English basics for wine sales on trade

English Basics
for
On-Trade Wine Sales
Wine Educator:
Julia Sevenich DWS
www.julia7ich.com
www.haidu.net
www.gourmet-snapshots.com
julia7ich@gourmet-snapshots.com
twitter: julia7ich
www.facebook.com/julia.sevenich

Seminar Content
• Wine descriptions
– Understanding wine labels
– Factors influencing style
– Appetizing tasting notes
• Wine and food pairing
– Old rules and myths debunked
– Fun and hedonistic enjoyment rules
• Share the joy!

Understanding Wine Labels
Three labelling strategies
–Grape variety
–Geographic origin
–Fantasy name
© Julia Sevenich, www.julia7ich.com

White Wine
Varietal Label Examples
Riesling
•apricot, peach, racy acid
Sauvignon Blanc
•elderflower, gooseberry, edgy acid
Chardonnay
•Unoaked: apple, pineapple, citrus
• Oaked: butterscotch, vanilla, toast
•crisp acid, full bodied

Red Wine
Varietal Label Examples
Pinot Noir
•Red berries, forest floor, high acid, silky
tannin
Merlot
•Plum, blackberry, low acid, fleshy tannin
Cabernet Sauvignon
•blackcurrant/cassis, cedar, firm tannin

White Wine
Geographic Label Examples
Champagne
– Sparkling
Sancerre
– Dry, crisp, floral, light-bodied
Weinviertel
– Dry, racy, spicy, medium-bodied
Soave Reciotto
– Sweet, honey, almond, creamy

Red Wine
Geographic Label Examples
Beaujolais
– Dry, light-bodied, fruity
Rioja
– Dry, medium-bodied, earthy, oaky
Barolo
– Dry, powerful, acid, tannic
Port
– Sweet, fiery fruit & tannin, fortified

Fantasy Wine Name
Label Examples
• Yatanarra
• Grange
• Mistique
• Tignanello
• Sperrs

Factors Affecting Style
Grape Variety
Climate and Place
Viticulture
Vinification

Climate
Cool Climate
• Less ripening
• Lower in sugar
• Higher in acid
• Lower alcohol
• lighter body
• less tannin
• citrus & red fruit
Hot Climate
• More time to ripen
• High in sugar
• Low in acid
• Higher in alcohol
• fuller body
• more tannin
• tropical & stewed fruit

CLIMATE (30th to 50th N & S)
50º N
30º N
30º S
50º S

Viticulture - Soil
• Sand
• Loam
• Loess
• Clay
• Conglomerate
• Gravel
• Marine Limestone
• Primary rock
• Slate
• Gneiss
• Schist
• Basalt

Vinification
White Wine
• White or black grapes
crushed
• Crushed grapes are pressed
• Fermentation in vat
• Juice only, no skins
• (14-20 °C /2-4 weeks)
• Maturation
• Stainless steel or oak
• Fining, filtering, bottling
Red Wine
• Black grapes are crushed
• Maceration
• Must and skins into
fermentation vat
• Cap submersion
• (24-30 °C /1-2 weeks)
• Press, then maturation in
stainless steel or oak
• Fining, filtering, bottling

Vinification - Fermentation
• Yeast metabolizes sugar 
alcohol + heat + CO2
• Wild yeast or cultured yeast
• Dry or sweet?

Vinification - Options
Malolactic fermentation
Bacteria metabolizes malic acid to lactic
acid
Carbonic Maceration
Intracellular fermentation that results in
lower tannin.
Acidification
pH adjustment of must to increase acidity
Chapitalization
sugar adjustment of must to increase
alcohol

Vinification - Options
Extended Lees Contact
Can lend velvety mouthfeel and
complexity
Oak vs. unoaked
Dependent on grape variety, style and
price point
–Small oak barrel (new or used)
–Large wooden (oak or acacia) cask

Appetizing Tasting Notes
• Discover and respect your guest’s tastes
• No intimidating or esoteric jargon
• Wine descriptions that give your guest an
understandable impression of how a
wine will taste based upon their
experience

Food and Wine Pairing
© 2010 Julia Sevenich

Wine is just Food
• Wine offers a complete range of the six
taste elements: sweetness, acidity,
saltiness, umami, bitterness, and
pepperiness.
• It supplies aroma, flavours and textures
that accent those of food either through
harmony or contrast.
• Wine is the sauce that you drink.

Consumer Fears
• Intimidating wine “pros”
– Over analyzing
– unfamiliar and esoteric jargon
• Would-be wine drinkers
– Fear making a “mistake”
– Embarrassed by lack of knowledge

Old Rules
did not consider how food was
seasoned, flavoured and prepared
• Red wine with red meat
• White wine with fish, poultry and white meat
• Never serve wine with salad

Opportunities
• Make it fun!
• Make it hedonistic!
• Be creative!

Olfactory Aromas

The Tongue Map Debunked

6 Basic Flavours
• Sweet
• Sour
• Salty
• Bitter
• Peppery (spicy-hot)
• Umami

Basic Food & Wine Pairing Strategy I
Similarity
• Similar flavour notes in food and wine
– Simply grilled or broiled chicken or fish
drizzled with a little olive oil, a squeeze of
lemon and some chopped fresh herbs with a
clean, fresh, crisp, acidic wine with lemony
and herbal aromas
– A rich deep red wine and mushroom braised
beef with a rich, earthy, meaty wine.

Basic Food & Wine Pairing Strategy II
Contrast
• Opposites can attract
– A rich, salty, blue cheese matched to a sweet,
viscous wine
– A buttery, unctuous, rich foie gras with a sweet,
fragrant wine
– High acid, dry, sparkling wine with smoky, salty
and oily food like smoked salmon or deep-fried
tempura

Basic Food & Wine Pairing Strategy III
• Adjusting food to go with wine
–Add salt to soften tannin
–A squeeze of lemon to balance with an
acidic wine
–Bridge ingredients with umami
• Shaved Reggiano Parmigiano
• Mushrooms
• Dried tomatoes

Body or Texture
• Hearty rich, mouth-filling foods are
best matched with full-bodied wines
• Subtle, delicate foods with light-
bodied wines

Acidity
• High acid foods like high acid wines

Sweetness
• Foods with some sweetness are best paired
with wines that have a similar level of
sweetness.

Salt
• Salty foods or dishes with soy sauce pair with
wines with good acidity and a touch of
sweetness.

Bitterness
• The bitterness of some vegetables pairs well
with smooth wines that are either off-dry or
full-bodied.

Pepper and Chilli Spice
• Pepper or chilli heat benefit from an off-dry,
refreshing, fruity wine with little or no oak and
low alcohol.

Fat
• Fatty foods like acid and or tannin.

Balance

A reminder!
Service Temperature
• Reds such as Bordeaux, Red Burgundy, Rhône:
15° - 18°C.
• Light reds such as Beaujolais: 12° - 14°C.
• Most dry white wines: 8° - 14°C (finer whites
on the warmer side)
• Champagne, sparkling, rosé and sweet wines:
6° - 10°C.

Restaurant Significance
in Wine Appreciation
• Proven to increase overall wine sales.
• Customers are introduced to new wines,
producers, and regions
• Restaurants are ambassadors of wine
and food culture
• A natural environment of wine with
food - advertising through taste and
enjoyment!

Know your Guest!
• Know the demographics of your
customers
• Connect and build loyalty
–Events
–Tastings
–Social media

The Beginning
of
Better Communications
with your Guests

English basics for wine sales on trade

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