When Oakville Grill & Cellar opened in Chicago two years ago, parent company Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises outfitted a small nook in the back with a six-seat tasting counter called The Cellar Door. Each month, a different winery sends in bottles, and 4-ounce pours of three to five different wines are served over the course of one-and-a-half hours. Seats go for around $65.
The Cellar Door at Oakville enhances the wine tasting experience with storytelling and personal interaction. | Photo by David Borzkowski
“A number of people have standing reservations,” said Grant Barnow, wine director at Oakville. “We get a huge range of ages and wine knowledge, but the event skews younger with folks just beginning their wine journey. Participants get a personal sommelier to answer questions and we are able to stoke a passion for wine early on.”
Gen Z is all about unique experiences, said Julie Heseman, senior director of research & insights at Technomic. “They appreciate the ritual of wine when it’s presented in an unintimidating, approachable way,” she said. “That gives younger drinkers more confidence to explore.”
Gen Z consumers of legal drinking age (21-31) are unlike previous generations in the way they think and purchase alcohol, Technomic research concluded. In a recent survey, about half of operators who serve adult beverages agree that this group is less engaged with wine than older generations, and are opting instead for beer, mixed drinks or cocktails.
Affordability also plays into the picture. The No. 1 reason this generation doesn’t drink alcohol is that they are trying to control spending. The “sober curious” movement and a preference for cannabis products are also factors.
But operators are not throwing in their corkscrews yet. In the same Technomic survey, restaurant and bar teams point to happy hours, tasting events and unique experiences as the most effective methods of fostering wine engagement with these younger drinkers.
Busting the barriers to wine exploration
At Oakville, happy hours have been a successful way to engage Gen Z in the wine experience. “We do $6 pours of three wines between 4 and 6 p.m.,” said Barnow. He has also organized “meet the winemaker” mixers, offering six to seven wines at different stations. “People float around and taste, and the winemaker is right there to ask questions,” he said. “It’s much less intimidating than a winemaker dinner.” Those are an option too, but usually appeal to older guests and bigger spenders.
Oakville’s wine list itself also encourages exploration. The restaurant stocks bottles from 500 to 600 wineries, all in California and many from lesser known, sometimes younger producers. “We focus on depth over breadth, offering wines that deliver on value in a wide range of prices,” said Barnow. “This provides a fun, exploratory experience that gets people out of their comfort zone.”
But the well-trained team is key to that exploration. Three sommeliers plus a cellar director are on premise at Oakville. “At dinner, they do an incredible job of breaking down pretensions and making guests feel comfortable,” he said. “A combination of wine knowledge and emotional intelligence steers guests to wines at their price point or below.”
Team training is key to removing pretensions and engaging guests with wine, believes Oakville's wine director Grant Barnow (above.) | Photo courtesy of Oakville Grill & Cellar.
The wine team has regular sit-down meetings at which they share tidbits about the different wines. Visits to the wineries represented on Oakville’s list provide interesting details to share with each other and guests. “Fifty percent of wine is the story wrapped into it, and sharing that story engages guests,” said Barnow.
“Server training is one of the biggest factors in appealing to Gen Zers of legal drinking age,” said Heseman. “Many feel intimidated by wine and while a menu description is a starting point, the server makes everything more approachable.”
Storytelling is also a priority for Felice, a wine bar and Italian restaurant with 11 locations in New York and Florida. Wine director Christian Ferrulli has regular wine lunches with his teams where they take a deep dive into wine regions to get them more knowledgeable about the different producers and learn a few fun facts about the wines.
“This new generation is used to getting information very quickly on their phones, so we encourage the servers to tell young guests a couple of fun things about the wine in a few seconds,” said Ferrulli. “You can’t change what the wine is, but you can change the way you talk about it.” His idea is to create a “no judgement” zone and personal moments with each guest to remove pretensions. Those old-school taste descriptors like tobacco, leather, forest floor and plum are not relatable to guests just starting out on their wine journey.
Felice’s wine list also tells a good story, divided by agricultural terrains such as seaside, mountains and volcanic soil rather than red and white varietals, “and covering every taste and pocketbook,” Ferrulli said. This includes emerging producers that provide great value, along with a featured wine of the week that sells for $20 to $30 less than Felice’s average bottles. The restaurants also offer growers’ champagne and other wines cultivated by Italian farmers for very little markup.
