Analysis of a Roy's style wine list, circa 1999-2001 (part 2)
From the chapter: Case Study
Continuation of communiqués sent to Roy’s wine buyers in 1999-2001 (re part 1).
DEFINITION of a Roy's Style Wine List
I know that some of you feel that you don't need to be reminded of some of the basic components of a Roy's style wine list. But this is not a reminder. These are things we need to review because many of us are not following the formula with 100% effort and courage.
Or, maybe we're running wine programs that is about 80% or 90% "Roy's." But after that, we're copying our competitors; or we're giving in to our distributors' demands or needs rather than to our own, which are cuisine oriented and prioritized to meet the basic principles that have made us successful.
The thing about a Roy's style wine list is that it allows for an incredible amount of personal creativity and market adjustment. We're not asking you to write the exact same wine list as what your colleagues are doing in Hawaii or Florida, La Jolla or Philadelphia, Texas or Chicago—the same way that we are not asking our chefs to prepare the exact same dishes as all our other chefs.
The "Roy's way" is an approach, not an exact recipe or specific formula. Innovation is intrinsic, and it is meant to be able to respond directly to your actual guests, to the specific dishes that your chefs are cooking, and to what is happening in your own neighborhood. But what it does not allow for is failure to source new and exciting things that have specific culinary purposes. Or, ultimately, failure to differentiate ourselves—that is, the Roy's family or brand as a whole—from our competitors.
So once again, let's review the things that make Roy's Roy's...
1. Size isn't everything
As Chef Yamaguchi has always said, we are a "culinary culture." We don't need more than 150 wines on our wine list the same we way we don't need more than 150 dishes on our menus. You can only eat and drink so much, so let's make each item count—delicious, exciting, and above all harmonious. In the exact same way that our chefs balance ingredients in their dishes, you must stick to wines that are balanced in the context of those specific dishes.
The Roy's wine list is also short because the majority of consumers still prefer a short wine list. Ten years ago we defined "short" as 70 to 90 selections. In the early 1990s our Roy's in Kahana, Maui was our top selling wine location, working off wine lists that never had more than 50 selections (with a smaller percentage of local "regulars" than our Honolulu store, and a much larger percentage of visitor clientele, they never felt they needed a large selection yet were always just as innovative as what we did in Honolulu).
But because of the variant nature of our markets plus the growing sophistication of our guests, we now define "short" as anywhere from 80 to 140 selections. In the future, our wine list sizes will need to be adjusted primarily according to sales and market size. Based upon potential monthly sales:
Smaller Markets ($35,000-$50,000) ➡︎ 70-90 selections
Medium Markets ($50,000-$70,000) ➡︎ 90-120 selections
Big Markets ($70,000+) ➡︎ 120-140 selections
2. Euro-Asian food-friendliness
By saying each selection must be Euro-Asian food friendly, we mean that you need to exercise self-discipline to make sure each wine selection fulfills the following sensory attributes...
Intense and distinctively multi-faceted. Reason: Roy's intense, layered style of cooking, emphasizing multiple contrasting elements, are better balanced by vivid, layered, intensely flavorful wines.
Round with smooth, supple (i.e., silky, velvety, viscous, fleshy, etc.) textures. Reason: Roy's reduced style of sauces, plus use of butter and fine oils, are better
matched by finer textured wines, which also have a higher percentage chance of smoothing out Asian influenced sensations (i.e. hot, sour, sweet, bitter, salty, umami).
Balanced and harmonious. Reason: Yamaguchi's French/Asian sense of balance and discipline—guiding his cooking techniques, ingredients, seasonings, spices and Yamamori ("mountain-like") presentations—require wines that do not disrupt the intrinsic flow and harmony of his dishes.
In short, wines that are intense yet finely textured and balanced. On a sensory level, this means wines that are more likely to be restrained in alcohol, tannin and/or oak, and probably with more balancing acidity (perceptible tartness), umami (found in red wines with unobtrusive tannin combined with rich flavors and textures), and smidgens of mineral or earth tones complimenting fruit or floral profiles (i.e., yin-yang sensory qualities echoing the Asian influences of our cuisine).
