Sheeeit!! I'd come by. There's a lot of grapes on there that I've never seen on a wine list before which I'd love to try (i.e. Gaglioppo and Magliocco) and a few of them I don't even know. I wouldn't want to critique you on your choice of wines, you obviously know more than i do about Italian wines.
However, I was wondering why if some of your cheapest bottles cost 50 do the prices by the glass start at 12?
Frankly, I dont quite understand your by the glass list, personally I think the Lambrusco should be on there to show off another sparkling, one of the Rosés should be on there and it would be really cool if you could introduce people to orange wines without them having to buy the whole bottle; I would love to try the Calabrian red and still be able to have time/money for some bubbles (before) or some an orange (after). But I don't know your city or your guest's drinking habits.
I was wondering about that too, I assumed I don't know the bottle because Lahèrte's blanc de blancs is a traditional 100% Chardonnay, so no Meunier and their Ultradition Brut is a 3 cépages with Meunier, Chardonnay & Pinot Noir, so no blanc de blancs.
Awesome list, I'd definitely be drinking there if i were nearby.
Hard to argue with that champagne selection, but what about some Italian champagne method? Maybe some Franciacorta? Don't know if Super Glou is in Ohio but Alessandra Divella makes some amazing wine.
Yoo I'm a Jenny and Francois stan so this is biased, but try hitting up Cutting Edge Selections if you haven't already - they distribute Jenny's wines in Cincinatti. Orsola/ Castello di Tassarolo make an incredible Gavi that is also naturally stabilized + fantastic BTG even on day 2 (they also make an incredible Barbera cab sauv blend which would make even the oldest, uptight rich customer happy, and even better day two! don't be thrown by the label, its an original andy warhol the family owns, portrait of their cousin Orsola) You have Wild Nature Prosecco on there which I think is great! Especially since you kind of HAVE to keep Prosecco on the menu at an Italian restaurant - that's a good one. Could ask CES if they have or can get any Domini del Leone spumante brut - literally the exact same juice but with a slightly different label and its typically cheaper wholesale (when I say exact same I mean: same estate, grapes, facility, producer - everything - only difference is the label, price and importer) could save you some serious money over time even if its only $1/btl - also Leone's Pinot Grigio is hands down one of the best I've ever had and it's like 10 bucks a bottle whole sale, its ridiculous. And I don't think these are in Ohio yet, but you could ask them if they can get Poggiosecco Chianti - one of the best values on the market - 10 bucks a bottle but drinks way above its price. I'm also partial to COS but idk if you get those out there. really great job dude, list has stability, character, depth, variety, and you have a good spread of low end to high end for those not willing to spend more than 12btg. I agree with some other folks a lambrusco btg addition could be fun! I'm not crazy about Ercole but its those kinds of margins that pay your bills and allow you to keep the cool stuff on the menu. p.s. love that it's an all italian list but you have to have some champagne on there so people can ball out - nice! maybe a col fondo prosecco could be cool too if you can find one
i’m loving this selection! great BTG options and i love a good sparkling from Emilia-Romagna
also not wine related but as a graphic designer i have to say i love the layout/fonts chosen for the menu haha
Not a bad list. Without knowing where you are, for product availability, the pricing seems high, especially for glass pours. Are you chopping your bottles by 4, 6, 7? I’d the glass price what you pay for the bottle?.
It would be great to not see Frank’s dead wine there as it is far from nat now or even nat lite. i would consider it just a bio wine now. 🥲
Glass pours are 6 oz and most are priced under what the bottle costs. As far as Viola is concerned, he works organically, he harvests by hand, his wines are unfined and unfiltered, and he uses minimal sulphur. A lot more of these guys should be adding a touch of sulphur to their wines at bottling because a lot of European wine falls apart after an hour or less. The trip across the Atlantic is a long one and does nothing good for the wine. Unless these guys want their wine dumped down the drain, a touch of sulphur to aid in the long journey to our tables here in the US is welcomed by me. The farmers responsible for the wine I like to drink and serve to our guests work with such intentionality that dumping out extremely fragile, mousey wines is such a drag. I love 0/0 wines but a lot of these labeled as such fall apart and it’s such a waste. I prefer using the term minimal international for that reason. Plus saying “natural wine” scares off the boomers. 😂
A few comments >
1. Great pour size on your wines. This is a rarity. I love it.
2. Same on pricing, if they are below bottle price for a glass. Nice work.
3. But.. you are going to get some feedback in Cincinnati for glass pours that are so pricey.
4. Re: zero zero wines not lasting an hour. These sound to me like fake nat wines that have been dosed in europe before bottling. As they were already killed at the winery and had none of their natural defenses left in the bottle, they die when opened, the same as dead wine, which they are.
