Knowledgeable consumers

[Bux]

You're the author of an acclaimed book on Italian wines and the director of the wine program at a rather sophisticated Italiam restaurant in New York City. I'm not sure if this puts you in touch with lots of consumers who know very little about Italian wines or those whose knowledge is excellent, thus your answer to my question may be skewed but I'm not sure in which direction. Nevertheless, your writing career in wine and spirits predates your current work, so how sophisiticated is the NY diner in terms of Italian wines overall and in comparison with French, American and perhaps Spanish and southern hemisphere wines? Are you seeing a change in the appreciation of Italian wines? Do you see your own relatively recent focus as part of a trend, and your book as a response to existing interest or inspiring new interests in consumers?

[David Lynch]

Bux:

Stated simply, Italian wines remain very much a new frontier--but one that people are very eager to explore. As such, I'm pretty pleased to be in the market with our book, because I believe the timing couldn't be better. As I've replied (or will reply) to other queries, Italian wine is more exciting than it has ever been, with a HUGE number of new or relatively new wine estates raising the bar at every price tier. And indeed, where Italian wines couldn't once compete at that "under $20" price point, they are now doing so more and more effectively. At the same time, the wines at the higher end are starting to stand alongside the greats of the world, quality-wise.

One thing that has surprised me here at Babbo is how much of a new frontier Italian wine remains. I would say that 1 in 10 customers that walk through our door is savvy about Italian wine. Most customers begin their conversations with me by saying "I know French and California, but..." The less insecure simply say they know nothing about Italian and ask for advice. We have only 95 seats here but there are always 2 wine guys in the restaurant each night (one on each floor) to answer questions and serve wine. It is very labor-intensive wine service, but very rewarding, because I'm not just an "order-taker." We like to think of ourselves as something of a wine "salon," where you get an education as well as a glass of wine, so in that sense my writing experience dovetailed nicely with working here. And I've worked off all my desk-jockey baby fat to boot!

But to get back to the heart of the matter, Italian wine remains either unknown or completely misunderstood. Best example is Chianti, one of the more radically transformed wine zones in Italy but still one that elicits the occasional sneer from wine snobs. Ditto Soave. Come to Babbo and I'll pour you examples of both that will blow your mind!

DRL

[Bux]

I appreciate that answer. For one thing, I'm going to stop telling wine stewards in Italian restaurants that I know a little about wines from France and California.

I think part of the problem consumers have, unless they're very serious about wine is due to what you describe as the number of "relatively new wine estates," and "radically transformed wine zones" which is something that's occurring worldwide, not just in Italy. It's hard for even more sohpisticated diners to keep up with things in any one country let alone world wide. A little knowledge used to last a long time. Now it's outdated quickly. At the same time, it's my perception that the less knowledgeable a diner is, the less likely he is to feel comfortable talking to a sommelier. Do you sense that job is changing and hopefully becoming more challenging?

[David Lynch]

I think, hopefully, that the sommelier field is becoming populated with passionate, professional, and (mostly) friendly people who genuinely want to help customers. Are there sharks out there? Absolutely. Jerks? Sure. But I think that, unlike other "front of the house" jobs in restaurants, that of sommelier is becoming more and more desirable.

That said, here are a few tips for getting good service from the sommelier:

1) complement the wine list ("wow, there are some great choices here...")

2) don't be afraid to give price parameters (this may seem uncouth to you, but on my side of aisle it helps immensely)

3) try to articulate the STYLE of wine you're looking for, particularly the SCALE--give the guy or gal something to work with

4) don't be afraid to ask questions. engage the sommelier. make him work for the sale. it shouldn't be a standoff.