especially
in the higher segment,” says
Jose Hermosillo, founder
of Casa Noble Tequila. “In
the super-premium tequilas
growth is almost 500%
since 2002. I believe we
still have a ways to go.”
The versatility of tequila
fits many drink occasions, he notes—shooting, sipping, classic and
contemporary cocktails.
Jimmy Russell does things his way.
So thirty years ago, when he f irst mixed
bourbon with honey, the idea was almost
unheard of. But today his premium
blend of Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Whiskey and pure honey is being used in
cocktails all across the country.
And Jimmy wouldn’t have
it any other way.
JIMMY RUSSELL
MASTER DISTILLER
W I L D T U R K E Y® B O U R B O N
Enjoy Responsibly. Wild Turkey American Honey ® Liqueur. 35.5% alc./Vol. (71 Proof). Campari America. San Francisco, CA ©2015
TEQUILA ON FIRE
NOT A MARGARITA ★
While high-end tequila has increasingly
gained traction as a fine sipping
beverage, bartenders are still inclined
to tinker.
One of them, Chris Simmons,
General Manager at The Patio on
Goldfinch in San Diego, started
something he now calls the Ocho
Project, inspired by the makers of the
unusual single-estate and vintage brand
but interested in seeing how different
aging techniques would alter the flavor.
Simmons connected with Tomas
Estes and Carlos Camarena, co-owners
of Ocho to get their approval before
aging one of the blancos in five-liter new
American Oak barrels. His goal: to craft a
tequila with oak-driven characteristics (as
opposed to original Tequila Ocho aged
in used barrels). Simmons serves the
two different styles of tequila side-by-side
for guests to experience first-hand the
differences the aging process imparts.
“I wanted to focus on one particular
component, the aging process, since
some producers use brand new oak
and some use barrels several times, like
Ocho,” says Simmons. He removed
samples at 14, 28 and then 42 days, and
serves them paired with reposado, añejo
and extra añejo Ochos. “They show that
if you start in the exact same place and
change the next step, you end up in an
entirely different place,” he says.
Casamigos star power is accentuated by the fact
that founders George Clooney and Rande Gerber
sourced the tequila themselves, trying more than
700 samples, leading to the tagline “Brought to you
by those who drink it.”
The power of more pricey tequilas
is just beginning to emerge, and
there are still many possibilities for
developing new expressions. Says
Avión’s Fagnan, “We are eager to see
tequila become a greater force in the
spirits industry well beyond North
America, and we sense it’s coming.
The time is certainly right to be in the
ultra-premium tequila business.” ■
TEQUILA AGE
DESIGNATIONS
Blanco (aka silver) is clear
and unaged.
Joven (aka gold or abocado)
spends several months in
tanks before bottling.
Reposado (meaning rested)
is the first definitive level of
aging; these tequilas rest in
wood (usually oak) barrels for
two to 12 months.
Añejo (meaning “old” or
“mature”) applies to tequilas
aged at least one year in
oak barrels; these tend to be
darker, smoother and more
complex.
Extra Añejo tequila has rested
at least three years in barrel.
RANDE GERBER AND GEORGE CLOONEY PHOTOGRAPH BY ANDREW SOUTHAM
★
Casa Noble, now in Constellation’s
portfolio of spirits, has an edge: it has
been certified organic, and also has
been pushing other “green” practices.
Beam Suntory’s Tres Generaciones has
done well in the organic space created
by high-end specialty bars and hotels
since its certification in 2012. “There is
a passionate and growing niche of places
that are focusing on that,” says Gary
Ross, Beam Suntory Senior Director of
Tequila, who oversees Sauza, 901, Tres
Generaciones and El Tesoro.
Ross echoes what other tequila
marketers highlight: more educated
consumers interested in well-crafted
spirits willing to pay more for better
and different. “Plus there are a lot more
players in super premium using more
interesting techniques,” he adds.
Sauza has increased its attention to
the recently-acquired 901, focusing on
the connection to brand founder and
pop star Justin Timberlake. Celebrity
tequila, with Sean Combs involved in,
is part of the category’s curiosity factor
lately, as with Casamigos, founded by
entrepreneur Rande Gerber with partner
George Clooney.
“When George and I decided to
create our own tequila, we did it out
of our desire to have the best tasting, smoothest tequila for us to drink
and share with friends,” says Gerber.
“Word started to spread and we realized that others were looking for
something similar. Consumers know
what they like and appreciate the
time, effort and patience we took to
create Casamigos. To us, Casamigos is
a lifestyle brand.”
While many smaller brands
continue to aim for the on-premise as
a place to break in, the move to higher
end means greater retail involvement.
Diageo’s Don Julio has done very well
in the on-premise, where the brand
has been focused for some time, says
Sengara. “That eventually set strong
off-premise growth once scale was
built,” she explains. “We’ve definitely
seen the off-premise start to pick up in
the past two years.”
a FA M I LY
DISTILLATE
H eav en H il l Ce le b r at e s 8 0 Y e a r s
of C raf ting W h i s k ey & B ui ldi n g B r a n ds
By Kristen Bieler
H
eaven Hill is marking
their 80th birthday in an
unexpected way, by changing
their name. While the switch
from “Heaven Hill Distilleries” to “Heaven
Hill Brands” might not seem like a huge
departure, it does reflect the dramatic way
in which this family-driven company has
evolved over the last eight decades.
“We are still heavily in the distillery
business, but we are about so much more
today than American whiskey,” says Max
Shapira, President, who has worked for
the company his father founded since
1935
“Heavenhill Springs”
distillery is founded by
Bardstown-area investors
and the five Shapira
brothers; the company has
12 employees and Bourbon
Falls is their first label.
1946
1970. “We have an immense range of
brands which we’re building for the
future, so our new name really describes
what we do today.”
Left: Heaven Hill Brands leadership today
includes Kate (Shapira) Latts; Max L. Shapira;
Allan N. Latts; and Andy L. Shapira.
Top: Heaven Hill’s 80 years of history includes
over 7,000,000 barrels of American whiskey.
Betting on Bourbon
The five Shapira brothers made no small
gamble in founding Heaven Hill Distilleries
in Bardstown, Kentucky in 1935, on the
heels of Prohibition and in the thick of
the Great Depression. Their first brand,
Bourbon Falls, was just up and running
when they were forced to shut down, along
with many other distilleries during WWII,
Earl Beam leaves
the Beam Company
to succeed his
cousin, Harry
Beam, as Heaven
Hill’s Master
Distiller.
’70s
Max L. Shapira
joins the family
business. Parker
Beam succeeds
his father Earl as
Master Distiller.
in order to produce alcohol for the war
effort. Yet their commitment to American
whiskey production paid off eventually,
as Heaven Hill went on in subsequent
decades to become a leading bourbon
distiller, particularly with the introduction
of Evan Williams in the 1950s (which
remains the company’s flagship brand).
’80s
Elijah Craig 12YO—the first
“Small Batch” bourbon—is
introduced. Acquisitions
include Burnett’s Gin, Henry
McKenna Bourbon, Harwood
Canadian Whisky.
heaven hill
Heaven Hill’s modern era has been marked by
expansion and diversification. Top: Seeking inventive
ways to support the brand portfolio, the company
recently opened “Heaven Hill” at the KFC Yum!
Center in Louisville, KY. Above: The firm grew to
become a leader in flavored vodka, after starting with
the trio of Citrus, Raspberry and Orange.
Their passion for bourbon never
wavered, in spite of the fickle nature of
consumer drinking habits. In the midst
of the current American whiskey craze,
it’s easy to forget that bourbon has “not
always been successful,” reminds Andy
Shapira, Director, Sales Analysis/Western
Division Sales Manager, referring to the
category’s steep decline in the 1970s
through the early 1990s. “We survived by
developing interesting offerings in many
other categories. We have skin in the game
with every trend in the industry, which
has allowed us to compete against bigger
players.”
Change, Accelerated
The third generation of Shapiras brought
a thirst for innovation and trend-setting.
When Kate (Shapira) Latts, VP of Marketing, and her husband, Allan, COO,
moved back to Kentucky from Cincin-
’90s
A rush of line extensions (Elijah
Craig, Evan Williams, Henry
McKenna) and new brands
(Burnett’s Vodka, Christian
Brothers Brandy, Old Fitzgerald)
join portfolio; historic Bernheim
distillery acquired.
nati to work for Heaven Hill
in 2001, she admits that, “like
a lot of people at the time, I
thought Heaven Hill was all
about American whiskey, but
quickly saw that there was
so much more to the company.” Having just acquired
Christian Brothers—the number three
brandy in the country—the company
soon embarked on a period of acquisition
and innovation.
