FIVE QUESTIONS 01/27/17

Five Questions with David Giuliano, Beverage Dir. of The Little Owl, Market Table, and The Clam

2016-08-11 10-15-07 -0400

David Giuliano is the Beverage Director of restaurants The Little Owl, Market Table, and The Clam in the West Village. We are especially lucky to have David in the industry.

This is the first installment of Five Questions, where I ask industry folks five questions. Enjoy!

Five Questions with David Giuliano

Which producer or area do you believe in that most people in the industry disagree with you on?
The North Fork of Long Island. Though admittedly, the region shows great variation of quality from producer to producer, vintage to vintage, I truly love supporting our local wine region. It’s such a pleasure to watch the region and the producers grow in both quality and notoriety. I think Cabernet Franc is the star of the region and producers like Shinn Estates, Onabay and Bedell make delicious and age-worthy expressions. We are lucky to have a vibrant wine region nearby and I feel it is important for us to explore and support it.

What is the difference between a Sommelier and a Wine Director?
The wine director sets the tone and direction for the program. They lay out the landscape of the list with all its diversity, with both its gems and its challenges. Wine directors create the harmony and counterpoint for the restaurant’s cuisine in tandem with the chef. They also set the tone for educating the wine selling team, passing down the stories of people, places, and techniques that brought each wine to the list. They make sure the programs are profitable, adaptable and always contributing to the success of the restaurant.

The sommelier is the ambassador that guides the guest through the many terrains of the list. They translate its meanings, explain its nuances, excite and challenge, warn and advise. The somm is a performer that can entertain, inspire and greatly add to the guest experience and overall hospitality of the restaurant. These people can be, and often are, one in the same.

If you could only ask one question of another Beverage Director, what would it be?
For the beverage directors out there with several restaurants, how do you educate your staff? What are your most effective techniques for educating so many different people at various knowledge levels about constantly evolving lists?

“ Must we all take ourselves so seriously?

Which trend or trends do you wish would go away?
Must we all take ourselves so seriously?
Ultimately, wine is a beverage meant to be enjoyed. While it can certainly be lofty and cerebral at times, it has humble origins. It was meant to spark conviviality.

What do you want people to know about your beverage programs?
Every wine on each of our lists is there because it tells part of a story that I believe in. Wine should be an expression of a culture and a place, and of the integrity of the people who make it. We taste a different wine every day in our restaurants so that my staff can hear those stories and share them with you.

Follow David on Instagram @davidjgiuliano and Twitter @davidjgiuliano

Note: all answers above are posted without cuts or edits of any kind.

SPLASH DECANT 01/16/17

The Big-Game Hunt

The ‘Big-Game Hunt’ for producers is on and this year it will be different.

Today we are in the most muddled and fast-evolving wine market I have ever seen. In distribution, the fastest way to grab attention and a bump in the NYC market is to go on a big-game hunt and pull a prominent producer from their current import/distribution* partner. In many cases, these prominent producers are represented by historic importer/distributors and have been for years.

The chase to represent top producers is not at all new–it is as old as the wine business. However, last year saw some notable shifts in distribution that hint strongly at a domino effect towards a new paradigm: Smaller distribution players now have a stronger shot at taking an important, top-tier producer.

So what is different now? There are three primary reasons for the shift:

Old and slow

Up until recently, old-school, historic importers and distributors were close to untouchable. Approaching and taking the top producers from their portfolio was damn near impossible. Their relationships were strong, their numbers were rising, and their market penetration was deep. Further, there used to be a gentleman’s agreement among the historic players in the biz that poaching a producer was bad form**. That is definitely over. Over time, many of these old-school distributors have grown in size and are now starting to show wear and tear. They are the big, rusty ship with the small rudder: Immense power with slow turns.