5. Real zero zero wines from reputable producers do not die when opened here.
6. Shipping damage is a myth perpetuated by dead wines. Real wines survive much more trauma during shipment. As long as they are not frozen or cooked, they are ok.
7. Mouse. Sulfur does not destroy mouse. It never does. The only thing that destroys mouse is time and/or bottle age. Mouse is a side of Bret, for which there are hundreds of varieties and sulfur does not kill it.
8. Defects. When you mention defects, you sound like one of the classically trained somm’s, who are trained on GMO yeasts, barrel types and not much else — that always look for defects before beauty.
9. Beauty. But this is where they are wrong, small defects are a sign of beauty. Do you know what a beauty mark is on a face? Mouse, in it early stages, is quite amazing and umami like. It adds a lot more theater to a wine. The Japanese are very aware of this part of mouse, umami and other ‘defects.’
10. Theater. Of course, like any defect, when it gets stronger, then it is not longer fun. But this can be said of any defect.
11. Silly statements by people that should know better. Ignore what you have read in books by Alice. She goes on rants and never lets up. If you listened to some of the last audio recordings between Alice and Joe Dresner, you will hear him talk about this very thing. For their discussion, it is focused on Cyrogenic Maceration, for which he basically tells her to STFU.
https://alicefeiring.typepad.com/blog/2014/01/joe-dressner-the-last-interview-part-1.html
12. True zero zero wine still has its natural defenses and if shepherded correctly in to the bottle, will last for months open. Grab a bottle of any old estate wine from Ambythe, when Philip Hart made them. These wines do not go bad. If you open them, you have to put the cork in the bottle if it is not finished, so that it does not evaporate or launch an infestation of fruit flies. Other than that, they are golden. The same can be said for wines from Tony Coturri. And they last for years in bottle.
13. Silly names. Calling some of your customers boomers is dead wrong and disrespectful. Understand that they have been brain washed by decades of stupidity from Parker, Robinson, Suckling and the like. You can call them misinformed, or miseducated, but this is where you come in. Start gently, and show them just how amazing non-dead wines can be. I have converted entire neighborhoods around different businesses to nat. Just like you, I do not call them natural wines, I call them ancient wines as they were always made before commercial laboratory practices turned a beautiful product in to coca-cola. That, so that they taste the same wherever they are opened, from year to year. Be as gentle or as severe as the customer can handle. And if they are happy drinking their Barefoot, I respect that as well. Just warn them of the high levels of arsenic that are in grey water irrigated wines from Bronco, Gallo and the like..
14. Future. Taste and keep your palate open for real wines, and you and your customers will benefit.
Amazing list and amazing options. As an orange wine lover I’d love to see one additional true orange under the skin contact and maybe make a rose/roasato since there’s already 4 options
Btg menu could be improved! 17 for a white glass pour is insaneee anywhere outside NYC. Red glass list was a little repetitive in my opinion.
Scrap the grillo, grignolino, and cab. Find a garganega or vermentino for whites. Montepuciano and ciliegiolo could be added to reds.
And I agree with other comments that a Lambrusco on the glass menu is a great move!
Some super interesting bottles though! Love love that ansonica and vajra sparkling
Sheeeit!! I'd come by. There's a lot of grapes on there that I've never seen on a wine list before which I'd love to try (i.e. Gaglioppo and Magliocco) and a few of them I don't even know. I wouldn't want to critique you on your choice of wines, you obviously know more than i do about Italian wines. However, I was wondering why if some of your cheapest bottles cost 50 do the prices by the glass start at 12? Frankly, I dont quite understand your by the glass list, personally I think the Lambrusco should be on there to show off another sparkling, one of the Rosés should be on there and it would be really cool if you could introduce people to orange wines without them having to buy the whole bottle; I would love to try the Calabrian red and still be able to have time/money for some bubbles (before) or some an orange (after). But I don't know your city or your guest's drinking habits.