An early leader in the flavored
vodka world with Burnett’s, Heaven
Hill released best-seller after best-seller
with offerings like Citrus, Raspberry and
Orange. “I remember my dad saying we
needed to try vanilla cautiously. It felt
like a real risk at the time, which is funny
in retrospect,” says Kate. The company
was ahead of its time with Sour Apple and
Coconut, too.
But the defining moment of the
company’s culture shift was the purchase
of Hpnotiq in 2003. “We had to learn how
to do so many things differently,” Kate
recalls, as they had never before worked
on “a high-energy, on-premise promotion
brand with a tidal wave of momentum
behind it.” In the early days, just trying to
figure out how many T-shirts to order was
perplexing (“Should we order four or five
thousand? In 2004 we ordered a million,”
Kate remembers).
“Hpnotiq taught us how to do
promotions,” says Andy. “It paved the
way for the future of the company.
Without that brand, there would
have been no Pama or Canton,” the
company’s successful pomegranate and
recently-acquired ginger liqueur brands.
“We have been focused on a very
vibrant section of the flavored liqueur
category, which captures the enthusiasm
and interest of bartenders, which
then translates into off-premise sales,”
Kate describes.
’00s
Hpnotiq (2003), Pama (’05) and
Lunazul (’08) added. Heaven Hill
named “Distiller of the Year” (’04),
Rittenhouse Rye tops at SF World
Spirits competition (’06). Parker’s
Heritage Collection debuts 2007.
Hpnotiq Liqueur, acquired in 2003,
“paved the way for the future of
the company.”
Cross-Category
Expansion
With a small team of decision
makers, things move quickly, giving
Heaven Hill the ability to stay ahead of
trends and bring new products to market
efficiently. “Innovation is the lifeblood of
our industry, and it usually doesn’t come
from the big companies,” says Andy.
The successful launch of Blackheart
Rum in 2010 inspired the acquisition of
Admiral Nelson, the country’s secondbestselling spiced rum, in 2011, making
Heaven Hill a major player in the rum
category. Blackheart is a higher-proof rum,
with a bolder flavor profile and has been
propelled by the ever-strong rum-and-cola
trend. “One of the most fun things we do is
create a brand from scratch,” Kate shares.
“When you create the name, build the
equity, figure out how to best support a
brand, it feels like your child.”
Bourbon Comes
Full Circle
Few companies were better positioned to
take advantage of the American whiskey
renaissance than Heaven Hill, with its
cache of historic brands and vast stocks
of aged bourbon. Looking back, how did
one of the worst-performing categories
reemerge as the fastest growing distilled
spirit today? “About 15 years ago, we in
the industry got our act together with
the launch of single-barrel and smallbatch releases, better packaging and
flavors,” says Max. “The consumer today
demands all these things.” Heaven
Hill helped pioneer this trend with the
release of Elijah Craig 12 Year Old in
1986, the first “small batch” bourbon
on the market.
2010-2015
Admiral Nelson’s (2011) & Domaine
de Canton (’14) acquired. Evan
Williams Bourbon Experience opens
(’13). Heaven Hill fills its 7 millionth
barrel of American Whiskey (’15).
heaven hill
Heaven Hill’s flavored whisarray of suppliers in his 40-plus years
kies continue to grow double
in the industry, and never met one
digits, and the company has rethat cared more for the people
leased a steady stream of premithey work with. “The Shapira
um extensions: Elijah Craig 21
family treats everyone like family.
and 23 Year Old, Parker’s HeriThey possess an unusual amount
tage Collection, Rittenhouse
of character and integrity,” says
Elijah Craig
21YO & 23YO
Rye—“the darling of the mixSparrow. “For example, when
add prestige
ology community,” Kate says—
they run sales incentive trips,
to the flagship
bourbon line
a wheated bourbon, Larceny,
the winning sales reps’ entire
even unaged whiskey, TryBox,
families are invited, including
among others. For Kate, the most
children. I have never seen any other
exciting part about today’s boom is that
supplier offer something
growth is hitting every segment, not just
like that.”
the premium end, and boosting tourism.
The More
“It’s fascinating to see the types of visiThings Change…
tors we get at our Bourbon Heritage CenAs different as today’s
ter, from legal drinking age college kids,
Heaven Hill portfolio
to young women on ‘girl’s weekends’ to
might appear from the
longtime aficionados.”
original
(and
payroll,
Size—and Family—Matters
which has ballooned from
The Shapiras at the helm today navigate
12 employees to 600) the
a very different industry landscape than
company’s culture remains essentially
that of their founders. “You have to be
unchanged. “We have always tried to
so much quicker to market,” says Max.
make sure that our employees have jobs
“And pay more attention to carving the
that are challenging and interesting day
marketplace into multiple pieces, it is
in and day out,” says Max. “And that
much more segmented.”
our products are the highest quality.
Being smaller than the big suppliers,
We are still using the same mash bills
and family-run, puts Heaven Hill in an
from 80 years ago, and have some of the
advantageous position, believes Andy:
original stills.”
“We are nimble, and we don’t have to
Presiding over the country’s largest
focus on the quarter—we can think long
independent, family-owned producer and
term. It also allows us to have consistent
marketer of distilled spirits in the country,
pricing strategy; our distributors and
Max has a considerable amount to be
retailers like the fact that they don’t see
proud of. Yet he is absolutely certain about
end-of-quarter pricing activity with our
his greatest accomplishment: “Enticing
brands that they do with many others.”
the third generation of the family to leave
David Sparrow, VP at RNDC in North
their careers and join this business has
Carolina/Virginia, has worked with a vast
been my most significant contribution. I
believe having my son, daughter and sonin-law working at Heaven Hill, bringing
the same passion and commitment to
excellence, has ensured our future like
nothing else.” n
As Heaven Hill Brands continues
national outreach, two key
personnel are Lynn House
(left), National Brand Educator
focusing on-premise; and Bernie
Lubbers, American Whiskey
Brand Ambassador.
The late Executive VP
Harry Shapira worked with
his cousin Max Shapira
to develop Heaven Hill’s
tourism destinations,
the Heaven Hill Bourbon
Heritage Center in Bardstown
(opened 2004) and the Evan
Williams Bourbon Experience
in Louisville (opened 2013).
AT A GLANCE
Having grown from 12 employees to 600,
Heaven Hill Brands is America’s largest
independent, family-owned and operated
producer and marketer of distilled spirits.
Here are some more key facts:
❖ America’s seventh-largest supplier
of distilled spirits.
❖ Second-largest inventory of aging
Kentucky whiskey (nearly 17% of the
world’s future supply of bourbon).
❖ Whiskeys are produced at the historic
Bernheim Distillery, designated Kentucky
Distilled Spirits Plant (DSP) #1.
❖ Brands acquired or developed include
Burnett’s Vodkas and Gin; Admiral
Nelson’s and Blackheart Rums; Hpnotiq
Liqueur; The Christian Brothers brandies;
PAMA Liqueur; Domaine de Canton
Liqueur; Lunazul Tequila; and Cinerator
Hot Cinnamon Flavored Whiskey.
❖ Major whiskey brands: Evan Williams,
America’s second-largest selling
Bourbon; Elijah Craig, the original Small
Batch Bourbon; and Old Fitzgerald, a
wheated Bourbon with a storied history.
CATEGORYFOCUS
VIN DE
FRANCE
STEPS UP
ANNUAL COMPETITION CONFIRMS
NEW CATEGORY’S QUALITY & OFFERS
INSIGHT TO TRENDS
BY W. R. TISH
The International Panel - Best Value Vin de France Selection 2015
S
ometimes, seizing the future
means turning away from the
past. Such is the case with
the Vin de France (VDF)
classification, which frees producers to
source grapes across regional boundaries,
and to blend (or not blend) based on their
own stylistic goals not only AOC rules.
Though delayed in its exposure to
Americans because until a TTB ruling
in late 2013, Vin de France is shaping up
to be one of the fastest-growing and most
notable category launches in the history
of modern viticulture.