The Brand mid-life crisis

After an incredible run of more than a decade in this market, highly successful producers are coming to a decision point. The proverbial fork in the road. At the winery, many are experiencing a shift in leadership via a change in ownership or the owner/winemaker is passing along to the next generation. In turn, the next stewards of these well-regarded estates are being forced to make difficult decisions about how their wines will be distributed. Do they stay with their current relationship, or make a move to a smaller, more up-and-coming distributor? It is likely that they have witnessed the change in the distribution landscape of the NYC market from afar and also likely that they understand enough to know that the market is more competitive and complex than ever. Making a change could provide a much-needed brand reset…

Under pressure

Rampant growth over the years in the sheer number of distributors in combination with the NYC Market volatility creates immense pressure on the importer/distributor. In this climate, the middle players in distribution have to make a move up, or it gets difficult to retain your current producers, salespeople, etc. They NEED to get aggressive and pick up some attention, or they begin to go the way of the dodo…

“ The tide has turned and now a smaller player has a stronger shot at grabbing a historic producer.

The once untouchable, top distributors are going to continue to get beat up this year by up-and-comers. Which producers will be with whom is up in the air, but for the first time in a decade, the big-game hunt from importer/distributors coincides with a free agency of producers, so I think we see some surprises.

Will these producers and their new distributors get the short-term attention bump and then the mid-term slump? Only time will tell. But I guarantee it will be fascinating to watch.

Note: Agility in distribution will win much more going forward. Like a great linebacker: You need enough size (but not too much), intelligence, speed, AND agility.

*Above I have avoided addressing the nuances between the importer that is also the distributor (one that works directly), the importer that works with a distribution partner, and national distribution. There will be changes in all, and I refer to them generally as ‘importer/distributor’.

**The term ‘poaching’ also refers to stealing producers. It is used often and is more complicated than it seems. A producer has to go through legal shifts, etc. to make a change, and changing distribution is always a two-way street.

SPLASH DECANT 01/06/17

Easy predictions for the coming year in the NYC Market:

More grower import portfolios.

More arguments over Natural wine.

More Sommeliers.

More good, buyable wine.

More mainstreaming of ‘Organic‘.

More Sommelier owned projects.

More “Lowest price in the Nation” marketing.

More ‘Craft’ spirits.

More Loire wines.

More old wines on Wine Lists.

More ‘small-scale’ California brands.

More wine programs with a value focus.

More appointment chasing.

More artisan producers changing hands..

“ We have more choices than ever before in the NYC market.

If you are part of the ‘fray of more’ above, the important questions are: How is it special?

How do you say something meaningful and truthful that resonates beyond a product or price?

What actually deserves attention?

If you can answer these questions well, you might move a market.

SPLASH DECANT 01/02/17

What Worked in 2016

Happy New Year.

Below is a look at a selection of the top-line things that worked in the NYC beverage market in 2016, ‘fast and dirty’ style..with a few 2017 calls woven in.

The Quiet Giant – Chablis

It has been on a run for a while, but Chablis killed it. Again. How is this category still undervalued? I am not sure, but I like it. You can still find mediocre Chablis, but it is a lot harder now than it was just a few years ago. The obvious components of well-priced coupled with the Burgundy obsession enable the wines to sell more than ever before, but I think the consumer is opening up to more savory wines and Chablis hits that bullseye. Fact is, Chablis still over-delivers as a category and even with some wonky availability coming via a rough vintage and a probable rise in price, I see Chablis having a strong 2017.

Broader category of note: Salty, mineral forward wines. Whether it was Ligurian, Corsican, Albariño, Muscadet..the market gravitated toward this style more than in previous years.

The Grower and the.. – Sparkling wine

There is a real mania for sparkling reflected by expanded selections on lists and shelves. Everything in this category is still in growth mode. Prosecco grew, Domestic came on with some mid to upper-end allocated stuff, Pet-Nat made a move, alt-sparkling like Crémant and Austrian came forward. Even Grower champagne with unpronounceable names got serious play. It was pretty insane to witness and there is still a fair amount of runway here..

