F & B : Bar Business
Rosewood ’ s Castiglion del Bosco in Siena , Tuscany , offers a day-long immersion at its on-site winery .
Wine
& dine
According to David Morgan , vice president of food and beverage at Omni Hotels & Resorts , the line between food and beverage has blurred in recent years . He has witnessed Omni ' s beverage program playing an increasingly important role in the overall dining experience , which is why he has led “ Flavors of the World ,” an annual companywide initiative at Omni ' s 80 hotels across the U . S .
This past October through December , Omni partnered with the Wines of Chile to provide a Chilean dinner and bar menu paired with specially selected wines . Throughout the promotion , hotels featured eight to 11 Chilean wines in its bars and restaurants alongside traditional Chilean dishes , including Milcaos con Pebre de Palta ( fried potato cakes with avocado , banana peppers , tomato and Chilean sea salt ), Costillar con Pure Picante ( pork ribs cooked in beer and palm honey with potato puree and smoked Chilean chili pepper ) and Bacalao con Tomaticán ( seared sea bass with braised tomato , yellow corn and cilantro salad ).
To complement the experience , food and beverage directors traveled with Morgan to Chile prior to the launch of the program to taste wines in multiple regions and meet with local winemakers . Omni ’ s chefs also became well-versed in Chilean cuisine and wine pairings thanks to a three-day immersive training session with Chilean Chef Rocío Alvarado Díaz at the San Antonio campus of the Culinary Institute of America . “ If you really want to sell wines and tell the story , you have to know the story ,” Morgan says .
With a similar focus on unique wines , Rosewood Hotels & Resorts ’ Castiglion del
Omni Hotels & Resorts partnered with Wines of Chile for a Chilean dinner and bar menu featuring wines from the region .
Bosco in Siena , Tuscany ’ s winery location draws discerning wine enthusiasts from around the world . The resort offers guests a day-long immersion into the harvest experience that includes guided tours of the vineyards as well as lessons on how to pick grapes and other harvest techniques .
“ People are drinking better ,” says Corey Nyman , director of operations at Las Vegas-based consultancy The Nyman Group . “ They are also drinking from around the world . For instance , instead of just having one Merlot or Chardonnay , now they expect and want several different options . Grapes from different regions are becoming increasingly popular .”
www . hotelsmag . com January / February 2016 HOTELS 39