Consider this: Just five years after
being created, Vin de France wines
already account for 17% of all still wine
exports out of France (Germany, the UK
and China are the biggest customers).
And momentum is building: exports
increased by 2.5% overall 2014—and
35% outside Europe.
The United States currently accounts
for about 3% of the VDF wines that leave
France, but remains a prime target market
because these flexible, fruity wines appeal
to Americans on many levels:
 The Palate — Wines that are fresh,
fruity, accessible, smoother; with a range
that spans multiple hot categories here.
Wallet — The modern opposite
of last century’s iconic collectibles,
Vin de France wines are clearly
targeting an identity built on best
value for money.
 The Mindset — VDF wines represent
freedom, creativity and thoroughly
modern methods; blends and varietals
going where French wine never went,
and packaged to please the eye and be
opened now.
 The
SETTING THE BAR
An important part of Vin de France’s
identity is defined by having fewer rules,
in fact, strict quality and traceability controls govern production. All growers and
producers operating within the classification must register with FranceAgriMer, a
division of the French Ministry of Agriculture. This ensures that consumers and
retailers can be confident in the provenance of their product.
Additionally, Vin de France receives
valuable
independent
endorsement
through an annual competition in
February at which wines are evaluated by
professional judges from key markets. Run
by trade organization Anivin de France, the
Vin de France “Best Value Selection” picks
JUDGING GLOBALLY
ABOVE: This year’s Vin de France
“Best Value Selection” competition
was the sixth, and took place
February 11-12 in Paris. Among
the international panel of 34
professionals from eight countries
were seven Americans: Karen and
Philip Burkhart, Latitude Wines;
and Steven Johnson, Market of
Choice; Brad Lewis, ABC Fine
Wine & Spirits, Geoffrey Pattison,
Wally’s; Bethany Burke Scherline,
Palm Bay International; and
Bernard Sun, Kobrand.
out the best examples of this classification,
with the top performers awarded a Gold or
Silver medal.
The competition helps benchmark
the growth of the classification [see 2015
Key Figures box] and demonstrates the
confidence and commitment among the
producers. The Best Value Selection results
from 2015 were officially announced in
mid-March at ProWein, the first of the
wine industry’s cycle of major annual
trade shows.
➥ See the full selection of medal winners at: vindefrancewines.com
VIN DE FRANCE
‘BEST VALUE SELECTION’
2015 WINNERS
Shown here is a sampling of Gold medal winners
from this year’s competition. Only 23 Gold
medals were awarded in all (6% of total entries),
indicating the judges’ high standards; 24% of the
2015 entries earned Silver medals.
1
7
2
8
3
9
2015 KEY FIGURES

28% increase in the number of
entries, to 372 wines

38% increase in the number of
companies entering, to 83

23 Gold and 89 Silver medals
(OIV regulations cap medals at
30% of entries).

Of the medal winners, 49 were
white, 40 red and 23 rosé
ON TREND
This competition is also important in
helping to pick out trends happening under the Vin de France umbrella. Of the
mono-varietal expressions, Pinot Noir
and Sauvignon Blanc have historically
performed particularly well, while 2014’s
competition saw Merlot win multiple gold
medals. However, there was also plenty of
room for the offbeat, with one sweet wine
taking a Gold medal, as well as awards for
a Negrette rosé and blends such as Chardonnay/Muscat and Viognier/Roussanne.
4
10
5
11
6
12
13
Based on the 2015 winners, VDF
appears especially well-positioned to tap
into two hot trends. The first is rosé, with
23 medal winners. The other is blends;
21 white medal winners and 15 red were
awarded in 2015. This year also saw five
Sauvignon Blancs earn Gold, and nine
winning Silver, while Chardonnays won
10 Silver.
The jump in medals from 2014 to
2015 speaks to the rising baseline of
quality as well as vibrancy of the category
across a range that just a decade ago
would have struck most industry observers
as downright radical. Meanwhile, the
decision of major producers such as
Boisset and Gérard Bertrand to join Vin
de France has added validation to the
category’s progress.
Medals, of course, are never an endall. Yes, it is hoped that the competition,
and medal stickers, will help open new
markets and attract new customers. But
the competition remains one indicator
that Vin de France as a category is
beginning to hit a stride in terms of
1
Gérard Bertrand 2014
“6ème Sens”
2
Belles Vignes 2014 “GSM”
(Grenache-Syrah-Marsellan)
3
French Connection 2014 Merlot
4
Gau 2014 Sauvignon Blanc Pinot Grigio
5
Jean Berteau Merlot
6
La Châsse 2014 Shiraz-Grenache
7
Fat Bastard Red
8
Le Val 2014 Sauvignon Blanc
9
François Lurton 2014
“Fumées Blanches” Rosé
10
Les Rivages Sauvignon Blanc
11
L’Original French Kiss
Sauvignon Blanc
12
Pâtisserie 2014 ChardonnayMuscat
13
Temps d’M 2013 Blanc
quality and have significant impact in
the U.S. market.
Judge Brad Lewis, Fine Wine Buyer for
Florida-based ABC Fine Wine & Spirits,
noted that he is especially optimistic about
the category’s “opportunities for blending.”
He added: “Overall, Vin de France [wines]
are solid in their price point for our market,
and we are seeing more wines available
with increasing quality.”
Geoffrey Pattison, Buying and Import
Director at Wally’s in Beverly Hills, CA,
summarized: “I think this category is positioned to do very well in America. I think
the production standards give winemakers the ability to craft wines creatively and
achieve better ripeness, flavors and drinkability than they would under the more
restrictive AOC system.” Perhaps just as
important, Pattison noted that savoir-faire
is evident on the outside of VDF bottles as
well: “The New World–style labeling, creative marketing and modern winemaking
all cater to exactly what American consumers gravitate toward.” ■
WHEN WINE IS
ON THE MENU
WITH PAIRING MENUS, WINE MAKES CULINARY ARTISTRY MORE PROFITABLE
BY JIM CLARKE
T
here are wine pairings, and there
are Wine Pairings. Selecting a
wine to accompany a steak is one
thing, but what about pairing all
three, seven or 26 courses of a meal? “Our
menu ends up being 20 to 30 courses,”
says Scott Cameron, Beverage Director
at Atera in New York. “The pairing is the
best option to accommodate the guest
and provide the best experience.” Guests
seem to agree; Cameron says a third to a
half of Atera guests opt for the pairing, up
from one quarter a year and a half ago.
The Umstead Hotel in Cary, NC,
offers a three-course prix-fixe and a
seven-course tasting menu, and Head
Sommelier Hai Tran says sales of pairings
have quadrupled in the past year.
Creating a successful pairing menu
doesn’t come easy. To start with, there’s
a need for variety. Tran says a good menu
will inherently call for different types of
wines in the first place, but he still makes
an effort to draw on wines from different
parts of the world. One need not stop at
wine, either. “I use beer, cocktails, saké,
non-alcoholic drinks…” says Cameron.
TOP: The wine pairing at Forage in Salt Lake City,
just like their menu, changes, slightly, every day.
LEFT: Head Sommelier Hai Tran of The Umstead
Hotel in Cary, NC.
FORAGE PHOTOGRAPHS BY CHEF/OWNER, BOWMAN BROWN / SCOTT CAMERON BY MATT ABBICK / ATERA TABLE AND THE COUNTER BY MICHAEL WEBER
TOP: Scott Cameron, Beverage Director at
Atera in New York. BELOW: Atera's recent
tasting menu.
Tran does the same, though he usually
steers away from cocktails to make it
easier to control the overall amount of
alcohol being served.
Logistics are another imperative. During service, Tran says communication is key to make sure the
pairings go smoothly; the kitchen’s
timing needs to align with that of the
server and sommelier, both of whom
need to know which wine goes with
which course in case the sommelier
is stuck at another table. “We always
have two glasses staged, the bottle on
display and the next beverage,” says
Cameron. He’s also careful about glass
placement, so “the guest doesn’t feel
obligated to pound leftovers, and the
table’s not getting cluttered.”
PORTIONS & PRICING
Portion size can be an issue
when serving so many courses.
Some guests will balk at
ordering “20 glasses of wine”
while others will look askance
at a 2oz pour, so it’s important
to set expectations. “I make sure
they have enough to enjoy with
what’s on the plate,” says Tran,
“so as plates get bigger the pours
get bigger. I may start off with
two ounces and move up to three
or four. They drink a total 3–3 ½
glasses by the end of experience.
