When I saw this piece by Hervé Lalau, wine blogger on the site "Les 5 du Vin", and colleague of my friend Michel Smith, I just had to translate and post it here. Besides, the restaurant he reviews is one with which I'm quite familiar. This has long been one of my pet-peeve wine issues, and I felt that Hervé cited an excellent example of how restaurants can lower their wine prices and remain very profitable. Thank you M. Lalau for graciously granting permission for me to republish this on my blogsite.

It is interesting also to note that this is not just an American topic of contention among wine consumers. Nudging restaurants to implement a more customer-friendly wine pricing strategy can be an uphill battle in most any wine-consuming country, especially since wine has been traditionally viewed by so many restaurateurs as a "money-maker". Perhaps it's an oversimplification of the problem, but I still believe in most cases, that by lowering their wine margins, a restaurant would make up for lost profit per bottle by the resulting increase in their sales volume. Granted, this may be more challenging for a small bistro than a larger restaurant, but it still should be doable for them even if not so substantial a price reduction as that indicated below. I should also note that Les Grands Buffets is not necessarily your average wine-oriented restaurant, as it is quite large, and attracts many out-of-town visitors who are there to taste the local wines. So here's his article:

As the title states above: “Yes, we can do better”, much better than taking 300 to 700% margins on wine for compensation.

-Firstly, one needs to offer dishes at a price that assures profitability for the restaurant (it is after all for eating well that one dines out)

-Secondly, with exhorbitant mark-ups on wine, a good number of customers won’t drink much wine, or at best will only order the cheapest bottle on the list. And if marked too high, they may sometimes prefer to drink water.

Overhead, inventory expense and taxes are easy scapegoats, but a wine inventory that “turns over” better (i.e. more quickly) will of course be more profitable.

And I can prove this point with “Les Grands Buffets” restaurant in Narbonne.

The location of the place is somewhat improbable, next to the municiple swimming pool, in a commercial zone at the entrance to the city - plus the exterior is not much to look at; but in terms of the quality of the products, selection, hospitality, decor and service (notably even with a special area for children)..... the presentation is very meticulous. And the restaurant can handle up to 1200 diners per day, with its outdoor terrace seating included.

However it’s not about all this that I’m here to talk to you, rather about their wine policy: the restaurant, whose cellar specializes in the wines of Languedoc and Roussillon, sells you wine (100 selections) at the winery’s retail price.

Better yet, customers who order a carton of 6 bottles of any one wine that they’ve drunk at table, find themselves being offered that bottle gratis! And there is always a sommelier there for advice - who also tends the wine bar in the basement (an old bowling alley where one can find without a doubt among the best ‘pins’ in France).

But how is this possible? What’s their secret? What more are they doing than other restaurateurs?           

Curiously, when Monsieur Privat, the owner, explains his formula to his colleagues, he hardly convinces them. Is it that they have a different concept of book-keeping? His figures are telling nevertheless: On the day when he began to apply the winery retail price to his wines, his wine turnover increased by 50%! And since then, the price per bottle of wines ordered has increased continually.

I was able to confirm with my own eyes that at all the tables surrounding mine, the diners were consuming one or two bottles per table - something becoming rather less frequent in the France of today. The crisis that one so readily invokes to explain price-cutting of wines in the restaurant, would it have spared Les Grands Buffets? No, it’s just that the “Narbonnais” diners know how to count.

The worst though, is that certain vintners refuse to even deliver to Les Grands Buffets, for the reason that their wine would appear too cheap on the wine list, which would (supposedly) alienate other restaurants in the area.

Let them do it their way, I'll just drink other producers' wines, and when I pass through Narbonne again with the family, I know where I’ll be eating..... 