Sommelier Kryptonite – Old Wine

There is an addiction to old wine that makes the wine buyer weak in the knees (me, too). As of this moment, anything of relative quality with depth of vintage is a serious play in this market. I would argue that the ‘provenance’ of the wine is a rare and fairly distant thought from the first reaction that comes from the old wine offer. The addiction to old wine is not so different from any previous year, but the availability of old wine grew…see the next mover:

Fifty shades of.. – Outside the 3 tier

Was this the biggest year for wines outside the 3-tier system? Especially the consignment game? I would bet a bottle of 90 DRC RSV that it was. Collectors, (and others), are realizing that there is serious business to be had here. They can also have a seat at the table of a few of their preferred restaurants (or have ownership..), and see/drink their wines off the list. The business here is bigger than most think. And, since the SLA doesn’t want to touch this, it expands. Obviously this is upper-tier focused now, but watch it grow..

WINNING – The Sommelier

Contrary to the well-written piece on Eater early this year about this being a “difficult year for Sommeliers”, 2016 was the absolute BEST year to be a Sommelier. Very simply: There has never been a more advantageous time to be in the beverage business as a Somm. There are just more opportunities/possibilities, and some are taking great advantage..Most notably via making wine brands. Also, there is more travel offered, more money, more notoriety. Is it easier to work in a restaurant? That is a whole other question.

The ‘Well War’ – Spirits

Obviously, Craft Spirits as a broad category worked, but it is the ‘well war’ that is the most interesting and market moving. This is the first year I have seen the beginnings of a significant dent in the old standby well placements across the city. Since the Big Guys are focused on premium-ization, they have taken their eye slightly off the ball. In addition, the alternatives to the big, regular, brand-driven well placements abound relative to just a year ago. They are available from smaller distribution companies that are working with more agility than those that have dominated for a long, long time. This is not being taken lightly. The management at the Big Guys are huddled in a room thinking of some serious programming to unleash…Full on f’d up deals only they could put forward that will attempt to disrupt the small piece of business they are starting to lose (small to them..). I think it is most likely too late…the tide has turned.

Natty, or not? – Natural Wine

If one more person calls this a trend I think I have to punch them in the mouth. It is not a trend, it is a tribe. The actual wine has something to do with it, but the tribe is the primary cause. And, because the ‘argument’ about Natural wine is strongly embraced by the press elite for a multitude of reasons (not the least of which is the strong reaction they get), this ‘category’ is a real runner. The craze for the wines on the West Coast also helps..Natural wine still feels nascent there. They also have less abundant availability. This dynamic creates a boomerang effect in interest from one coast to another, reinvigorating the overall dialogue and placing attention on certain growers. The big question: What happens to this ‘category’ when every real distributor in NYC has Natural wines in their book? We shall see..we are almost there now.

The Wild Island – Sicily

Sicilian wines solidified this year into a vibrant mover in the Italian category. You have a spectrum of options in price and many styles including: Natural, old school, new school, slick, sweet, rustic..and from across the whole island. Overall, the quality varies wildly, but at their best the wines are scary good. The Etna has been touted often, and I am in complete agreement: I think it is the wine discovery of our time. It will be basically impossible to repeat the perfect storm of history, quality, age of vines, interest, and importation/distribution energy that made the magic of the Etna become so prominent, so quickly. Imagine the wines produced since the year 2000 on the Etna. It is incredible.

“ 2016 was a big year for Bordeaux, especially on-premise.

Bordeaux – Travel sells..

The wines were always there, they were just lying somewhat dormant. There is significant library availability via distribution and other sources (see above), and because Bordeaux over the past few years has dwindled, we feel the resurgence strongly. The recent placement uptick is noticeable. The primary reason for the comeback is travel. Importers, Distributors, the Bordelaise, etc., have been investing in taking buyers on trips for a few seasons and this has had a build-up effect. On one hand, this is intelligent marketing to recalibrate the buyer focus, but at its core Bordeaux has the perfect storm of history, quantity and money on its side. They have serious hand and this was the first year I saw it taking hold. Looking ahead, there will be added attention on Bordeaux Blanc and that will work really, really well..