American consumption of red wine is on the rise, along with the now ubiquitous craft cocktails and brews. In fact,
a recent report from Technomic shows that wine consumption is rising faster than that of cocktails and beer, suggesting that your restaurant's wine menu may be ready for a refresh. One-third of survey respondents reported ordering more wine at restaurants relative to two years ago. Technomic estimates that wine purchases will increase by 3.1 percent this year, a noticeable increase over recent previous years.
All that is great news for restaurant operators, but for those without a dedicated sommelier, how do you decide which bottles make this list and which get axed? Currents trends show most restaurants are actually
reducing the size of their wine lists, to help with inventory control and management, so feel free to pare down your wine list to a few great options, without worrying about showcasing the full gamut of available varieties and vintages. Furthermore, wine is a recently burgeoning trend, and many consumers are unfamiliar with smaller labels. Research from Technomic shows
"that 70% of consumers are likely to order the same brand of wine in a restaurant or bar that they purchase at retail". So stock up on some of the popular bottles from wine vendors in your area, especially red varieties priced above $20 a bottle.
What do you think, have you changed your wine list recently to reflect current trends? Let us know via Facebook, Google+, or Twitter.
Source:
Restaurant-Hospitality.com
Image Credit (Flickr)
Tablebases.com