3. Selecting for strong value
When we say that Roy's style of wines must be strongly value oriented, we do not mean veering from our 34% cost objectives. We mean finding wines that deliver as much intensity, differentiating character and overall quality as wines that come with higher costs. Because of the way that wine economics work, this often means wines that are lesser known, "up-and-coming" or underappreciated by the market in general, but it doesn't mean selecting wines just because they are lesser known, up-and-coming or underappreciated. You must select wines on the basis of having an ideal "Roy's" sensory profile first, and balance that with cost and other factors such as originality, uniqueness, sense of newness or innovation.
Let's talk specifics. First, we ask that you retain a flexible approach to markups—never, never lock yourself into across-the-board formulas, as tempting as that may be. We ask that you apply these markups to...
Wines that hit a higher quality level than wines in the same price range (example: selecting a distinctive Kunde or Justin Cabernet Sauvignon, rather than Cabernet Sauvignons of more "average" or indistinctive quality such as Fetzer, Louis M. Martini or Round Hill, even though the latter brands fall in a favorable price range).
Wines equal in quality to wines in much higher price ranges (such as a De Loach or Landmark Chardonnay, which compare favorably to a much pricier Shafer, Joseph Phelps or Stag's Leap Chardonnays).
Selling wines of extreme rarity, a certain prestige and even priciness (such as Araujo or Chalk Hill Estate Vineyard selections), but giving them a lower markup to make them more accessible to our guests, which increases their chances of an exhilarating experience (we always endeavor to achieve exhilarating experiences at Roy's).
Selling lesser known wines (i.e. Chinon Rosé, Teroldego, or a Riesling Spätlese Halbtrocken) at lower markups to increase guests' chances of unique or "first time" experiences (always another priority—it is always easier to achieve a memorable experience if that experience is something a guest has never had before).
Selling wines for what the market will bear. Examples: Rare and unique rosés from around the world for $25 to $35; German qualitätswein Riesling or Pinot Gris for $35-$45; ultra-premium handcrafted Chardonnay by artisanal California producers for $40 to $80; or Teroldego, Vermentino, Cannonau or Garnacha and other lesser known Italian, Spanish or French wines for $35 to $45. Certain wines move best in certain price ranges. As long as you can maintain your overall 34% cost, you should calculate how many of these exciting selections which maintain our brand ("Roy's" style wines, complimenting our food) that you can sell, even at lower or higher costs than your normal markups.
4. Living on the CUTTING-EDGE (Roy's "edge")
I ask that you prioritize sensory qualities, but I also ask that you look for wines with a sense of newness, excitement, and a cutting-edge identity. This you must do, with the following caveats...
Rule of Thumb: Avoid traditional, been-there/done-that wine types such as Puligny-Montrachet, Muscadet, Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Chianti Classico, or Robert Mondavi's Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. We all know these wines can be great, but for Roy's they are so, well, "yesterday."
The alternatives: Instead, I would like you too look at wines that achieve the same sensory qualities but are much newer to the majority of guests. If they come with an exceptional price-point, even better. So instead of a Puligny-Montrachet, look for a Montagny, a Saint Aubin, a Santenay Blanc or something along the lines of Kermit Lynch's organic/unsulfured Robert-Denogent Pouilly-Fuissé. There are plenty of exciting Riesling QbAs coming out of Germany—almost anything from Urziger Würzgarten or Maximin Grunhauser, or by acclaimed producers such as Gunderloch, Geltz-Zilliken, Weinhaus Heger or Donnhoff, will make exciting alternatives. Look for Sangiovese based reds from Italy such as Rosso di Montalcino or Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, or Sangiovese-based blends from Carmignano or Umbria (especially Falesco's). Cabernet Sauvignon has limited culinary usefulness in our restaurants, but if you're going to choose a handful (literally... no more!) for your list, make sure it is a balanced, focused style, not a big, oaky style that gets high scores but obliterates the taste buds when tasted with our food. The Cabernet models are producers such as Laurel Glen, Ridge Monte Bello, Quintessa, or something completely different such as Jim Clendenen's Vita Nova Acronicus (Petit Verdot/Cabernet Sauvignon), or Babcock's Fathom (Cabernet Franc/Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon). Finally, there's no excuse for run-of-the-mill Chardonnay; not when you can choose, say, a Storrs or Thomas Fogarty (great values for balanced, minerally styles) from Santa Cruz Mountains, a Ken Wright from Celilo Vineyard (from the Chablis-like climate of Columbia Gorge), or any number of Au Bon Climats or Talleys from the Central Coast which have the acidity, silkiness and lightness that are more optimal with our cuisine than just about anything from Napa Valley or Sonoma County. Be disciplined in your selection!
