Wine Focus: The perfect match

Wine research from The Publican in association with:

Despite the fact that two-thirds of pub-goers who drink wine do so with food, there is still a big opportunity for licensees to exploit the link between the two. Ben McFarland continues our series on boosting profits from wine.​

Like a jilted and rather embittered former girlfriend, it is with an envious eye that brewers regard the cosy and blissful relationship that is wine and food. There was a time when the grain rather than the grape sat at the head of the dinner table but now that table has turned and those who like to dine increasingly turn to wine.

Without its close kinship with food, it is unlikely that wine's rise in recent years would have been so meteoric and the increasingly important role wine has assumed in pubs owes a great deal to the link.

According to The Publican's wine research - carried out by Taylor Nelson Sofres - around two-thirds of pub-goers who drink wine in pubs do so as an accompaniment to a meal.

However, the research also revealed that, on average, wine with meals represents only 30 per cent of wine sales in a pub which suggests that licensees are missing a trick if they don't exploit a well-established consumer association between the two.

Dee Clayton, marketing manager for Jacob's Creek, said: "There is a big opportunity to develop incremental sales with food. From our research with The Publican and our wine partners, the majority of consumers questioned (63 per cent) said that their on-trade purchases were made when having a pub or restaurant meal. This clearly demonstrates the importance of having a strong food offer complemented by a consumer-friendly wine offer."

Jason Danciger, the director of food and wine operations for Spirit Group's 1,000-plus pubs, added that matching food with wine helps boost sales of both.

"It's a symbiotic relationship," he said. "The more we link wine with food, the more we sell of both. The link reassures customers - if there is confidence in the wine being drunk then the meal is perceived to be of better quality."

The biggest conundrum facing those publicans anxious to exploit wine's inextricable link with food is matching the right kind of wine with the right range of dishes.

There is a basic rule that red wine goes with red meat, white wine with fish and poultry, and if Anthony Hopkins is to be believed, Italian chianti is rather tasty with human liver and some fava beans. However, beyond these loose guidelines, there are no hard and fast rules to making a harmonious taste sensation and in the current climate of food and wine discovery, it pays to be much more adventurous and experiment with the wines one chooses to accompany food.

"The red with meat and white with poultry or fish dishes are probably as good a place to start as any," added Dee. "But experimenting can be great fun as you can match, say, Jacob's Creek merlot with chicken or pasta dishes. When food and wine are matched well it can enhance the textures and flavours of both."

With wine varieties and their respective characteristics no longer alien to the average pub-goer, it is reassuring for consumers if publicans and staff are up to speed with the most suitable grape and grub combinations.

Knowing the favourite holiday destination, star sign and inside leg measurement of the winemaker is not a necessary prerequisite when it comes to recommending a suitable red or white to accompany a meal, but a bit of help and advice is a sure-fire way to boost sales.

"Training is key but it needs to be simple," said Jason. "As part of our training scheme, staff are issued with a plastic wallet of wine and food suggestions explaining basic facts, grape descriptions and styles which after a couple of weeks they remember and become more confident when advising customers."

Dee urges licensees to not only ensure that they offer the right wines but also make certain that their staff are confident in recommending the wines. "An easy way is to have a few simple food and wine matches prepared," she said. "Letting your staff sample the wines is obviously the best way to instil confidence and understanding."

Matching an oaked semillion with a chicken caesar salad with rocket and parmesan shavings is all very well for food-led outlets of the gastropub variety, but is there an opportunity for matching wine with food in wet-led pubs with a more basic food operation?

"Absolutely, yes," exclaims Dee. "We recommend Jacob's Creek chardonnay with fish and chips - believe it or not the fruit flavours go well with the richness of this simple dish. Jacob's Creek cabernet sauvignon is great with classic meat dishes like chilli con carne or beef casserole."

Even pubs that don't serve food at all can get a piece of the action. Not content with stealing beer's thunder at the dinner table, audacious wine producers have now set their sights on gatecrashing the age-old tradition of a pint and a packet of crisps. "When offering pub snacks, why not suggest a 25cl single-serve bottle?" said Tim North, UK director of Grands Chais de France, with an answer up his sleeve. "It's a natural association and a great way to promote wine in pubs where food isn't a priority."

Whether it's wine to complement a packet of pork scratchings or a medallion of lamb, making customers aware of what's on offer is vital and highlighting great tasting combinations using blackboards, table talkers and wine menus is the way forward.

In light of the fact that people always choose wine ahead of ordering their meal, it is a good idea to place the list of wines at the front of the food menu. Also, offering wine at the food service point is an obvious bonus.

If point-of-sale material, wine menus and blackboards fail to persuade the customer, it's probably time to turn to promotions. When pub-goers were asked what was the most influential promotion for wines in pubs, 32 per cent said a food and wine deal. The research revealed that promotions such as "buy two meals get a bottle of wine free" are especially appealing to males, who are more likely to feel self-conscious drinking a glass of merlot at the bar of their local.

"These kind of deals work really well and, from our research, turn out to be the second most requested type of promotion by consumers," said Dee.

"It's a great mechanic to really drive the association between food and wine as well as appeal to the impulse purchaser who may not have seriously considered drinking wine with their meal."

Hew Dalrymple, director of marketing and strategy at Waverley Group, said: "Waverley embarked on the marketing of its wines in its current portfolio with an inextricable link to food by means of recipes tied to specific wines in the list.

"This was presented by Nick Nairn, the celebrity chef, and helped to reinforce to the trade the idea that linking wine with food is a great way for consumers to decide the choice of wine and to get customers to trade up without too much risk and increase confidence in trying new wines. Placing a choice of wine from your wine list alongside the food menu does help and increasingly our business development managers are assisting licencees in this way."

Top tips for wine with food​

• Stock a range of wines that will complement a strong food offer
• Matching food and wine helps boost the profit potential of both