I’m not averse to topping them
off if needed.” With a longer menu,
some wines may do double duty. “Our
menu has a span of snack courses
which I pour a really great Alsatian
Riesling with,” says Cameron. “One
bite snacks—all smoky, rich, and
fatty; all great with a bit more savory
style of Riesling.”
Portion control can also mean
price control. “An equilibrium can
be reached,” says James Tidwell, MS,
Beverage Manager at the Las Colinas
Four Seasons Resort in Dallas. “You
put together the pairing as a grouping,
but based on individual pricing. The
highest expense wines are balanced by
unexpected, cool, fun wines that are
still inexpensive.”
Having multiple wines open for
a pairing can lead to waste, but the
more popular the pairing, the easier
that is to control, since turnover is
faster. “We are lucky that the majority
of our wine sales are from the wine
WINE PAIRING MENUS
‘SET’ OPTIONS
Even if you don’t have a standing
tasting menu, there are plenty of
occasions for a set menu where
wine pairings can be part of
building your revenue:
The Prix-Fixe. This old-standby

“Pairings offer
opportunities for
inventory control,
especially where you
have excellent wines
that people don’t
know about.”
— Brooklyn Delmont,
Forage, Salt Lake City
pairing, so we rarely end up with wine
that is open more than one day,” says
Brooklyn Delmont, Wine Director at
Forage in Salt Lake City. The Forage
tasting menu may change daily; if a wine
can’t be used with a new menu, Delmont
temporarily offers the remainder of the
wine by-the-glass.
But why dwell on negatives like
waste? Tidwell says pairings can be a
plus in managing other aspects of one’s
product mix. “Pairings offer opportunities
for inventory control, especially where
you have excellent wines that people
don’t know about. It introduces people to
those wines, and then they enjoy them on
return visits,” says Cameron.
TURNING EXPECTATIONS
INTO OPPORTUNITY
Guest expectations for pairings may go
beyond the interplay of fats and tannins.
TOP: Brooklyn Delmont, Wine Director at Forage
and one of her all-time favorite pairings; elk heart
tar-tar and a White Burgundy, particularly Chablis.
“People who ask for the pairings are people who want more engagement with the
service staff,” says Tidwell. “That added
enjoyment is a PR and marketing opportunity.” But don’t assume they’re studying for an MS exam. “Unless a guest
shows an increased interest in wine we
do not elaborate too much on it,” says
Delmont, “since we are already at their
table often and would still like to allow
them some private time. Typically, it is
after the wine is served and eaten with
the food that I receive questions about it
because it is a wine that either surprised
them or they really enjoyed.”
Sometimes one goes to all that
trouble to create a pairing menu, and the
guest asks you to change it. “The pairing
is set,” says Cameron. “That’s what we do.
It doesn’t do justice to the food to just
throw another beverage in there. I steer
guests who ask for changes toward the bythe-glass wines or a bottle.”
Delmont often does much the same,
but also encourages guest to try the
pairing as is. “We have a lot of people, at
the end of the pairing, say they were not
big fans of white wine but have enjoyed
seeing how the wine is very different
when it is put with food. This is what I
believe the point is to a wine pairing. The
wine and the food changing each other
into something greater.” ■
is a three-course seat-filler,
often only offered at certain
times of day: (lunch or PreTheater most typically). If
the guest feels they’re saving
money on the set menu, the
wine-pairing option becomes
an affordable indulgence. Since
guests have options for each
course, pairings can either be
broad—a wine that suits the
course, more-or-less, regardless
of choice—or a wine paired with
each potential choice.

The Chef or Tasting Menu.
These are longer menus—
seven or nine courses,
perhaps—meant to highlight
the range and quality of the
kitchen. They give a beverage
director a chance to show off
the wine program's range and
quality.

The Seasonal Menu.
Often focusing on seasonal
ingredients; when those
ingredients are pricey—white
truffle season, for example—
you're attracting guests who
are ready to spend. If it’s built
around a single ingredient,
like truffles, just as the kitchen
needs to find variations on that
ingredient, so will the pairing,
to ensure a progression that’s
interesting enough but stays
true to that component.

The Holiday Menu. Valentine’s
Day, New Years Eve…whatever
it may be, people are looking
for a special experience. The
pairing needs to be highlighted
and special, though; for many
people, a special occasion
means a bottle, so you may find
yourself working against that
mentality.
INTRODUCING FLIGHT
SONG
by BRANCOTT ESTATE
GOLD MEDAL WINNING SAUVIGNON
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LIGHTER IN CALORIES *
Classically styled full-flavored Marlborough
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Gold Medal winner in a blind taste test against
leading New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc brands.**
Whether by the bottle or by the glass, the
Pernod Ricard USA Wines & Champagnes portfolio
delivers quality, heritage and value with every pour.
PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY
the premium spirits and wines company in the U.S.
*Source: Versus Brancott Estate Sauvignon Blanc
**Source: At the New Zealand International Wine Show. (Vintage 2012)
www.pernod-ricard-usa.com
©2015 Imported by Pernod Ricard USA, Purchase, NY.
www.acceptresponsibility.org
r eg i on fo c us : ca ri Ñe n a
off spain’s
beaten path
T he U n d er-th e-Radar Ca riñena Region Offers
Old Vi nes , Chara ct er & Valu e
By kristen bieler
C
hances are, if you have
heard “Cariñena” it was in
the context of a wine grape.
Which it is. But Cariñena is
also one of Spain’s oldest regions and one
of Europe’s oldest appellations, awarded
Denominacion de Origen status in 1932
(the second D.O. region in Spain).
Yet today it remains relatively obscure
in the U.S. market, even among wine
professionals, as very few wines from
Cariñena are imported. Many seasoned
sommeliers have never even tasted one.
This will likely be changing in the
not-so-distant future. A lot has changed
in the region since Romans planted vines
here. Cariñena had a multi-century-long
reputation for excellence, but while the
region survived the Phylloxera plague that
destroyed most European vineyards in the
1860’s (thanks to those absurdly rocky
soils—see photo), it couldn’t escape the
devastating effects of the Spanish Civil
War and WWII. Quality today is on an
accelerated upswing, thanks to a handful
of cooperatives who dominate production
here and who uniformly defy the co-op
stereotype of poor quality mass production.
Last month we sat down with three of
New York City’s top sommeliers—Jessica
Brown (The Breslin), Thomas Pastuszak
(The Nomad) and Marika Vida (The RitzCarlton) to taste through a selection of
wines from the Cariñena region and record
our impressions. What we discovered
pleasantly surprised us all.
The Value
“Overall, I think these wines offer a very
approachable, accessible style for the larger
U.S. market—especially those seeking
fuller, lush wines at a great value,” Brown
Above left: Jessica Brown (The Breslin),
Thomas Pastuszak (The Nomad) and Marika
Vida (The Ritz-Carlton) taste through a range of
Cariñena wines at the Beverage Media NYC office.
Above right: Cover crops between vine rows
provide a habitat for beneficent insects as well as
gorgeous fall color.
believes. This was a sentiment shared by
all the panelists, especially considering
that for a very low price, one can obtain
a wine with real personality. “In most of
these wines, I found terrific minerality,
freshness, salinity and an appealing savory
character—particularly in the younger
wines—and a very judicious use of oak,”
Pastuszak observed. “It’s unique to see
that much character and sense of place
come through in wines this inexpensive.”
A useful selling technique is “value
by reference,” he continued: “If you enjoy
Châteauneuf, here is a place you can get
that same character and old-vine intensity
for half the price. A glass of Cariñena may
cost $12 on a by-the-glass list, whereas you
could pay two or three times as much if you
go to the Rhone.” Vida agreed: “You can’t
even get AOC Cotes du Rhone for $15 a
glass most places!”
Finding old-vine expressions at these
price points is another critical point of
distinction for Cariñena, emphasized
Florida-based Master Sommelier, Virginia
Philip, who was not at our tasting but visited the region last June: “To find a wine
coming from 50- or 90-year-old vines for
under $30 is practically unheard of.”
The Grapes
The region produces some lovely whites
from Macabeo and Chardonnay, but this
is undeniably red wine country, which
“If you enjoy
Châteauneuf, here
is a place you can
get that same
character and oldvine intensity for
half the price.”