Rule of Thumb #2: What's cutting-edge today won't necessarily be cutting-edge tomorrow. For instance, Heitz, Caymus, Freemark Abbey and Chateau Montelena were a big deal in the late 1970s, but are pretty mainstream today (and as such, are marked up to the extent that they are now very poor values). Just five years ago Honolulu we were carrying "Rhône Rangers" such as Cline and Jade Mountain, as well as Gigondas and Crozes-Hermitage from the actual Rhône Valley, but we've since moved on. In another 10 years these wines may be "hip" again, but we're dealing with today, not 10 years from now. We must never be afraid to say "done that," and explore other alternatives. It's what we do!
Alternatives #2: If you keep your eyes, ears and nose in the air, you can develop a good sense of what is now a little more "cool," even in categories such as Rhône Rangers. For instance, the Cold Heaven Viogniers and Qupe Roussanne coming out of the Au Bon Climat/Qupe compound in Santa Barbara are still cutting edge, and keep a look-out for some Albariño and Tempranillo that the Lindquists are working on as we speak. Bonny Doon's Le Cigare de Volant is not the same as it was 5, 10 years ago, and so it is still an interesting Rhône style blend, especially because it's now better than it was before. From Kermit Lynch, I'm still strongly suggesting selections of Vacqueyras or Saint-Joseph as wonderful alternatives to the bigger, more awkward and pricier Syrahs and red blends coming out of both California and Australia, and Lynch's latest Côtes-du-Rhônes are amazing values. Bottom line, let your palate be your guide and be your center of common sense to figure out what's good, what's not-so-good or overrated, what's hip, and what no-longer-is.
Rule of Thumb #3: Do not put together measly selections of standard wine types—no matter how high the quality or established the reputation—that would pale in comparison to what our competitors can put together. For instance, we'll never be able to put together long lists of verticals of Lafite, Lynch-Bages, Opus One, B.V. Private Reserve, Jordan or Robert Mondavi Reserve—that's just just not our style and has no real bearing on our cuisine anyway, and is certainly not the way we want you to tie up your inventory. If you're going to do vertical or horizontal, pick one or two estates you really want to show off, but one that fits our culinary needs (i.e., the Ridge Monte Bello-Araujo-Laurel Glen model), and do two or three vintages that sends the signal, "nice-well-thought-out selection," rather than "wannabe." As I always say, the idea is not to compete with our competitors by doing the same things they do, but rather finding another playing field to make our own rules!
5. You say you want an EVOLUTION
Roy's wine lists must be changed constantly. If you are not, say, changing you wine list at least once a week, or adding and subtracting entire handfuls of wines every month, that means you are not following our guidelines, re keeping the Roy's concept fresh, exciting, and viable for the long term. Imagine if your chefs were changing their specials only once a month. Of course, we'd fire them—we want these dishes changed nightly. This is the only way we know they are working with the freshest foodstuffs available (thus controlling costs as well as quality), and doing the things most likely to keep guests coming back for more—ideally several times a week, not just once a month or once a year for someone's birthday or anniversary. Stagnant menus are not acceptable for Roy's chefs, just like stagnant wine lists are not acceptable for Roy's wine buyers.
6. Be KIND to guests
If you are truly caring—as fundamental a value for us as having courage—then you are not just offering guests fun, exciting, alternative wines. You are making them as easy as possible to digest and understand. This means descriptions with each and every selection. As you know, this is why we explain dishes—what's the sense of putting out an adventurous, original cuisine if the guests have no idea of what they're tasting?
As you know, it doesn't have to be a book; one line, two at the most, will suffice (except for our Roy's brands or wines by the glass, which also have to refer to the prestigious, handcraft producers we enlist). It's all about information—where a wine comes from, what it's made from, who's making it, what dish it goes great with, anything that you feel is pertinent to how you want the wine "sold." Then we need you to make sure the staff has tasted each new wine, and memorized all the things about it. And it's a lot easier on them if there are descriptions on the list to remind them of what they need to know, especially at the table.
Part 3 of Analysis of a Roy's style wine list (circa 1999-2001) to follow in our next excerpt.