On July 9th, 2018 an intimate group of us were invited to hear top food and beverage Directors, Managers, and Chefs speak about the Restaurant Industry trends for 2018. This exciting yummy night was put on by Wine Enthusiast Magazine.
The Panel was hosted at the Landmark theater, and featured some of my favorite speakers.
Lauren Friel, the Wine Director Dirty Candy ( still one of the hardest reservations to get ) Matthew Kudry, Wine director of Flora Bar, Alexandra Cherniavsky, Beverage Manger of The Love, Christopher Gross, Chef of Wrigey Mansion and Moderated by the Susan Kostrzewa the Executive Editor of Wine Enthusiast Magazine.
The panel was outstanding and so knowledgeable. Their stories and experiences emphasized what is going on with the food and beverage industry, with of course the focus on wine.
One question resonated with me, someone from the audience asked the panel about Rose. The Rose trend has been going strong for the past few seasons. Even NYC now has a Rose Mansion ( yeh / no ). So the question asked was about the panel's feelings on the pink beverage. Were they "over it " did they see something new ? The responses were interesting. Rose of course is a big seller at all the establishments, and has been, with everyone wanting something Pink to drink. Matthew Kudry made the comment, to challenge the makers of Rose to create more complex and less sweet pink drinks. That in a market of pink, pink, pink there is room for a complex balanced less sugary drink, and a more mature lovely Rose to hopefully continue this trend but in a more "adult " beverage way. I liked that. So his feeling is the market is not saturated but maybe needs to be more curated with more quality Rose available.
So- less frozen Rose pops and more complex flavors of Rose to drink! Cheers!
The panel ended and a fun night of networking restaurateurs, food and wine enthusiasts, and experts gathered at OUSIA for a reception. There we could sample and taste some wonderful wines paired with cheeses and other foods. I love events like this because it gives you the chance to experience new wines and foods that you would not always think of putting together or trying.
To learn more about Wine from the Top 100 wines for under $15 to what's going on with the industry check out the WINE ENTHUSIAST MAGAZINE FOR MORE GREAT ARTICLES ! And Keep that glass FULL!
