Champagne has been its own evolution on the list,” NYC’s Gramercy Tavern Wine Director Erin Healy told publisher Joshua Greene. Throughout all our interviews with restaurant wine directors this year, nearly everyone had something to say about Champagne. Most reported strong demand, even in unlikely corners. James Conley, of Keens, a historic steakhouse in NYC known for Bordeaux and Napa Valley cabernet, summed up: “As [much as] I’d like to say there’s been an increase in Chilean or Austrian wines, really, it’s Champagne.”
Heading uptown to Le Bernardin, Aldo Sohm asserted that the category’s success arose out of staff enthusiasm. “Champagne grew because my team loves Champagne.” While he acknowledged that American diners still tend to “see Champagne as something to celebrate with or to have for a toast,” he pointed to its pairing prowess as well, citing his team’s success with Bollinger’s La Grande Année 2012 in the company of a scallop tartare with a sauce marinière and spoon of caviar. “That Champagne, it’s a match made in heaven. I like Bollinger quite a bit because it’s a richer version of Champagne, but it comes from the farming and production, not from dosage.
At Gramercy Tavern, Erin Healy has exploded the Champagne list from one to 12 pages—“Coteaux Champenois, big bottles, little bottles, it all lives in one chapter,” she says, having organized the 140 selections alphabetically by producer, adding emphatically, “I will argue until my dying breath that grapes, dosage and region are all second to the hand of the winemaker when it comes to style of the wine.”
Supporting such a large selection took sometime. “In the beginning, we didn’t sell a ton, but as the somms became more comfortable with all the producers and styles, they felt more confident driving the conversation there.” In an ouroboric dance, Champagne’s substantial presence on the list serves to drive interest with guests, Healy added.
“Now that Champagne is such a huge chapter on our list and such a significant part of the wine program, it draws the eye and people spend time on those pages. Demand followed the design of the program.” —Erin Healy, Gramercy Tavern (NYC)
Across the country, in San Francisco, Acquerello’s Gianpaolo Paterlini reported a similar pattern of growth at his family’s Italian mainstay. “I’ve been working on our Champagne list for years, and we’re at 325 selections now. I want Acquerello to be known as one of the best Champagne lists in the world.” Chalk it up to the power of suggestion: He reported guests asking for more and more Champagne, his top three go-tos were Agrapart Terroirs Extra Brut, Bérèche et Fils Brut Réserve and Marc Hébrart Brut Rosé. “Guests have come to expect it, and those that don’t know see the depth in that part of the list and ask about it.”
Artisan growers like those featured by Paterlini also drove growth for Champagne at Ninety Acres, in Peapack, NJ, where Hemant Kala reported that this focus “really wasn’t common in this area of New Jersey before.” Kala’s guests were drawn to the value growers’ wines represent: “This category is more reasonably priced and is a real expression of Champagne. For me, the go-to is Gaston Chiquet Brut Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs from the Aÿ region, $135 on the list. Blanc de Blancs Champagne is usually priced in the $200-$250 range, and this is nearly half the price.” Diana Lee at LA’s Intercrew agreed, saying, “There have been significant price hikes, especially with large houses. Luckily, there are smaller houses and great grower Champagnes that I can introduce to our guests.”
Up the coast, in Portland, OR, Coquine’s Ksandek Podbielski found a silver lining to the pandemic-induced disruption of dining. He sequestered about 20 percent of his cellar stock, including a significant amount of Champagne, to sit on for a little while rather than selling it off at retail. “Whether people know this or not, or are looking at disgorgement dates on labels, I think the wines just drink better,” he says, now that they have three more years under cork. “Having a list of Champagne that’s now had a little more time to settle has been really cool. These are little details that I feel excited about.”
Susannah is the Editorial Coordinator for Wine & Spirits magazine in addition to covering the wines of Greece and Cyprus.
Related Stories:
This story appears in the print issue of Spring 2023.
Like what you read? Subscribe today.