-Thomas Pastuszak,
The Nomad Hotel
is exclusively what our panel tasted.
Confusingly, though named after the
Cariñena grape, the region is dominated by
Garnacha which represents 55% of total
vineyard acreage. Years of viticultural trial
and error revealed that Garnacha more
easily achieves ripeness in the landscape’s
sloping hills. The Cariñena grape remains
important for blends, however, and has
proven to thrive in many lower-elevation
sites. Interestingly, our panel’s favorite
wine was the one mono-varietal Cariñena
we tasted (Bodegas San Valero Particular
Cariñena 2012).
“Cariñena is a grape no region has
really tried to own, and I think there is
huge potential for this region to make
it their signature,” said Pastuszak. “The
quality of this San Valero Cariñena
is really exciting, and I would be very
curious to taste more.”
The Range of Styles
“The gamut of styles is really impressive,”
said Philip. “One hears so much about
Priorat, but the dimension of wines from
the panel weighs in
We tasted nine wines from
the Cariñena region. These
wines are currently not
imported; prices listed are
best estimates of suggested
U.S. retail prices.
Bodegas San Valero
Particular Garnacha Joven 2013
Young Garnacha at its best. Bodegas
San Valero was established as a
cooperative in 1944, and is today
one of the region’s largest—and
finest. Crafted from 15- to 20-year-
old vines with zero oak aging, this
expression is fresh vibrant and
red-fruit dominated, the group agreed.
Brown found it “spicy, bright but with
a nice richness—almost Syrah-like.”
Vida was similarly impressed: “It’s a
fun red, and a banging wine for $10.”
(SRP: $10)
Bodegas San Valero
Particular Old Vine Garnacha 2011
BSV uses 30 year old vines from
fairly high-elevation vineyards for this
small-production Garnacha, which
sees six months minimum in French
oak barrels. The result is a more
concentrated, richer version of their
Joven and a wine that the group very
much enjoyed. “It’s a very classy
wine with more baked fruit flavors
and a hint of old Châteauneuf-duPape character,” Pastuszak said. Vida
commented on the “tremendous long
finish” marked by black fruit, smoke
and black licorice—“also amazing for
the price.” ($15)
Bodegas San Valero
Particular CariÑena 2012
Hands-down the group’s favorite wine
of the tasting. Vida praised the floral,
menthol, dried-strawberry aromatics
and elegant texture. “The Cariñena
grape is known for having a lot of
reductive aromatics and sulphur-like
tones, but this was super fresh and
really lifted with beautifully integrated
oak and great structure and acidity to
balance the fruit flavors and alcohol,”
Pastuszak shared. “This wine excited
me with its flavors and quality, but
also as a potential for what this grape
could mean for the region in the
future.” ($15)
continued on next page ➥
ca ri Ñ e na
CariÑena’s blessed terroir
D.O.P. Cariñena is focused on
a new tagline, “The Next
Great Grape,” that builds on
the popularity of Garnacha
sourced from older vines (the
region has more old-vine Garnacha than any
other in Spain). Large, rocky soils predominate
here, forcing vines to burrow deep for water.
Punishing conditions—extreme temperature
fluctuations between day and night, low rainfall,
and the whipping Cierzo winds—can make
farming difficult for growers, but can result in
superior grapes. Slow ripening ensures phenolic
maturation without excessive alcohol, and good
tannic structure. Elevation—up to 2,600 feet,
high for Spain—helps Cariñena’s 35,000 acres
of vines retain acidity.
Bodegas Paniza
Paniza Gran Reserva 2007
This Cabernet-dominated blend is
rounded out with Tempranillo and
Garnacha and spent two years in oak
barrels and three years in bottle before
release. With a slightly orange hue, it
displays mature flavors of dried herbs,
stewed fruit, some nice cherry notes
and mellowed tannins. ($23)
Bodegas Paniza
Artigazo 2008
A blend of Galnacha, Syrah and
Cabernet, this more modern-styled red
from Paniza spent 18 months in mostlyFrench oak barrels and several years in
bottle before release. Over 40-year old
vines contribute concentration of flavor
and the time in oak adds spice and cedar
notes. ($27)
Cariñena makes it a truly compelling
place. Depending on the age of the vines
and the blend, these wines range from light
and aromatic to dark, intense reds that
demand food.”
Cariñena’s 29 wineries craft everything from Joven reds, Crianzas and
Gran Reservas—some in large quantities, some in boutique amounts. We
tasted a range of styles, and the group
overall preferred the younger examples.
“I think the wines are most expressive
and exciting in their younger, fresher
versions, where there is terrific minerality and the terroir really comes through,”
Pastuszak summarized.
The Discovery Factor
Sommeliers wade through a sea of
wine daily, and most search for wines
that are truly distinct and authentic;
our panelists agreed that the wines of
Cariñena fit the bill. “I would promote
Grandes Vinos y ViÑedos
Corona de AragÓn Crianza 2011
The largest winery in all of Aragon,
Grandes Vinos y Viñedos produces
under a number of different brands.
This label is named for the great
kingdom of Aragon which reigned
in the Middle Ages. The Crianza is
composed of Tempranillo, Cabernet,
Garnacha and Cariñena from 40-yearold vines. Brown wished it had a bit
more acidity. ($12-$15)
Monasterio de las ViÑas
Reserva 2008
Dominated by Garnacha from
45-year old bush wines, this was
the group’s favorite wine from this
producer. Brown complimented its
“pretty fruit character and dried flower
Spanish-sommelier José Carlos Román
joined the tasting.
these as ‘something new by-the-glass,’
you can really go that direction with
these wines,” said Vida. “The fact that
Garnacha is a known entity definitely
helps, and I would describe many of these
wines to my customers as falling between
Pinot Noir and Nebbiolo in style.”
Brown agreed, adding that Cariñena is
still a discovery region, which can set a
wine list apart: “These wines have great
appeal for a sommelier who wants to
offer something truly unique by the glass
that very few others have.” n
aromas,” while Vida admired the
flavors of black tea and dark plums
and balanced tannins. “This is the
highlight of the older wines we have
tasted today,” shared Pastuszak.
“It has the best combination of fruit
purity and evolution, and didn’t fall
apart with time.” ($12-$15)
Monasterio de las ViÑas Gran
Reserva 2007
The group found this to be a very
elegant Gran Reserva, laden with
mulled fruit, crushed red berries,
earth and a lovely floral character.
Garnacha, Termpranillo and Cariñena
(40- to 50-year-old vines) make up
the blend, which spent 24 months
in French and American oak. “This
really held up,” said Pastuszak. “It
has a good structure and still shows
youthful character. The oak is present,
but doesn’t dominate or dry out the
fruit character.” ($15-$18)
Bodegas Paniza
ViÑas Viejas de Paniza
Garnacha 2012
The vineyards are located at the
foot of the Sistema Ibérico mountain
range, which runs from the
Cantabrian hills in the Northeast to the
Mediterranean. A large cooperative,
the winery has undergone a major
overhaul in recent years, outfitted with
high-tech winemaking equipment.
Vines up to 100 years old contribute
to this wine, which spends six months
in French and American oak barrels.
The panel praised this wine for its
purity of black fruit flavors and long
finish. “It shows terrific violet aromas
and well-integrated oak,” added
Pastuszak. ($18)
Since 1933, M.S. Walker has been proud to offer
a dynamic range of quality products to
our valued customers across the country.
©2015 M.S. Walker, Inc. Produced & Bottled/Imported By M.S. Walker, Inc., Somerville, MA 13% - 50.5% Alc/Vol. PLEASE ENJOY RESPONSIBLY. www.mswalker.com
RETA I LMA NAG E ME NT
SELLING THE GOOD STUFF
INDEPENDENTS FIND REWARD IN VALUE SWEET SPOTS, AVOIDING LOWEST PRICE TIER
BY W. BLAKE GRAY
G
rocery stores sell $3 wines.
Convenience stores have
wines at $5. What about
independent wine retailers?
How low in price should a wine shop go?
I called a selection of wine retailers
around the country, and I didn’t find
any independent shops that carry bottles
of wine under $6. Some carry jugs and
boxes of wine that cost the equivalent of
less than $6 per 750ml. But ultra-cheap
wine in a bottle doesn’t seem to be a good
product for wine stores.