 

The second day of my August Roussillon tour was spent in the charming village of Banyuls-sur-Mer, a sort of partner village with nearby (and equally charming) Collioure & Port Vendres, and just minutes from the Spanish border. To describe the vineyards in these communes as dramatic, would be an understatement, with the often incredibly steep slopes covered with terraced vineyards tumbling down to the sea. It's clear that machine harvesting is not an option here! Our time was spent mostly at Domaine La Rectorie, directly in the village - this, for a good reason - not only are they considered to be perhaps Banyuls premier estate, but with all the various cuvees they produce, one can easily spend 3-4 hours tasting and chatting. On the day of our appointment, we were greeted by the amiable and slightly eccentric co-owner (not to mention accomplished photographer) Pierre Parcé. Pierre and family live in a rambling old manor house - with enough space that I could actually envision a 'winery museum' being housed there. Mid-way through the tasting we were joined by Pierre's brother and co-owner, Marc. In fact, the Parcé family is so extensive and deeply rooted in Banyuls that before we even began to taste, Pierre pulled out a family tree chart (in progress), as if to seek our input on how to manage the sharing of the estate among the descendants!

Pyrénées-Orientales (with Banyuls encircled)

A little primer before delving into the tastings: Banyuls & neighboring Collioure actually share a wine-growing appellation - any dry table wines (i.e. non-fortified, non-dessert wines) produced within the shared region are automatically designated as AOP Collioure, while those produced as sweet fortified "vins doux naturels" wines are labeled AOP Banyuls. Red grape varieties for the production of Collioure are naturally akin to those of neighboring Roussillon, i.e. grenache, carignan, syrah, mourvedre. The small amount of white Collioure produced relies mainly on grenache blanc, grenache gris & macabeu. For Banyuls, the dominant red varieties are grenache and carignan, while their less well-known whites are produced from mainly grenache blanc & grenache gris. Banyuls' "vin doux naturels" are made using the "mutage' method (not unlike port) in which a 95% alc. grape brandy is added before the fermentation is complete, creating a high residual sugar level. This brandy addition is, however, smaller than one would find in the port process, generally yielding a wine of around 16%+ alcohol versus 20% in port. Wines made from fruit just outside the appellation boundaries, or from non-permitted varietals, are designated "Cote Vermeille".

Michel Smith, entrance to Domaine La Rectorie

Pierre Parcé, Domaine La Rectorie

Pierre started us off with two impressive dry whites, the first, from a newish domaine owned by the nephew of Pierre, Joseph Parcé: La Préceptorie in St. Arnac, Roussillon, was the barrel fermented 2011 "Coume Marie" a lovely blend of grenache gris and macabeu. This wine shared its deep mineral & earthy notes with the white wines of Calce, covered in my last post - as well as an equally clean and crisp character. The second, 2011 Collioure "L'Argile" (indicating the calcerous/clay soil type of the vineyard) is produced from 90% grenache gris & 10% grenache blanc. This was very similar to the above, but rounder in texture, a bit more complex ,and with a distinct caramel note from some new oak in the barrel aging.

From here we launched into several bottlings of La Rectorie's Collioure, mostly from the much heralded 2011 vintage, but some older vintages as well. To keep things succinct I'll just say that my favorite among these was the 2011 Collioure "Coté Mer", produced from old vine grenache (50%) with syrah and a small portion of carignan. Although only in the bottle for a bit over one month, this rich-textured cuvee was already showing beautiful spice, leather and dusty garrigue notes on the palate with a long spicy finish. Also very impressive, was the "red edition" of the 2010 Cotes du Roussillon Villages "Coume Marie" from La Preceptorie: dark and intense fruit with an alluring spicy cured meat character.

As well, a plethora of lovely Banyuls bottles was sampled, compounding the task of choosing a favorite. I was most impressed with the grenache-based 2010 Cuvée Leon Parcé (one year barrel age), which was very complex exhibiting notes of roasted nuts, caramel and spice, and a long sweet & viscous finish. Very intriguing though, was a Banyuls made in the "Rancio" style (literally 'rancid' in Spanish), the "Cuvée de Pedro Soler", which is allowed some oxydation, yielding a dry amontillado sherry styled wine - with eqally intense nutty character but perhaps a bit richer. On a side note: Pedro Soler is a local Flamenco guitarist and friend of the Parcé family (and a damned good one, based on the CD I was given!).

