The Future of Wine

[Rebel Rose]

Heads up, everyone. Please visit the "Future of Wine and Fine Dining" thread in the Future of Dining roundtable this week.

The roundtable features our own Steven Shaw, aka FatGuy, author of Turning the Tables; Michael Ruhlman, author of The Soul of a Chef and The Making of a Chef; and Clark Wolf, restaurant consultant.

If these guys want to talk about the future, they should be talking to the people who buy futures!

[Rebel Rose]

Well, I guess the Future of Wine is looking dry, as it's the only thread with no responses. Except for Steve's (aka Fat Guy's) brief note that most Americans have to drive to dining destinations.

But what does that answer mean? That more restaurants will not choose to offer wine, or improve their wine lists? Why not? After all, Americans can only drive to one restaurant at a time.

So, to bring it all home to the wine peeps, here are the questions. If you were a roundtable panelist, what would your answers be?

For many of us here, restaurant wine selections (and prices) are a key component of a fine dining experience.

Do you think we will be seeing wine featured in more family and chain restaurants? What kind of wine?

Will the growing number of women vintners, sommeliers, and consumers influence wine and food offerings? If so, how?

Is there a growing public awareness and acceptance of various wine regions? Will wine lists try to incorporate them all? Will ethnic restaurants begin to feature ethnic wines?

Many restaurants feature a "wine of the month," but few offer a dish specifically created for that wine. Any possibilities that restaurants of the future will create weekly specials specifically around a particular wine or varietal?

And when are all these sissy frozen kiwi concoctions in martini glasses going to give way to some really delicious wine-themed desserts in 16 oz. wine glasses? Give me ABC--anything but chocolate!

[Phil Ward]

Rebel Rose,

I visited the site and read your post re wining and dining. I tried to post a reply with my thoughts after 10 years as a chef and 20+ years in the wine business. Sadly, this is a read only site. Hmmm..... no interaction allowed from e-gullet members?

Phil

[Rebel Rose]

To Phil, and to anyone else who might be confused by the fact that The Future of Dining forum is closed: the roundtable discussion was held for one week.

However, although special guests Michael Ruhlman and Clark Wolf have departed (I am sure they are still around in their spare time!) the discussion can continue here.

While I'm thinking about the future, screwcap closures are likely to be a significant and in some places (like eBob) highly charged issue. But let's take discussion on that issue to Looking for Closure: Screwcaps vs. Corks, Love 'em or Leave 'em.

[JohnL]

This would probably make an interesting thread of its own but:

It seems to me (based on purely my own experience) that:

People who are "into" food, dining and eating and cooking are less into wine.

People who are "into" wine are more apt to be "into" eating and food and dining.

That is many of the blogs and the threads from foodies about wonderful meals in various restaurants out here in internet land go on in great detail about the componants of a

a meal yet, often do not mention wine (or any other beverage) and only in passing when they do.

Conversely, one often finds food notes accompanying wine tasting notes in equal proportion from the wine geeks.

Is this just me?

Do foodies love wine as much as wine geeks love food?

Is a wine geek more likely to be a foodie than a foodie is likely to be a wine geek.

and is there a happy medium?

(please excuse the use of terminology--I hate the labels winegeek and foodie as much as anyone--I am not eloquent enough to make my points without them though)

I am interested because the future of wine may lie in with the finely tuned palates of adventurous foodies who are responsible for the explosion of vaious cuisines and the diversity of dining choices that seems to be ever expanding.

So too will the list of wines (and other beverages) to accompany that food grow.

Both food and wine are entering a battle of diversification vs globalization.

Fusion food and global wine vs distinct cuisines and distinctive wines.