Even $6 was on the low side.
“The lowest we’ve had was $6.99.
We’ve got two or three SKUs,” Julia
Cochran, store manager for The Wine
Club in Santa Clara, CA, told me.
Most every wine shop I spoke to,
even the most exclusive, carries at least
one wine under $10. So the bottom
tier in 2015 for independent retailers is
somewhere between $6 and $10.
I was curious about the dynamic at
work here. In discussing their stocking
principles, I learned there are a number
of reasons that savvy independents are
deliberately avoiding the lowest of the
price rungs:
 Super-cheap wines in grocery stores,
like the infamous Two-Buck Chuck
(now $2.50 even in California) are loss
leaders for stores whose main business is
not wine. “Trader Joe’s sells Two Buck
Chuck because they sell other things,”
said Ken Irving, Director of Fine Wine at
Westchester Wine Warehouse in White
Plains, NY. “They bring people in to buy
$2 wine and make very little margin, but
they’re also selling chicken and making
100% margin.”
 In states where grocery stores are allowed to sell wine, people looking to buy
$5 to $7 wine usually pick it up while
buying pork chops and applesauce. “My
consumer base is basically the $10 to
$20 people,” noted Ken Maykut, a wine
manager at Coastal Wine & Spirits in
Branford, CT.

The U.S. wine market is divided.
Sales of wine under $10 have been falling, but over $10 have been rising, and
over $20 is the hottest of all. Thus, even
if stores find a great $7 wine, it may be
too cheap for their clientele.
NEW SWEET SPOTS
This fundamental rising price point
represents a big change from five years
ago, when consumers were trading down
after the economic crisis. Now, they’re
trading up. “The premium wine business
is strong and prospects are good,” says
wine industry analyst Jon Fredrikson. “All
the big wineries—Gallo, Constellation,
the Wine Group, DFV—are moving into
the $10 to $14 segment.”
Ken Maykut, a wine manager at
Coastal Wine & Spirits in Branford, CT.
In contrast, Fredrikson says wines
priced below $9 began steadily dropping
in sales in late 2011. In food and drug
stores measured by Nielsen, sales of wines
under $10 dropped 816,000 cases in 2014,
while sales of wines priced $10 to $14 rose
by just over 1 million cases.
It appears that the economic or some
stores, carrying $8 wines would hurt their
image. “We are a boutique, artisanal
producer-oriented wine store,” says Mark
Mazur, operations manager of Best Wine
Purveyors in Pleasantville, NY. “We do
not go below about $10 a bottle. We can’t
find wines that are good enough to sell
that represent the store that we are. The
fighting range for us is $14 to $19.”
New York, of course, is a special case
because grocery stores are not allowed to
sell wine. Given that context, there is
a need for stores like Westchester Wine
Warehouse. It’s in a relatively affluent area,
but it still carries Glen Ellen and jugs. Ken
Irving employs “stores within the store” to
service multiple different types of customers that come in: “Some are coming in because they want the jug wine, they know
they can get it here, and it’s reliable. Then
you’ll have the everyday consumer who’s
looking for something $8 to $25. Then
you’ll have the higher-end collector who
wants to buy Mouton-[Rothschild].”
Even with some clients that might be
interested in very cheap wines, though,
there is an important factor limiting
Westchester Wine Warehouse’s purchase
of them: margin. “If you could sell $6
wine and you paid $1 for it, you would
want to sell it all day,” Irving says. “The
margins make it worthwhile.”
For the most part, distributors in New
York don’t, and can’t, offer bottles of wine
at such low wholesale prices, which means
that selling a $6 wine at 20% margin just
isn’t as attractive as selling a $15 wine at
20% margin.
States like California don’t have that
issue. Retailers can buy direct from many
sources, which means theoretically it’s
possible to get a wine very cheaply and
charge a decent margin on it. However,
such a deal would almost certainly have
to be exclusive to a single store.
“If I saw a great $5 wine, I might be
interested but I’d also be interested in a
nice mark-up on it,” says The Wine Club’s
Cochran. “We’d look at Wine Searcher
and see what kind of mark-up we could
get. The effort to bring in the wine, and
put it in the system, wouldn’t be worth it
for a 20% mark-up.”
THE QUALITY-PRICE
CONUNDRUM
I’ve skipped over a crucial issue about
cheap wines in fine wine shops: Even with
the worldwide advances in winemaking
and hygiene, wines under about $7 usually
just aren’t very good.
This has become a huge problem
in the United Kingdom, where years of
ruthless price competition among the
five big supermarkets that dominate wine
sales have taught British consumers that
wine can be had for 5 pounds sterling. At
current exchange rates, that’s about $7.50,
so it’s not as cheap as the cheapest wines
in U.S. food stores.
Wine sales under $10
dropped 816,000 cases
in 2014, while wine
sales priced between
$10–$14 increased by
1 million cases.
However, these supermarket wines
have developed a terrible reputation and,
rather than nudging customers upscale,
as has happened in the U.S., they have
begun to drive consumers away to other
alcoholic beverages.
For smaller American shops that
emphasize a curated selection, it has become very difficult to find wines under
$10 that fit the bill. “The less-than-$10
segment is made of world surplus bulk
wines,” says Jeff Bitter, Vice President
of Operations at Allied Grape Growers
in California.
At Best Wine Purveyors, Mazur and
his staff write information cards about
every wine. They’re not averse to large
producers. “We have La Vieille Ferme
blanc. That’s our lowest-priced wine,”
Mazur says. “It’s a fairly widely available
brand, but it’s the Perrin family and it
is well made. We’ve also got Thomas
Hyland Cabernet from Australia, from
Penfolds. I can tell customers the story
of Penfolds. And we’ve been able to find
small Bordeaux producers that fit in the
$10 to $12 range.”
But drop below $10 and that kind of
wine with a story behind it tends to drop
away, replaced by generic varietal wine
from whatever country currently has the
cheapest currency.
There is a customer for that kind of
wine, and you can see them, state laws
permitting, in Trader Joe’s, buying commodity wine by the case. However, as long
as the economy remains strong, when customers come to your independent wine
shop, chances are good that super-cheap
isn’t what they’re looking for. Which
means less time and energy invested at
that low-margin low end, and more invested in developing a value “sweet spot”
that works for your clientele.
Times change, people change, budgets
and behavior change. “With gas prices
being so low, I’m getting people to step up
out of their $20 range and buy a $25 wine,”
says Coastal Wine & Spirits’ Maykut. ■
on
on call
call
@
american
whiskey
Midtown West, NYC
americanwhiskeynyc.com
tapping into
jim beam’s sweet side
Ji m B e a m H o n ey i s r ig h t at
h om e i n w hi s key c o cktai ls
“friends
with p”
By kristen bieler
American Whiskey,
New York City
F
ew bars pour as much whiskey as Manhattan’s American
Whiskey. Bartender Joey Vargas offers 150 American whiskies, along
with 50 others from around the world, and estimates that whiskey in
some form makes up close to 70% of what people drink at this establishment.
Just what role do flavored whiskies
have in a hard-core whiskey program
like his? “There are some flavors that are
far better than others,” Vargas shares.
“When it comes to cocktails, I prefer
those that offer an authentic flavor and
aren’t too sweet.”
For his “Friends With P” creation—
inspired by the classic Gold Rush cocktail,
a mix of bourbon, lemon and honey—
Vargas uses Jim Beam Honey along with
Beam’s Rye and gives it a grapefruit twist
(“I love the aroma of grapefruit, so I shake
the drink with a grapefruit peel”).
“We use honey in a lot of our
cocktails here, and using
Jim Beam Honey is so
much easier than stirring
in real honey. In a highvolume account like ours,
that is a huge asset,” Vargas explains.
Most importantly: “It actually tastes
like honey.”
Jim Beam Honey is a classic shot (in
fact, Vargas offers it as part of a beer-andshot special at Happy Hour, rotating the
beer with the seasons), but Halley Kehoe,
Senior Brand Manager, Jim Beam, reports seeing a lot of recent interest from
bartenders in mixing with it, too: “We’ve
seen a lot of excitement around Jim Beam
Honey in the basic “plus 1’s” (cola, ginger
ale, etc.), and also with citrus (lemon,
grapefruit, orange) as well other
unique pairings such as hazelJim Beam
nut or amaretto liqueur. The
Honey shot
fact that it is infused with
with a beer
real honey, not artificially flavored, really resonates with the
mixology community.” n
Jim beam cocktail
friends with p
1 oz Jim Beam Honey
1 oz Jim Beam 90 proof Rye
½ oz Angostura Amaro
.38 oz grapefruit juice
.38 oz lemon
Shake with one grapefruit twist in the
shaker. Strain over fresh ice.
