Les 110 de Taillevent, a relaxed, less-expensive version of the iconic Paris restaurant, opened a branch in London in October, with, yes, 110 wines by the glass. Meanwhile in San Francisco, Dirty Wateropened in the Twitter building in July with 114 options priced from $10 to $300.
The main technology game changer is the Coravin, a device that allows some wine to be removed from a bottle while keeping the remainder fresh. After initial glitches (broken bottles, etc.) a new, improved version launched globally this year. Expect many more restaurants to begin using it in 2016.
The Rise Of The Wine Truck
Given the popularity of food trucks, the vintners of Saint-Emilion have decided to start their own wine truck—a shiny red vintage 1976 Citroen panel truck with the phrase “Saint- Emilion Wine Trip” inscribed on its side. This pop-up tasting room on wheels will make 15 to 20 stops at jazz festivals, wine fairs, and antique markets in four French regions: southwest France, Pas de Calais, Brittany, and Alsace starting in March 2016. A sommelier-driver will pour the rotating 16 wines, alongside winemakers, who will arrive at every stop.
Surely other wine regions will see the potential. Napa, start your engines.
“Celebrity Wine” Category Will Expand
Increasingly, wines carry labels with the names of TV series (Downton Abbey), baseball teams, NFL stars, actors like Diane Keaton, books and movies (Fifty Shades of Grey).
Now that public relations firms view reds and whites as a way to extend the brand of just about everything, including restaurants, I’m convinced there will be many, many more in 2016. (Though I’m not sure the odd match of a Finger Lakes riesling adds anything to the image of the New York Yankees.)
The latest to join the celeb wine club is Grammy-winning musician John Legend, who teamed up with Jean-Charles Boisset, owner of Napa’s Raymond winery, to create “a unique series of rich, soulful and complex notes inspired by true love.” Translation: an opulent cabernet ($85) and seductive chardonnay ($45) under the LVE Collection label.
No word on whether they’ll sing in the glass.