Kerry

NATIONAL CIDER DAY is November 18th – just in time for that ultimate American turkey extravaganza that has historically featured hard cider in a multitude of forms since colonial times – from dry sparkling aperitifs to sweet desserts.

Today at BinWise we explore current trends in the cider revival fermenting in farms, bars and restaurants nationwide….

While Thomas Jefferson was renown for his exquisite taste in wine, you were as likely to find cider gracing his supper table: the founding fathers of America drank ciders in a variety of styles as a dietary staple. Colonists grew apples, then pressed and sold cider in its sweet form, or further fermented the juice into its ‘hard’, alcoholic form. Benjamin Franklin–who invariably had something pithy and wise to relate–wrote about cider in his famous Almanac, an adage with which we couldn’t agree more.

The 20th century was unkind to cider’s fortunes in the States, and the drink languished as a niche seasonal beverage to be trotted out at the odd harvest festival or pumpkin patch fête.  There has been a renaissance of interest in recent years, driven in part by the emergence of “gluten-free” lifestyles and an interest in organic farming, but buoyed heavily by a surge in the world of craft-brewing.

Beer’s heyday has been an essential element in the revival of sparkling ciders, as beer-makers looked to expand their portfolios beyond the traditional lineup of hoppy suds to appeal to new customers.  As a result, there’s been an explosion of hard ciders hitting the shelves, ranging from sweet to bone dry and using a surprising array of ingredients and ingenuity to spruce up a staid old drink.  The new incarnations of hard cider might still use pears and apples as a backdrop, but the addition of other flavorings, and aging in wide variety of casks has led to a wild and delicious new world of flavors and textures to explore.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, in response to a new geography of drinks to navigate, there’s a new class of cider sommeliers.

Dan Pucci, the former sommelier and manager at Eataly and Otto, who introduced cider pairings at the critically acclaimed Box Kite pop-up, is New York City’s first pommelier.  Named in 2015 as one of  Zagat’s influential 30 Under 30 list, Pucci is currently the Cider Director at Wassail, where one can wash down a delectable Weisswurst with a selection of 2 dozen ciders by the glass.

In response to cider’s rising popularity, this year The United States Association of Cider Makers (USACM) introduced The Cider Certification Program. This first ever cider accreditation program is designed for distributors, servers and others who are interested in becoming trained experts on all things cider.  Expect a pop in pommeliers in the near future.

A Bi-Coastal Phenomena

Apples grow with equal alacrity on either coast, so it comes as no surprise that that there are cideries and restaurants serving delicious local cider on both coasts.

One of our favorite left-coast cideries is Finnriver , an organic family farm and artisan winery producing handcrafted hard cider and fruit wines, founded in 2008 by partners Eric Jorgensen and Keith and Crystie Kisler.

FinnRiver presses ciders predominantly from red-delicious, gala, and granny smiths, although there are a host of other heritage varietals (Kingston Black, Dabinette, Chisel Jersey and New Town Pippen) that add a depth of flavor to the final blends.  Equally blending old and new, some of their ciders are pressed using contemporary equipment, while some of their smaller batches utilize techniques and equipment from a definitively bygone era.

If you find yourself in Portland, Oregon with a hankering for Finnriver or other local ciders, seek out Bushwacker Ale House, where amongst its selection of 250 diverse styles of cider, there will surely be one to fit your palate.  Amongst the usual spectrum of dry to sweet ciders, you’ll find a smoked version made by smoking wild apples over apple wood before pressing–it’s a distinctly “scotchy” cider that may not be for all, but is sure to warm the palate and soul on a raining Autumn eve.

Cider in Bottles and Bars – New York Style

Hudson Valley and other parts of the Empire State sport their own enviable array of cideries many of which can be enjoyed in some of Manhattan’s poshest restaurants.  A fascinating local cider to try would be the Wolffer No 139 Rosé  Hailing from an 175-acre estate in nearby Sag Harbor, the addition of a bit of red grapes lends the dainty quaff a pinkish hue, which looks beautiful swirled in a Reidel as you enjoy dinner at Eleven Madison Park.

Another local must-try would be the ciders of Aaron Burr cidery.  Produced in Hudson Valley by Andy Brennan and his wife Polly, the ciders are made of foraged wild-apples from ancient trees near his home.  These “Homestead” ciders are complex, funky and stunning (and made in incredibly small batches).  Juliette Pope of Gramercy Tavern expresses her deep admiration for Brennan’s foraged works, carrying his ciders on her list when available: “It has real austerity and a lot of nuance.”

Aaron Burr Cider recently was added to the wine list at the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park – which is evidence that cider revival is not only surviving, but thriving.  We’re overjoyed that this classic American beverage has navigated some rocky shoals in its history but has survived and flourished to grace our holiday table.  Make sure you get a hold of some of these true American wonders during the holiday season!