Joey Vargas at American Whiskey
b ra n d p r of i le
tequila double-shot
Pe rn o d R i c ard br and s avi Ó n & Altos Mak e a Powerful Pair
By jeffery lindenmuth
D
ominic Alcocer’s title says it all: Director of Tequilas, Pernod
Ricard USA. The French-based company is betting big on the
continued ascent of Mexico’s national spirit with not just one,
but two high-quality 100% agave tequilas that complement
each other in advancing market share and the overall tequila category. “The
tequila age is just beginning! Our commitment as a company is ensuring
we are competing with extremely well-crafted spirits that are in the fastestgrowing categories,” says Alcocer.
Figures from the Distilled Spirits
Council of the United States affirm that
position. High-end premium and superpremium tequila, the exclusive domain
of 100% agave offerings, have registered
impressive growth over the past decade. For
the period beginning in 2002 and ending
2013, the super-premium segment of the
U.S. tequila market, virtually unknown a
decade ago, soared 481% in volume, while
high-end premium tequila attained a 178%
increase. It’s an impressive run by any
measure, especially for a spirit that has relied
almost exclusively on sales of shots and a
single signature cocktail—the Margarita—
since making a splash in the U.S. in the
1960s.
Tequila Avión, created by entrepreneur
Ken Austin in 2009 and majority owned
by Pernod Ricard since 2014, is a perfect
poster child for the changing opinions
and perceptions surrounding tequila.
Through Austin’s friendship with Doug
Ellin, creator of the HBO series Entourage,
Avión landed a starring role in two seasons
of the hit series soon after its launch.
Avión’s appearance in Entourage’s fictional
Hollywood fast lane gave rise to an
Top of page: Avión founder Ken Austin takes a
break with the jimadors who work exclusively for
Avión. Olmeca Altos is known to its many Millennial
fans simply as Altos. Above: Fans of the brand
tend to favor Avión tequilas on the rocks. Avión
Espresso, 70 proof and made with Italian espresso,
has extended appeal to bartenders.
interesting challenge: viewers weren’t sure
if Avión was real. “Ken was pleased, but
also pained because he was approaching
tequila from a purely flavor perspective, and
for people to say it was a marketing brand
was simply not true,” recalls Jenna Fagnan,
President of Tequila Avión. The company
Since 2002, the super-premium
and high-end segments of the U.S.
tequila market have enjoyed an
impressive run by any measure.
responded with a “Yes, it’s real” campaign
and saw demand soar. Whether choosing
Avión Silver, Resposado or Añejo, tequila
lovers, who tend to favor the spirit on the
rocks, quickly learned that Avión had the
quality to back the buzz. At the 2012 San
Francisco World Spirits Competition,
Avión Silver took the honors for not only
World’s Best Tequila, but also World’s
Best White Spirit, beating out hundreds
of vodkas, gins and rums. Fagnan quickly
recognized that Avión had the hallmarks
of a lasting luxury brand: “Tequila has to be
fun and lifestyle. But something I learned
in my time at LVMH, working on not just
Champagne but watches, is that you can’t
have a quality brand that lasts without
quality first.”
Much like the best wines, Avión is
not made delicious by doing anything
drastically different, but rather through
incredibly meticulous attention to the
smallest details. “Ken is such a stickler,
every step of the way,” she says, noting
the agave for Avión comes from 7,000
feet above sea level, where deep-rooted
plants result in deeper concentrations of
flavor. After being hand-
The pinnacle of the Avión
range is Reserva 44, an extra
añejo that receives 43 months
in oak barrels, then an
additional month in petite
barrels, rotated daily to
achieve a dark, rich flavor
profile with well-integrated
oak and lush vanilla.
Priced at $150, Reserva
44 declares that tequila is
prepared to compete with
whiskey, Cognac and other
aged spirits.
harvested at the peak of maturity by
exclusive jimadors, these agave piñas are
slow roasted in a brick oven to develop
flavors that can’t be created in a modern
autoclave. After three days, the sweet,
baked piñas are allowed to rest to re-absorb
their juices, much like a sizzling steak.
During distillation in a copper pot
still, Master Distiller Alejandro Lopez
takes a very narrow cut of only the best
distillate, followed by a proprietary
filtering to create Tequila Avión. “In the
end, each bottle takes about 30% more
agave than other tequilas. Ken is more
about the finished product than cost.
That entrepreneurial spirit of not cutting
corners is a philosophy that guides
the whole team,” says Fagnan.
With unaged Avíon Silver
(averaging $40/750 ml retail)
as the flagship, Fagnan notes
that they also sell “an unusually
large amount of Resposado and
Añejo,” aged six months and
two years respectively. It’s not
surprising given the excellent
value of these expressions, priced
only about $5-$10 more than
Silver at retail.
Olmeca Altos:
More than a sidekick
Olmeca Altos has joined Avión
at Pernod Ricard, created by two
bartenders who envisioned an authentic
tequila that skews younger, while
offering exceptional value. “Altos,” as
fans know it, relies on some of its agave
crushed by a two-ton stone tahona
wheel, one of only seven distilleries in
Mexico to retain the traditional method.
Also like Avión, it is brick-oven baked.
Priced around $25 at retail, the Altos
Plata (a blanco style) and Resposado
offer incredibly affordable introductions
to authentic 100% agave tequila.
“Altos is a younger consumer, often
coming from mixto [tequila] or other
spirits. They are ready to leave spring break
behind. These are the same folks who are
starting to explore the nuances of bourbon
or Scotch and want to explore other
authentic quality spirits,” says Alcocer.
While co-founders Dre Masso and the
late Henry Basant brought star bartender
pedigree to the brand, the original vision
of a quality Tequila with a compelling price
and a robust flavor profile that excels in
cocktails is in good hands with co-founder
and Maestro Tequilero Jesús Hernández.
“Henry’s life force is present in the liquid
itself,” says Alcocer. “When we work with
bartenders and mixologists and the trade
community, I love to see the playfulness
and creativity, all the ways they bring
Altos to life.”
Pernod Ricard also brings
Altos to life by connecting
directly with consumers. At
altostequila.com, consumers
are inspired to go beyond
the
normal
margarita,
with cocktails beautifully
photographed in martini
glasses, teacups, mason jars
and flutes. In fact, most of the
marketing spend for Altos
is in digital. “YouTube has
more of our target consumer
than all the networks combined. It’s
hypertargeted and very efficient,”
says Alcocer. Inventive on-premise
promotions include a bicycle handing out
free tacos street-food style.
With two progressive tequilas, united
by their pursuit of quality, Alcocer sees
only great synergy for the future: “I love
having both these brands. It is exactly
where we need to be to meet the needs of
where consumers are going.” n
NEWPRODUCTS
&PROMOTIONS
Jack Daniel’s Fires Up
New Cinnamon Spirit
Following a promising limited release in
2014, Jack Daniel’s red-hot cinnamon
spirit is taking aim at Fireball nationwide.
Tennesse Fire, aka “Jack Fire,” brings
together the distinctive character of Jack
Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey with a red-hot
cinnamon spice liqueur. The result is a
sweet, hot kick that complements the classic
taste of Jack Daniel’s. 70 proof.
SRP: $23.99
jackfire.com
Facebook.com/JackTNFire
Award-Winning Yellow Spot
Whiskey Enters U.S. Market
Yellow Spot, one of Ireland’s premier Single Pot
Still Irish Whiskies, has officially entered the
U.S. market. The 12-year-old Single Pot Still is
matured in a combination of bourbon, Sherry and
Malaga casks. Known for its complex taste profile,
it possesses honey sweetness with pot still
spices. Hints of coffee, creamy milk chocolate and
crème brûlée are also found in this complex Irish
whiskey. 92 proof.
