Happy National Drink Wine Day! Why anyone needs an excuse to indulge in wine is a mystery but here it is, a national holiday dedicated to crushing a cup of wine.
According to Beverage Information Group, wine saw moderate growth of 0.2% in 2015. Of course, “moderate” does translate to $80 billion in this case and means that wine outpaced beer. As an owner or operator you just can’t afford to miss out on this revenue stream.
America’s only certified Cicerone, awarded Mixologist and Level 2 Sommelier, Jeff Josenhans of The US Grant, has plenty of advice for bar and nightlife concepts in every category when it comes to wine. 2016 Nightclub & Bar Show attendees will have the opportunity to hear his tips on selecting wines for their venue, and you can be one of them if you enter the code SAVE30BARNEWS when you register to get $30 off your pass. One of Josenhans' most important bits of wine advice is this: Don’t just pick the most recognized brand from your biggest vendor. Why? Because your guests can most likely buy that wine from the grocery store and therefore their experience with wine at your establishment would be neutral at best.
“By investing a little extra time, you can find wine that fits your needs exactly,” says Josenhans.
Since we’re coming out of Valentine’s Day, you may have rosé wines, sparkling wine, and rosé sparkling on hand. Pink still and bubbly wines are both pretty and popular so reach out to your customer base via your social media channels and tempt your guests to come in to polish off your Valentine’s Day bottles.
Today is also perfect for making sangria. You can get as creative as you want with your ingredients but it isn’t difficult to make sangria at all. Pour a 750ml bottle of red wine into a pitcher and squeeze in the juice from 1 orange and 1 lemon, both cut into wedges. Drop the wedges into the pitcher (without the seeds if possible), add 2 tablespoons of sugar and throw in one shot of brandy. If time allows, chill overnight and add 2 cups of ginger ale or club soda just before serving. Remember that sangria is all about experimentation, so consider using white wine, a combination of white and red wine, sliced strawberries, nectarines, diced peaches, blueberries, gin, lemonade, triple sec, etc.
Cheers!