Quality counts

The following article is brought to you by Jacob's Creek.

A quality glass​

Wine is all about enjoyment, whatever the occasion a delicious glass of red or white wine can set the mood, be fun, informal or be the perfect partner with a meal. It is one of the simplest drinks to serve in a busy bar, and an excellent profit earner. Now is the time to shake off the poor reputation that wine has in pubs and offer your customers what they want - a quality glass of wine.

Great expectations​

As a record number of people now enjoy a bottle of wine at home, it is the one drinks category that they are experienced and comfortable with. Knowing the right temperature, how to store the wine and being aware of how fresh it is are all things consumers will be familiar with.

The latest Publican wine research has highlighted that when enjoying a glass of wine in a pub, the consumer expects the wine to be properly chilled, fresh and served in a clean glass. Regrettably this is not always the case, so we have outlined a simple step by step guide to making sure the quality of the serve is always guaranteed.

Size matters! ​

The latest Publican Wine Research revealed that less than 10% of those surveyed want to drink out of a small goblet glass, highlighting that most customers much prefer a 175ml or 250ml glass. This is great news for pubs, as the wine being served looks more premium, can command a higher price and is being rotated more frequently, ensuring the serving is also fresher.

Another ideal way to build customer confidence and guarantee a quality glass of wine is to offer customers a single serve bottle, they are quick and easy to serve and reassuringly fresh.

How to tell if your wine is corked:​

It is a myth that corked wine refers to little pieces of cork floating in the glass. Corked wines have flavours and aromas that are musty and reminiscent of damp cardboard. This is simple to detect on the nose and also the appearance of the wine, look out for cloudiness and unattractive woody characters on the palate.

Approx 5% of all wine is now affected by cork taint.

Key messages​

• Half of people questioned about wine in pubs said they had been disappointed by the quality of wine service (Publican Wine Research 2003). Customer comments were as follows:
  • 19% of people confirmed they had been served wine in a dirty glass
  • 44% of people preferred the 175ml glass
• Improving the quality of your wine offering is all in the serve - glass presentation and temperature are key
• There is huge potential in the UK pub trade for selling wine - now is the time to take a serious look at quality and serve and building your customer's confidence.

A step by step guide to improving the quality of your service​

• Storage:​ an open bottle should be kept for no more than 1 day to ensure optimum quality and freshness. It is also important to seal the bottle of wine once opened, air extraction pump or vac-u-vin are a good way to keep wines fresh. Wines should also be stored at an even temperature, ideally 11 - 12oC.

Try before you serve:​ one of the best things to do is to try the bottle of wine before you serve it, encourage staff to check that the wine is bright in the glass and smells fresh and fruity.

The serve:​ a clean glass can make all the difference in impressing your customers, showing that you care, as well as having an affect on the actual taste.

Serving temperature:​ white and rose wines are best served around 7-12oC, and red wine is best served between 15 -18oC (ie room temperature). But when serving a chilled bottle of wine, we recommend offering the bottle in a wine cooler so that every glass is as enjoyable as the first.

Style of glass:​ first impressions count, appearance and the style of glass will immediately signal to the consumer whether you are a wine friendly outlet or not. The most popular style is the Tulip glass.

Remember - try before you serve!