Lunch at Café El Xadic del Mar with Jean & Cathy

Following a light lunch at Banyuls most authentic (and all organic!) café, El Xadic del Mar, we made our way into the surrounding hills for a visit to Clos Castell. In stark contrast to La Rectorie, this is a very small family operation, nestled in the vineyard-covered hills above the village. It's owned by the amiable young Jean-Christophe Jose. Although the family's vineyards have a sufficiently old average vine age, one can quickly sense that they are just beginning to hit their stride in making and marketing their own product. All the wines tasted here (Collioure & Cote Vermeille) were well-made, if a bit on the extracted side, but it was refreshing to experience a vigneron who was so receptive to hearing our assessment of his wines. I couldn't help but feel that Jean-Chrostophe has a bright future ahead. He likely wouldn't have wanted to hear this: but my favorite red of his was a humble but incredibly authentic 2011 old vine carignan, Cote Catalan IGP. This wine touted the essence of rustic carignan, with intense ripe varietal character, leather & dust, with a lovely touch of cologne - a wine which could definitely benefit from some bottle age.

Jean-Christophe Jose below his vineyard at Clos Castell

After such a long day of concentrated, high-alcohol and (often) tannic wines, we were pleasantly surprised by a kind invitation from Michel Smith's friends (and former co-workers at Banyuls' co-op winery, Cellier des Templiers) Jean Mucciolo and his wife, Cathy Rousseil, for a casual supper at their Banyuls condo. It seems Jean had a friend who had brought in a good haul of rougeot barbet and merlan (whiting) after a day of fishing in the Mediterranean - so we were at the right place at the right time. A light hoppy lager followed by some crisp chilled white wine and fried fish sounded very enticing on this toasty August eve - and the wine picked to accompany our fish feast was a perfect match (even if it wasn't from the surrounding region) i.e. a light & lively 2010 chenin/chardonnay blend from Domaine St Nicolas in Brem-sur-Mer (Loire-Atlantique). Although maybe not soon enough, sleep came very easy after our arrival back in Perpignan.

Rouget Barbet and Merlan: No utensils required here!

Note: Readers probably noticed that I've recently been omitting my wine review section of the blog. I don't intend to completely discontinue it, but have decided that it only makes sense to do thorough reviews of wines tasted when the wines are available in the American market (either in stores or on-line).

Salutations from KLM/Delta Airlines! It seems odd - and even sad- that I have to wait till I'm on a plane back to France, until having enough time to think about posting a new (and long overdue) article to my blogsite.

Although it's not realistic, at this point in my life, to spend more than a month at a time each year in my beloved Languedoc, I found myself yearning to return after only a month back in Oregon....all the more remarkable, considering August yields the Willamette Valley's most beautiful weather. Maybe it's the effect that warm saline Mediterranean air has on my sinusitis, but I suspect it has a bit more to do with the infinite variety of new wines awaiting me, that lures me back.

So this is an opportunity to illustrate that lure, along with a few vignettes from my June visit to the region.

1) I love how easy it is to stumble upon an amazingly good restaurant or bistro in Languedoc without prior research. When attempting to revisit a favorite seafood restaurant in the coastal village of Gruissan near Narbonne, we discovered that they were not open for lunch. They recommended another small bistro a couple of blocks away, and we had a simple but beautiful experience. The place: Le Sarment, heaven for locavores, as they were not only less than a kilometer from their seafood sources, but also featured wines from the surrounding regions of La Clape & Corbières. We nursed a lovely bottle of dry minerally white from a cave directly opposite the restaurant. An ideal accompaniment to our moules frites.

