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Winners to be announced at Columbus Food & Wine Affair

Columbus, OH—One of the Midwest’s largest wine competitions was held Saturday, August 18 right here in Columbus at the Columbus Fish Market (43212). The annual competition is just one facet of the Columbus Food & Wine Affair set for Sept. 7 at the Franklin Park Conservatory.

Saturday’s competition was judged by a panel comprised of 45 local retailers, restaurateurs, wine suppliers, distributor personnel, wine writers and local wine enthusiasts. They weighed in on the color, aroma, taste, texture and overall appeal of 450 wines—the same wines that will be featured at this year’s Columbus Food and Wine Affair. 

The Wine Competition has been an integral part of the Columbus Food & Wine Affair since it began in 2003. Rob Somers, Ohio Manager, Limestone Estates Division, Foster’s Wine Estates America’s co-chairs the competition with Ryan Valentine, Director of Beverage, Cameron Mitchell Restaurants. The competition was started to add a level of excitement not only to the Columbus Food & Wine Affair but to the local wine industry itself.

In its first year, just over 300 wines were tasted and judged. This year’s competition welcomed 450 wines from across the world. The competition is unique in that it is only one of two competitions in the country that require judges to be trained.

Somers shares, “We want every judge to be on the same page when it comes to criteria for evaluation. The competition isn’t about personal preferences, it’s about objective standards. Objective standards can change and evolve over time; we address this in the training.”

Judging was based on a modified version of the 20-point system developed in the 1950s by Maynard Amerine, a professor in viticulture at the University of California Davis. The scoring structure puts in place a system to objectively analyze the wines.

Somers explains that wines were arranged into flights with an average of 10 wines per flight. Every wine was judged blind and each flight was judged by two separate tables of four judges each. When all is said and done, each judge tasted and evaluated about 100 wines in a span of about 3-1/2 hours.

Categories for judging are not determined until entries are received. Basically, wines are judged in peer groups with type and style. That is, Chardonnays are judged against Chardonnays and Cabernets against Cabernets. The number of categories is based upon the number of entries and, as entries warrant, new categories are named.

In 2006, the “value” category was added to include wines that are very high in their category and retail under $15. Somers expects the competition to grow each year and looks forward to adding more categories including “Best of Class.”

Somers says the contest for the best wines creates a little more competition as well as exposure for those who enter. “This ensures that we get some really good wines,” he says. “And, I think one of the greatest benefits is that these wines are available at the Columbus Food & Wine Affair. Those who attend taste the wines that local experts and enthusiasts have said are great wines. They don’t have to rely on Wine Spectator or the opinion of a New York writer. These wines are favored by those who live here and they are available here.”

The medalists will be announced at the Columbus Food & Wine Affair’s Hospitality Trade Sneak Preview, 2 to 4 p.m., Friday, Sept. 7. Approximately 150 gold, silver and bronze medals will be awarded.

Proceeds from the Columbus Food and Wine Affair benefit 10TV Family Fund, Adventures for Wish Kids, United Way of Central Ohio, the Ian Adams Van Heyde Scholarship Fund, Central Ohio Restaurant Association, and the Ohio Restaurant Association Education Foundation. The event is sponsored by the Central Ohio Restaurant Association, WBNS-10TV, Mix 97.1, and Time Warner Cable. Additional support by Cameron Mitchell Restaurants, Heidelberg Distributing Co., American Express, S. Pellegrino, Franklin Park Conservatory, Giant Eagle and imedia.

The Wine Competition and Hospitality Trade Sneak Preview lead up to the Columbus Food and Wine Affair Grand Tasting, set for Friday, Sept. 7, 6:30 to 10 p.m. at the Franklin Park Conservatory at 1777 E. Broad Street, Columbus, Ohio  43203. Tickets for Friday evening’s Grand Tasting are available to the public for $100 each and can be purchased by going to www.foodandwineaffair.com.

