TomHill wrote:Nice column, Hoke. But...man...you gotta PhotoShop that picture, though!!!
Curious as to why the Ch.d'Yquem folks have to be involved in a by-the-glass program? They give the restaurant
a price break?? What's to prevent Joe'sDiner from doing d'Yquem by the glass?
Tom
Thanks, Tom.
I have very little control over the pic insertion with the platform Examiner uses. The new platform, which is supposed to be better than the old platform, but significantly isn't.
Re the wine by the glass program: It's all about the publicity, innit? If Yquem chooses some particular partners to showcase (and not incidentally publicize in the process) to kick of their campagin for by-the-glass, they get media attention. They also get to work with those particular restaurants to at least assist in suggesting what types of food pairings are used.
I had a long conversation with Pierre Lurton and he was emphatic that Yquem was problematic as a 'wine with dessert', and he considered it suitable for only a very few, fairly simple desserts. He opined (and I agreed) that Yquem is much more versatile and functional as an aperitif wine---which, unfortunately, few people in the US understand.
What it comes down to is pushing usage...suggesting/promoting/creating a better way of serving Yquem (one glass at a time instead of ordering a bottle off a list), publicly establishing Yquem as an aperitif wine, or wine with savory instead of sweet foods, etc.
When's the last time you saw someone order a full bottle of Yquem off a list. The rarefied price and rarefied style makes that answer predictable: it doesn't happen very often. People will default to the by-the-glass port or sherry or madeira or vin santo. But if Yquem were listed by the glass, all of a sudden it becomes an 'affordable luxury". And they sell more!