BinWise – created and built by sommeliers, supporting your art through our science

“Please keep convincing people to plant more Chardonnay… Pinot Gris is fine… Pinot Noir is awesome… but who doesn’t want more Chard in their life?” -Andre’ Proulx, Toronto, Canada wine columnist. Andrewinereview.ca

Chardonnay is grown globally across a vast swath of geographies and climates, with latitudes ranging from British Columbia  to Marlborough, New Zealand. The globe-trotting green-skinned grape hearkens from the Burgundy wine region of eastern France, and for purists, Burgundian versions represent the pinnacle of this varietal’s majesty.  Other wine regions would of course beg to differ, offering their takes on the varietal that are as compelling as they are unique.  

Not too long ago, warm climate versions of Chardonnay were once the rage in the consumer market–think rich, voluptuous, well-oaked versions called “jacuzzi” wines, after the spot one might enjoy a glass while taking in a northern Californian sunset.  And although sales for the Botticellian guise of Chardonnay are still quite strong, tastes in the last decade however seem to have shifted towards leaner, higher-acid, lower-oak models espousing grapes grown in cooler, coastal climates.

Apropriately, to match their warm-climate counterparts from the somewhat unusual locales of Lodi (LoCal) California and Baja, Mexico, Chardonnay conferences are cropping up in equal measure in cold climate growing regions everywhere – Canada, Oregon, New York -to finesse their marketing programs for the popular varietal.  Indeed, Ontario, Canada’s 2016 annual Chardonnay conference “The Rebirth of COOL:  International Cool Climate Chardonnay Celebration” (which includes a “Chardonnay Camp” for those with a penchant for summer outdoor fun and imbibing prodigious varieties of Chardonnay) featured wineries from France, Italy, Spain, Hungary, Turkey, Argentina, Chile, California, South Africa, New Zealand and Oregon, demonstrating just how wide-spread the movement has become. 

So which is better: warm climate or cool-climate Chardonnay?  Old World or New World?  That, we leave to your taste-buds to decide.  For us, the answer is simply “Yes”.  If you’ve got a favorite, tell us all about it in a comment below!  

What is unquestionable, however, is that when it comes to dominating wine-lists, Chardonnay is the king of white varietals.  (Vive le Roi!  or Long Live the King! depending on which way you lean)

At BinWise, data is king: we compile extensive data about the purchase and sales of wine across the top wine programs around the country.  Here are a few interesting discoveries from our analysis of the classic white wine sold by the glass:

Top 5 Insights to Improve your Wine Program Sales

Chardonnay dominates single varietal white sales By the Glass (2016 to date)

Chardonnay is king.  Virtually every winelist features this varietal, and while Sales (by quantity) ticked up only slightly for 2016 versus 2015, it’s still the top white-wine dog by a fair margin.  Yes, it’s the obvious and perhaps un-hip or un-sexy choice to put on a list, but it seems that its sales rate more than justifies its ubiquity.  We analyzed sales across the last few years for wines sold by the glass and Chardonnay is the perennial power-player by both quantity and revenue generated.

Sauvignon Blanc is making a splash  Sauvignon Blanc sales as a percentage of white wines sold by the glass have been steadily stepping upwards by a few points over the last several years.  This seems to align with the current trends favoring higher acid wines across the board–will 2016 see this varietal overtake Chardonnay in the BTG sales war?

Want to make a buck?  Sell Chardonnay  A successful restaurant maximizes revenue per sold item (while still ensuring that customers feel that they are getting good value) and since a customer can only consume so much wine in a sitting, the best programs sell items priced at a revenue sweet-spot (more on that in upcoming posts, we promise!).   Customers are statistically more willing to pay a premium for Chardonnay than they are for other mainstream varietals (8% more than Sauvignon Blanc on average).  Your list can support multiple Chardonnays as long as you make sure to differentiate the various styles that you carry.

Pinot Grigio can be a losing proposition Wine lists with a Mediterranean bent are relatively common lately, so we see a lot of Pinot Grigio out there–and while it might be an easy sell, the data shows that you might be leaving money on the table.  After Unspecified White Blends, Pinot Grigios command the smallest average price per glass (25% less than Chardonnay!), so each sale is a loss of potential revenue per item sold.  Perhaps you should rethink, or at least reprice, that Pinot Grigio you’re pouring…you just left $4 on the table with that glass. 

Experiment with other varietals While sales volumes might be lower, other varietals like Gruner Veltliner and Chenin Blanc can command higher prices and add to top-line revenue if added into a wine list wisely.

Cool Climate Chardonnay is King  Yes, we know we’re repeating ourselves here, but they really can pair well with virtually everything! From fish, seafood and shellfish to pasta and poultry, elegant , fruit-driven, classic Chardonnay is simultaneously creamy and crisp, with concentrated citrus and tropical fruit. From fruit-driven, un-oaked styles to fully-oaked concentrated Burgundian styles, the mix of deliciousness, pairability and revenue driving make Chardonnay “Le Roi” as far as we’re concerned.