At Le Sarment, Gruissan

2) Virtually anywhere you find yourself in the Languedoc & Roussillon, you're likely only minutes away from a high-quality wine producer. E.g. in Narbonne, where we spend a part of each year, you have the Minervois region just 10-15 Km to the northeast, Corbières 10 Km to the southwest, and La Clape 8 Km due south. The city of Montpellier is in close proximity to numerous AOP (Appellation d'Origine Protégée) wine regions - like Pic St. Loup, St. Christol, St. Drézery etc., while Perpignan has Cotes du Roussillon, Fitou and the Pays Catalan right on its doorstep. Although it's always a good idea (and polite) to call ahead to visit the smaller family-owned estates, even these often have small tasting rooms with regular hours. We actually found this to be a relief when we came across a familiar and excellent producer in the Fitou, "Champ des Soeurs", while en route to visit the renowned co-op at Castelmaure in the Hautes-Corbières. Fortunately, gracious owners Marie & Laurent Maynadier were on hand to greet us for a nice, albeit brief visit and tasting. Not to be overlooked of course is the entirely reasonable price range for wine throughout the Languedoc - both retail and (for the most part) restaurant level. There are exceptions, to be sure, for some top-end domains, particularly in the regions like Pic St. Loup, Montpeyroux and Faugères, but even here you can find regional wines of good quality for "every day" consumption.

The Maynadier's at Domaine Champ des Soeurs with Trusty Vine's roving reporter

My wife, Mary, in front of the co-op in Castelmaure, Corbières

3) Climate & terrain: Perfect for their array of grape varieties. California's summer climate is often compared to that of the Mediterranean, and this is partly true, but I submit that the southern Spanish Mediterranean more closely resembles California's premium wine-growing areas than does the Languedoc-Roussillon. E.g. most Napa & Sonoma areas are warmer and drier in the summer than (at least) the areas of the Languedoc closest to the sea. As a matter of fact, although humidity levels in the French Mediterranean are not nearly as high as East Coast U.S., on days when the winds are coming off the Mediterranean, there's definitely more moisture in the air than the average summer day on the West Coast of the U.S.  - not enough for discomfort, but just enough to intensify the aromas of the garrigue and its wild rosemary, lavender and sage. The frequently rugged terrain of the hills surrounding most Languedoc vineyard regions may seem stark and a bit spartan to some viewers, but for me it's simply the ideal dramatic backdrop to vineyards which (befitting their landscape) produce sometimes rustic, but mostly authentic wines with such a sense of place. As James Wilson quips in his book on French wine-growing geology, "Terroir", "The wines of the Languedoc-Roussillon grow on some of the most battered rocks in France and indeed on some of the oldest and some of the youngest geologic formations" - in other words, an incredibly complex landscape.

View of Hautes-Corbières from village of Castelmaure

4) .....and certainly not least, are the people and their unique culture. The French are sometimes criticized by American travelers, as being aloof and impersonal - and this can occasionally be the case for those tourists seeking jovial slap-happy types on their France trip. But just because the French don't go about with an ear-to-ear grin on their face everyday doesn't mean they're all miserable self-centered curmudgeons. Part of the French response to visitors (and to one another for that matter) is simply understanding this fact, and approaching accordingly with patience, respect and sincerity (not that these aren't virtues in any society!). Admittedly though, in this regard, the Languedoc has a leg up on most everywhere else in the country - not the least due to the sunny climate, but also the pervasive wine & food culture and proximity to the sea. People here are just more casual and congenial, perhaps stemming in part from their Occitan and Catalan heritage. From my experience, they are definitely not as preoccupied with (or impressed by) glamour & chic as are e.g. their counterparts in the Côte d'Azur. Finally, as elsewehere in France, they tend not to take friendship lightly. Whereas, it seems the current culture trend in the U.S. promotes the amassing of hundreds (thousands?) of friends on Facebook, the French, even in the south of the country, may develop friendships more slowly, but once made, are kept loyally till the grave.

I guess I shouldn't close without mentioning that I also have a great affection for the wines and region of the Southern Rhone Valley (esp. Gigondas) and Northern Provence. However, at my age I've concluded that it's too late to be "spreading myself too thinly" in my research and travels, thus I've settled on the Languedoc - specifically the area around Narbonne - as my adopted home away from home.

P.S. I'll be back in September with more wine notes & reviews with a focus on Roussillon.

Peering down a narrow "ruelle" in Collioure