It’s been said that receiving an education can open up a whole new world for a student. In the case of the Columbus Food and Wine Affair, the event’s Hospitality Preview can open up the world of wine for restaurant servers who know little or nothing about the multi-faceted beverage.

Now in the planning stages for its fifth year, the Columbus Food and Wine Affair has grown in its reputation for showcasing the very best in wines alongside the very best in food prepared by some of Central Ohio’s best-loved restaurants.

The Hospitality Preview—or “trade tasting” as it is often referred—is set for 2 to 4 p.m., Friday, Sept. 7 at the Franklin Park Conservatory. Tickets are just $5 per person. The event is open to hospitality professionals only and provides opportunity for anyone involved in the purchase or sale of wine to interact with winemakers and winery representatives and, of course, to sample the 2007 featured wines.

Gary Callicoat, president and operating partner of Rusty Bucket Tavern, sees the event as the perfect opportunity to educate wait staff on the basics of wine that will, in turn, help them to accommodate customers and increase wine sales. Each year he brings at least 20 members of his wait staff to the event. “It’s such a great way for them to develop confidence in talking about wine,” Callicoat says. “When they are more comfortable in talking about wines, it helps them in their ability to sell it.”

Callicoat says that at just $5 a person, the event offers a more-than-reasonable education. “I believe that whatever you pay for staff to attend, it will come back tenfold. Our staff loves the event. They really look forward to it.” He adds, “At the trade tasting, our staff can talk one-on-one to wine representatives and winemakers. They can ask questions and become informed. It’s very beneficial to them.” He adds, “Wine can be intimidating, but the more educated they are—whether its on food or wine—the more it gives them a comfort level in serving our customers.”

Gail Baker, Executive Director of the Central Ohio Restaurant Association, is in full agreement. “I would love to see more of our restaurants take advantage of what is offered at the Hospitality Preview. I encourage them to bring their staff and show them how easy it is to learn about wines—where they come from and their characteristics.” Baker adds, “Along with giving servers basic knowledge to help them in their jobs, the event is quite fun!”

Proceeds from the event benefit a number of local charities including the 10TV Family Fund, United Way of Central Ohio, Adventures for Wish Kids, and the Ian Adams Van Heyde Memorial Scholarship Fund. Since it began in 2003, the event has raised nearly a quarter of a million dollars for these local charities.

The 2007 Columbus Food & Wine Affair “Grand Tasting” is open to the public and will be held 7 to 10 p.m., Friday, Sept. 7 at the Franklin Park Conservatory. Tickets are $100 each. Those attending will enjoy their choice of more than 450 wines from over 200 wineries as well as generous tastings of foods from several of Ohio’s finest restaurants.

Good service. We know what it involves: neat appearance, an outgoing personality, an engaging attitude, excellent etiquette, organization—all the things you train your service and wait staff to know that, hopefully, translates to your bottom line.  With increased sales as a priority for any restaurant, we want to focus this article on going beyond these factors and looking at what your service and wait staff need to know to promote wine sales in order that add to overall increased sales.

Adding wine to a dinner increases the check average. But you can’t add what you don’t know, says Kamal, owner of The Refectory on Bethel Road. Kamal stresses some very important elements when it comes to servers and serving wines. Those elements include:
• Having a basic knowledge of the wines your restaurant serves,
• Asking questions of your guest, and
• Listening to the guest

Kamal says often a guest will have an idea of the wine he wants but, if he doesn’t know the exact name or vintage, he will try to describe it. “With some basic knowledge, the wait person can determine if the guest is describing the wine accurately or if, indeed, they are looking for something different.” 

Kamal says that without a good, working, basic knowledge of wine and without knowing about the house wines, the server really has little to offer guests. But, he adds, more important than the knowledge is learning how to ask the right questions. He says, “Ask the guest if they are familiar with the wine they ordered or if they have a particular type they enjoyed previously. Based on their answer, the server may ask if the guest would like to enjoy that same type of wine or if they are looking to try something different. That brings us to the very important element of listening.