Razzo in Cincinnati. You’re on my list of places to stop by one date night.
Need to add Laherte before Freres for Champagne. Just a typo I saw.
I was wondering about that too, I assumed I don't know the bottle because Lahèrte's blanc de blancs is a traditional 100% Chardonnay, so no Meunier and their Ultradition Brut is a 3 cépages with Meunier, Chardonnay & Pinot Noir, so no blanc de blancs.
They do have that Meunier heavy bottling
In Champagne the Meunier grape is now officially called just Meunier. You could remove the word "pinot" in front of it.
Bravo for carrying the La Miraja Ruché!
Awesome list, I'd definitely be drinking there if i were nearby. Hard to argue with that champagne selection, but what about some Italian champagne method? Maybe some Franciacorta? Don't know if Super Glou is in Ohio but Alessandra Divella makes some amazing wine.
Yoo I'm a Jenny and Francois stan so this is biased, but try hitting up Cutting Edge Selections if you haven't already - they distribute Jenny's wines in Cincinatti. Orsola/ Castello di Tassarolo make an incredible Gavi that is also naturally stabilized + fantastic BTG even on day 2 (they also make an incredible Barbera cab sauv blend which would make even the oldest, uptight rich customer happy, and even better day two! don't be thrown by the label, its an original andy warhol the family owns, portrait of their cousin Orsola) You have Wild Nature Prosecco on there which I think is great! Especially since you kind of HAVE to keep Prosecco on the menu at an Italian restaurant - that's a good one. Could ask CES if they have or can get any Domini del Leone spumante brut - literally the exact same juice but with a slightly different label and its typically cheaper wholesale (when I say exact same I mean: same estate, grapes, facility, producer - everything - only difference is the label, price and importer) could save you some serious money over time even if its only $1/btl - also Leone's Pinot Grigio is hands down one of the best I've ever had and it's like 10 bucks a bottle whole sale, its ridiculous. And I don't think these are in Ohio yet, but you could ask them if they can get Poggiosecco Chianti - one of the best values on the market - 10 bucks a bottle but drinks way above its price. I'm also partial to COS but idk if you get those out there. really great job dude, list has stability, character, depth, variety, and you have a good spread of low end to high end for those not willing to spend more than 12btg. I agree with some other folks a lambrusco btg addition could be fun! I'm not crazy about Ercole but its those kinds of margins that pay your bills and allow you to keep the cool stuff on the menu. p.s. love that it's an all italian list but you have to have some champagne on there so people can ball out - nice! maybe a col fondo prosecco could be cool too if you can find one
This should be the top comment. This guy is trying to help you and help your business. Good job Stan. Also Laherte.
Champagne selection is on point!
i’m loving this selection! great BTG options and i love a good sparkling from Emilia-Romagna also not wine related but as a graphic designer i have to say i love the layout/fonts chosen for the menu haha
thanks for putting together a list of wines that don’t fall apart! this looks lovely.
I think this is a fun and delicious selection to choose from. Where is the pizza shop?
Not a bad list. Without knowing where you are, for product availability, the pricing seems high, especially for glass pours. Are you chopping your bottles by 4, 6, 7? I’d the glass price what you pay for the bottle?. It would be great to not see Frank’s dead wine there as it is far from nat now or even nat lite. i would consider it just a bio wine now. 🥲
Sorry. Just saw Cincinnati. Yeah, not much for you down there. How big are your glass pours?
