Luxury Hotelier - February 2008 - (Page 46)

46| Indulge Notes on a wine list Spain’s Hotel Marqués de Riscal has Rioja right-on ine drinkers traditionally have targeted their travel to regions that boast particularly notable vintages. Spain’s northern La Rioja region, the country’s most-recognizable area for winemaking since its 1970s renaissance, is home to the Hotel Marqués de Riscal (www.luxurycollection.com/ marquesderiscal), managed by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide’s The Luxury Collection. The property sits adjacent to the historic Vinos de los Herederos de Marques de Riscal winery. The Frank Gehry-designed hotel, located in Elciego, features wine in its Marqués de Riscal Restaurant, 1860 Restaurant, wine bar and rooftop lounge. Antoni von Planta, food and beverage manager, answers LUXURY HOTELIER’S questions about building the perfect wine list. Q: Your wine list currently has about 200 references. What’s involved in choosing them? A: We must consider that our hotel is in a wine-growing region in a wine-growing country. Marqués de Riscal labels (eight, from the adjacent winery) have a stronger presence. Then we make sure to have a wide selection of wines from the Rioja region (that includes three subregions), then from France and Italy, and a choice of wines of the world, following the standard of Luxury Collection hotels. Q: Are your choices based on relationships with wineries or do you rely on your distributors? A: We rely on distributors, but we usually source new ideas ourselves. Our sommelier, Marta Sàenz, consults the press and wine tastings with colleagues for ideas. Some new wines could be added because of a comment by a client who W comes to dinner at our restaurant. We try to cultivate a personal relationship with the wineries of the Rioja region in order to provide our waiters and staff with a broad understanding of local wines. Q: Your wine cellar is quite old. What does it take to maintain it? A: The wine cellar is managed by our purchasing and storekeeper team in strong collaboration with our sommelier. It is vital to ensure all our wines are stored at the right temperature and don’t go out of stock. In the cathedral, as we call the wine cellar, we keep wines of all vintages since the creation of the winery in 1858. » BY STEPHANIE RICCA HOTEL MARQUÉS DE RISCAL At the Hotel Marqués de Riscal, restaurant manager Josep Solé, sommelier Marta Sáenz and f&b manager Antoni von Planta manage everything to do with wine. Antoni von Planta’s tips for compiling a good wine list Who is your client and what are his or her expectations? A long lunch or just a short drink? Think of your location: Are you in a wine-growing region? If so, these are the wines people will look for. What are the must-haves, the classic wines? What are the novelties? Make sure you ensure the correct turnover for this category; they may go out of date rapidly. Your guests will appreciate a large choice from many different regions, rather than specializing in only the most famous places. Depending on the size of your menu, add some personal specialties and recommendations with a good price-to-quality ratio. Luxury Hotelier | February 2008 | www.LuxuryHotelier.com http://www.luxurycollection.com/marquesderiscal http://www.luxurycollection.com/marquesderiscal http://www.LuxuryHotelier.com

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Luxury Hotelier - February 2008 Editor's Letter Publisher's Letter Inform Network Forever Young Evolution for Jumeirah Insight Diamond in the Rough Amenities Televisions Art in Residence Yield Management Development Wine Lists Marketing to Locals Update Advertisers Index Editorial Index Source Listing Dossier

Luxury Hotelier - February 2008

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