On the Grapevine
With Philip Goodband MW, Constellation Europe.
The person or pub submitting the 'Star Question' as chosen by Philip each month will receive a bespoke training session for their outlet run by Constellation Europe.
Send your wine questions to Philip Goodband c/o The Publican, Ludgate House, 245 Blackfriars Road, London SE1 9UY or via email: jvar@gurchoyvpna.pbz.
Philip Goodband is one of those rare people who is not only a Master of Wine but also has real 'hands on' experience at every level of the wine industry with a special interest in the on-trade. His achievements include responsibility for the launch and development of the top performing Stowells brand and he was managing director of Grants of St James's. Now it's your chance to ask a real expert for the answers to your questions:
Star question: Bringing the wine forward
- How can I establish a credible wine offering in two town centre real ale pubs with differing facilities?
The wine offering should be appropriate to the customer base. I suggest that for starters the wine styles for younger brand conscious customers should be mainly New World, such as Australia, California, South Africa and Chile, but with one or two French and Italian to give a little extra reassurance for more traditional wine drinkers. I suggest just six wines:
- Reds: Choose three styles from cabernet, merlot, shiraz and zinfandel.
- Whites: Chardonnay is the most popular followed by sauvignon blanc and chenin blanc. A good quality branded vin de pays from France also works.
When it comes to which supplier to use I can sympathise with the reader's situation, never knowing what is going to be in stock and available for delivery! It is a real challenge to keep the logistics of supply and demand from around the world under control. There is however merit in working closely with a major company, which consistently ships brands and exclusives direct from its own wholly-owned sources.
Storage concerns
- What is the best way to store wine in my pub?
If storage is at a premium there are a number of solutions which combine the best use of space with the range required. I suggest you might look at a selection of 175ml bottles, which ensure a fresh glass of wine every time, are sealed with a screw cap, and allow style testing without waste. The next step would be to build sales of the most popular styles in 175ml and larger sizes.
Another impactful solution for a small pub wine list, might be to install a draught wine cabinet. These dispense wines at the correct temperature and as they use three litre wine-boxes storage of spare boxes is easy. Combining draught and 175ml for innovations also works very well.
This month's star question comes from John Monteiro, licensee of The Bugle, Friar Street and the Blagrave Arms, Blagrave Street, both in Reading.
For further information on Wolrd of Wine telephone 0845 430 8947 or email vasb@jbeyq-bs-jvar.pb.hx