SRP: $99.99
singlepotstill.com
‘Beers of Mexico’ Variety Pack Returns
with Limited Edition Dos Equis Azul
After a successful select-market run, Heineken USA has
announced the return of the “Beers of Mexico” variety pack
including the limited-edition Dos Equis Azul—a blend of
signature golden wheat lager and blue agave. Dos Equis Azul
will be available only in the 12-bottle Fiesta Pack, joining Dos
Equis Lager, Tecate and Sol. The
“Beers of Mexico” program will
run through July 2015.
heinekenusa.com
Facebook.com/Heineken
Francis Ford Coppola Winery
Launches Sofia Red blend
Sofia wines started as a sparkling wine, emblematic
of Francis Coppola’s love for his daughter. The line
moved to varietal wines, and now Sofia Red joins
the red blend fray. Made from Paso Robles fruit,
Sofia Red is composed of 62% Grenache, 37%
Syrah and 1% Mourvèdre, offering aromas of red
cherries, pomegranate and tea leaves with a touch
of tangerine.
SRP: $17
francisfordcoppolawinery.com
Facebook.com/CoppolaWine
Laird’s ‘Jersey Lightning’
is a Clear Take on Applejack
Laird & Company, known for premium
applejack, is rolling out Laird’s “Jersey
Lightning” Apple Brandy. The first new
Laird’s branded product to be introduced in
almost two decades, the clear, un-aged apple
distillate has a full mouthfeel with rich flavors
of apples and peaches. 100 proof.
SRP: $29.99
lairdandcompany.com
A New Signature CuvÉe
from grove ridge
New from winemaker Michael Alley, Grove Ridge
Cuvée Brut is crafted using premium California
Chardonnay and French Colombard grapes. With
aromas of apple and pear, the bubbly has balanced
acids and finishes with flavors of caramel and
citrus fruits. Pairs beautifully with goat or sheep
cheeses and charcuterie. Available in 750ml and
187ml bottles nationwide. Marketed by Bronco
Wine Co.
SRP: $11.99/750ml; $4.99/187ml
broncowine.com
Facebook.com/BroncoWineCompany
Trio of New Flavors
from Captain Morgan
Captain Morgan is looking ahead to
warmer weather with three new flavor
expressions: Pineapple Rum, Coconut
Rum and Grapefruit Rum. Each variant
blends Captain Morgan White Rum with
natural flavors, making them perfect
for simple cocktails, as well as more
complex, Caribbean-inspired drinks.
Available nationwide. 70 proof.
SRP: $15.99
captainmorgan.com
Facebook.com/captainmorganUSA
19 Crimes Adds a cabernet
to the Criminal Lineup
The Australian brand 19 Crimes celebrates the
founding of that nation by criminals. With the
Shiraz-driven 19 Crimes red blend already a
hit, a Cabernet Sauvignon has just been added
to the criminal line-up. Featuring the signature
dark frosted bottle and a new criminal’s image
on the label, 19 Crimes Cabernet aims to appeal
to Millennials.
SRP: $12.99
19crimes.com
Facebook.com/19Crimes
An Inspired Pinot Noir
from Antares
Inspired by the brilliance of the great red
star Antares, this Pinot Noir was made by
winemaker Michael Alley using fruit from the
high elevations of Napa Valley’s Atlas Peak AVA.
Aged in American oak, the wine features berry,
smoky and earthy aromas. Red-fruit flavors
and balancing acidity come together in a very
complex Atlas Peak Pinot Noir.
SRP: $29.99
broncowine.com
Facebook.com/BroncoWineCompany
Bols Imports Oldest
Genever Since Repeal
Lucas Bols, producer of Bols Genever, has released
a single-barrel genever aged six years. It is now the
oldest genever available in the U.S. market since
Prohibition. This genever was aged in American
white oak, as opposed to the classic Bols Genever
which is aged in French Limousin oak. Bols Barrel
Aged Genever can be enjoyed at room temperature,
with a splash of water or ice, as an aperitif, a digestif
or in an old-fashioned. Four hundred 1L bottles are
available nationwide. 80 proof.
SRP: $46.99/1L
bols.com
Facebook.com/BolsGenever
Refresh with
UV Vodka’s Newest Flavor
UV Vodka has an eye on summer with their latest
flavor, UV Ruby Red Grapefruit. This refreshingly
mixable spirit strikes a balance between tangy
and sweet. Made with all natural flavors and real
grapefruit juice, it is delicious over ice or in a
mixed cocktail. Available nationwide in 1L, 750ml
and 50ml bottles. 60 proof.
SRP: $11.99/750ml
uvvodka.com
Facebook.com/UVVodka
Twisted Tea Introduces
New Year-Round Flavors
The Twisted Tea Brewing Company has announced the
release of Twisted Tea Strawberry Lime and Twisted
Watermelon Lemonade, both available nationwide.
Twisted Tea Strawberry Lime combines the taste
of a real iced tea with fresh, fruity strawberry notes
and a hint of lime, while the Twisted Watermelon
Lemonade is made with real watermelon
juice, and is refreshingly light and dry.
Both styles come in 6-packs and 24oz
cans. 5% ABV.
SRP: $7.99-$9.49/six-pack,
$2.49-$2.99/24oz can
twistedtea.com
Facebook.com/TwistedTea
BA RTA L K
DESTINATION:
CLOVER
TRAVIS ST. GERMAIN
CLOVER CLUB, BROOKLYN, NY
BY ALIA AKKAM
B
artender Travis St. Germain spends his nights at Brooklyn’s famed Clover
Club, working alongside owner Julie Reiner and head bartender Tom Macy.
When he’s not slinging drinks, he consults for new-to-the-States cachaça
brand Yaguara, spreading the gospel of an on-the-rise spirit.
THE BEVERAGE NETWORK: At a bar
like Clover Club, where the classics
and modern originals are both so
important, how do you stay creative?
TRAVIS ST. GERMAIN: Julie and Tom
go through the old menus and decide
which classic drinks and authors we still
haven’t paid homage to. Then, seasonal
drink categories are chosen. Once all this
is done I, along with the rest of the bar
team, look at a sort of skeleton of a menu
and we talk about how best to fill it in. The
hardest part is deciding who gets to make
which styles of drinks. After that’s done,
we start working on our assignments.
TBN: Clover Club is a beloved
industry den and, as revealed on
hectic Saturday nights, attracts a more
mainstream crowd as well. How does
it lure in both demographics?
TS: Clover Club has always done things
the way that Julie wants them to be
done. I think that her style of hospitality
and service is appealing to a lot of
different kinds of people; whether they’re
in the industry, neighbors or cocktail
enthusiasts. Lucky for both of us, we serve
food until 3:00am and get to see a couple
of our favorite neighborhood industry
pros for their dinner and nightcap.
TBN: Clover Club has such an
esteemed reputation. Are patrons
especially curious?
TS: Most people going to a bar like Clover
Club will ask you if they have a question.
Then some will try to stump you with a
question, when it’s obvious they already
know the answer to it. If it’s slow, and a
guest looks interested, I’m happy to nerd
out about the drink in front of them and all
the ingredients in it, but for the most part
people who are drinking would rather talk
about something that is going to make
them laugh rather than the tedium of mash
bills, brix levels and char numbers. The
staff is constantly going through trainings
put on by distillers, liquor conglomerates
and brand ambassadors. We try to take
in as much as possible and spare our
guests the painful details.
TBN: Now that you’re working with
Yaguara, what cocktails are you turning
guests onto at the bar to try cachaça?
TS: Everything but the caipirinha. The
beauty of artisanal cachaça is in the aro-
“The staff is
constantly going
through trainings. We try to take in as
much as possible and
spare our guests the
painful details.”
matics. It also has a relatively low acid level
due to the distillation of sugarcane juice.
This gives it enough versatility to throw a
ton of lime juice at it without losing balance
—or even amari and vermouth for much
more interesting and fun results.
TBN: Having traveled to Brazil, what
are the biggest differences you
encountered in their bar culture?
TS: In both Rio and in Sao Paulo I immediately saw the emphasis on fresh fruit. In
Brazil everything revolves around the indigenous tropical fruits, most of which are
not exported. My favorite, and one I hope
to see here in the States, is caju, which
the cashew grows off of. It tastes similar to the nut, however it has the texture,
sugar and acid level of a peach. Some of
the fruits are highly unusual, but in Brazil
bartenders utilize many of them with the
utmost care and skill. ■
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Rhode Island - The Beverage Journal

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