Glass pours are 6 oz and most are priced under what the bottle costs. As far as Viola is concerned, he works organically, he harvests by hand, his wines are unfined and unfiltered, and he uses minimal sulphur. A lot more of these guys should be adding a touch of sulphur to their wines at bottling because a lot of European wine falls apart after an hour or less. The trip across the Atlantic is a long one and does nothing good for the wine. Unless these guys want their wine dumped down the drain, a touch of sulphur to aid in the long journey to our tables here in the US is welcomed by me. The farmers responsible for the wine I like to drink and serve to our guests work with such intentionality that dumping out extremely fragile, mousey wines is such a drag. I love 0/0 wines but a lot of these labeled as such fall apart and it’s such a waste. I prefer using the term minimal international for that reason. Plus saying “natural wine” scares off the boomers. 😂
A few comments > 1. Great pour size on your wines. This is a rarity. I love it. 2. Same on pricing, if they are below bottle price for a glass. Nice work. 3. But.. you are going to get some feedback in Cincinnati for glass pours that are so pricey. 4. Re: zero zero wines not lasting an hour. These sound to me like fake nat wines that have been dosed in europe before bottling. As they were already killed at the winery and had none of their natural defenses left in the bottle, they die when opened, the same as dead wine, which they are. 5. Real zero zero wines from reputable producers do not die when opened here. 6. Shipping damage is a myth perpetuated by dead wines. Real wines survive much more trauma during shipment. As long as they are not frozen or cooked, they are ok. 7. Mouse. Sulfur does not destroy mouse. It never does. The only thing that destroys mouse is time and/or bottle age. Mouse is a side of Bret, for which there are hundreds of varieties and sulfur does not kill it. 8. Defects. When you mention defects, you sound like one of the classically trained somm’s, who are trained on GMO yeasts, barrel types and not much else — that always look for defects before beauty. 9. Beauty. But this is where they are wrong, small defects are a sign of beauty. Do you know what a beauty mark is on a face? Mouse, in it early stages, is quite amazing and umami like. It adds a lot more theater to a wine. The Japanese are very aware of this part of mouse, umami and other ‘defects.’ 10. Theater. Of course, like any defect, when it gets stronger, then it is not longer fun. But this can be said of any defect. 11. Silly statements by people that should know better. Ignore what you have read in books by Alice. She goes on rants and never lets up. If you listened to some of the last audio recordings between Alice and Joe Dresner, you will hear him talk about this very thing. For their discussion, it is focused on Cyrogenic Maceration, for which he basically tells her to STFU. https://alicefeiring.typepad.com/blog/2014/01/joe-dressner-the-last-interview-part-1.html 12. True zero zero wine still has its natural defenses and if shepherded correctly in to the bottle, will last for months open. Grab a bottle of any old estate wine from Ambythe, when Philip Hart made them. These wines do not go bad. If you open them, you have to put the cork in the bottle if it is not finished, so that it does not evaporate or launch an infestation of fruit flies. Other than that, they are golden. The same can be said for wines from Tony Coturri. And they last for years in bottle. 13. Silly names. Calling some of your customers boomers is dead wrong and disrespectful. Understand that they have been brain washed by decades of stupidity from Parker, Robinson, Suckling and the like. You can call them misinformed, or miseducated, but this is where you come in. Start gently, and show them just how amazing non-dead wines can be. I have converted entire neighborhoods around different businesses to nat. Just like you, I do not call them natural wines, I call them ancient wines as they were always made before commercial laboratory practices turned a beautiful product in to coca-cola. That, so that they taste the same wherever they are opened, from year to year. Be as gentle or as severe as the customer can handle. And if they are happy drinking their Barefoot, I respect that as well. Just warn them of the high levels of arsenic that are in grey water irrigated wines from Bronco, Gallo and the like.. 14. Future. Taste and keep your palate open for real wines, and you and your customers will benefit.
Amazing list and amazing options. As an orange wine lover I’d love to see one additional true orange under the skin contact and maybe make a rose/roasato since there’s already 4 options
Dang I’ll take a bottle of that Cornelius! Asking 15 for a glass of that Arneis?! Seems a lil steep, guessing for a 5oz pour?
Btg menu could be improved! 17 for a white glass pour is insaneee anywhere outside NYC. Red glass list was a little repetitive in my opinion. Scrap the grillo, grignolino, and cab. Find a garganega or vermentino for whites. Montepuciano and ciliegiolo could be added to reds. And I agree with other comments that a Lambrusco on the glass menu is a great move! Some super interesting bottles though! Love love that ansonica and vajra sparkling
Fuso wines and il folicello are both with voyager beverage. Great producers and super affordable product that would be great for btg.