“Really listening is so important,” Kamal says. He shares his own experience. “Years ago, I had a guest who was ordering Riesling for his table. He said to his guests, ‘You’ll really enjoy this. It’s a nice dry wine. While there are some Rieslings that are dry, it isn’t always the case. Simply by listening, I determined the best thing to do was to bring a couple of glasses of different Rieslings that could be tried.”

He adds, “I made the offering and said, ‘This may not have been as dry as you’ve had in the past, but I took the liberty of bringing you a couple to try so you can make your selection.”

Educating wait staff on wines does not have to be a difficult task. Many restaurants offer their own training, have a distributor who will provide education, or the restaurant may choose to bring in a wine expert to get staff up to speed. As a sponsor of the annual Columbus Food and Wine Affair (CFWA), Central Oho Restaurant Association Executive Director Gail Baker also suggests attending the event’s Hospitality Sneak Preview held prior to the public tasting.

This year’s preview is set for 2 to 4 p.m., Friday, Sept. 7 at the Franklin Park Conservatory. Baker says she would like to see a number of restaurants take advantage of this opportunity. “There is great value in have a service and wait staff that is knowledgeable about wines,” Baker says. “The Hospitality Sneak Preview offered at the CFWA is a wonderful way to introduce your staff to a variety of wines by people who know them well, and the staff’s could tailor their participation to visiting the distributors who service their particular restaurant.” Baker says, “It’s just one more way to enhance customer service and add to the restaurant’s bottom line.”

For more information on the Columbus Food and Wine Affair, go to www.foodandwineaffair.com.

Author:  Kim Tyndall

As restaurant managers and owners are aware, wine sales tend to decrease after the start of the New Year. A simple key to increasing sales in a somewhat “slumpy” season is providing proper training to the wait staff and bartenders who are minding the store.

Rob Somers, Ohio Manager, Foster’s Wine Estates, says that restaurants are often the place where someone will have their first glass of wine. “As with food, the server is your tour guide when it comes to wine,” he says. “The server can have a great impact on what customers will try. The more knowledgeable they are about wine and the more comfortable they are with suggestive selling, the more impact there will be on the check average.”

Somers calls wine a “non-competitive” beverage. That is, while beer and spirits are most often consumed before and after dinner, wine is usually paired with food to enhance the dining experience. He says, “Wine is made to go with food. So, when a customer gives you their order for an appetizer or entrée, the server should be able to suggest a wine that goes well with their choice. By making this connection for the guest, the bottom line is increased customer satisfaction and repeat business.”

Somers is an active volunteer with the Columbus Food & Wine Affair (CWFA) and encourages restaurateurs and wait staff alike to attend the event’s hospitality event to enhance their knowledge of wine. “The hospitality tasting is the perfect opportunity for those working in restaurants to receive expert information on wines. Those representing the wineries can provide so much knowledge about the wines that will in turn help in better serving customers.”

Matt Citriglia has 22 years of experience in the wine industry including retail ownership and restaurant and wholesale management. He is General Sales Manager for Vintage Wine Distributor, Inc. and Vice Chairman for the Court of Master Sommeliers,  He says that while many servers understand the basics of serving, including how to work as a team, knowing the position of tables, and timing of food coming out of the kitchen, most don’t understand they are also sales people.

“If you say ‘sales’ to a wait person, most think of the guy selling used cars. But sales is simply presenting the customer with options to buy. Every time a server presents the daily specials or lists the wines by the glass, they are providing purchase options; so in fact, they are selling.” And, selling is key to the bottom line.

Citriglia says that by presenting options, the server creates a dialog with the customer and finds out their likes and dislikes. “When a server makes a suggestion and the customer says, ‘no,’ that shouldn’t be taken as rejection,” he says. “The ‘no’ provides the server with direction.”  Citriglia adds that training staff in the knowledge of products as well as selling is crucial to satisfied guests that results in successful business.

Author:  Kim Tyndall