A wide selection of wines from emerging producers offers guests good value at Felice. | Photo courtesy of Felice Wine Bar.
“We’ve also expanded our by-the-glass options and sell three de-alcoholized wines—a red, white and sparkling,” he added. This is in step with the Gen Z trend of zebra striping—alternating full-proof wines and cocktails with alcohol-free selections when out in a restaurant or bar.
Tapping into Gen Z values
Felice has an extensive selection of organic and biodynamic wines, and the menu goes into detail about their agricultural production. Ferrulli sees younger diners gravitating toward these wines.
“The sustainability message plays a part in turning these consumers onto wine,” said Technomic’s Heseman, “but transparency is a selling point, too. They want to know where the wine comes from, how it’s grown and the winemaking process.”
Dallas-based Sixty Vines, a wine-focused polished-casual chain, puts sustainability front and center as soon as a customer enters one of its 14 locations. Almost all the wine comes in by the keg and is served on tap, eliminating glass bottles, the energy that goes into producing those bottles and the transportation costs associated with shipping heavy cases. The tap wall is the focal point of each restaurant.
Sixty Vines sources wines in kegs that are tapped for service—a sustainability story that resonates with Gen Z. | Photo courtesy of Sixty Vines.
“Sustainability was built into our DNA from the beginning, and that piece continues to grow,” said CEO Jeff Carcara. “We recently rolled out a composting program, with about 90% of food waste now going into compost instead of landfill.”
When Carcara started Sixty Vines, he was literally knocking on doors in Napa Valley looking for wineries that would distribute in kegs. Five years later, the producers are coming to him, he said. A keg typically holds 26 bottles and is temperature-controlled to maintain quality of both whites and reds.
Younger consumers also appreciate the opportunity to explore a variety of wines in different sizes without breaking the bank. Tastes are free, as they are at Oakville and Felice, but guests don’t have to spring for a glass or bottle. “We’ve got a 2½-ounce pour to start, which can range anywhere from $4 on up,” said Carcara. “You may want to try a different varietal that you’ve never had before, or do a flight. You can get really adventurous.”All 60 wines are also available by the 5-ounce glass, 8-ounce quartino or 750 mL carafe to share.
The “wine country” food menu reinforces that spirit of adventure. It centers around ingredients and cuisines from wine-growing regions of the world—Italy, Spain, France and California—areas that are also known for their great food.
Sharing is popular among younger guests, with brunch a growing occasion, as well as “Tappy Hour”—Sixty Vines' everyday Happy Hour. Servers are trained to read the guest or table and “totally take the wheel and drive for them, creating a tailored experience,” said Carcara. “They can bring out a few wines and offer tastes, pairing them with some of our shareable appetizers. Or slice up a pork chop and offer a couple of different Pinot Noirs from two regions. The ability to mix and match allows us to offer wine tastings any day of the week.”
Sixty Vines recently conducted demographic research, which revealed that the 24 to 30 (or so) age group is increasingly choosing to spend their money at the chain because they get an affordable experience along with their food and drink. “They can come in and get a spicy sausage pizza and do a couple 2½ -ounce pours and be out for less than $25,” said Carcara.
Hospitality-forward marketing
Eddie Pozzuoli, CEO of P Hospitality based in South Florida, oversees three different concepts—Eddie & Vinnie’s, Corvina Seafood Grill and Prezzo Restaurants—each with a unique way of promoting wine to customers.
Corvina in Boca Raton welcomes guests with a complimentary glass of bubbly—a Spanish Cava. “It kind of just starts your night off on a good note, setting up a positive dining experience from the start,” Pozzuoli said. “And it's not like it’s going to deter someone from ordering that first cocktail or a full glass of wine.” In fact, it often sets the tone to order more with dinner. An alcohol-free Prosecco is available too, for those who prefer.
During Happy Hour, Prezzo takes a flat $4 off every glass of wine. | Photo courtesy of P Hospitality.
Prezzo offers Wine Wednesdays, with bottles up to $100 discounted 50% during operating hours, no food purchase necessary. Both restaurants also offer a lot of wines by the glass during happy hour, with a strategy that invites experimentation.
“Instead of offering a few house wines at a special price, we take a flat $4 off each glass of wine, whether it’s a $22 glass or a $14 glass,” said Pozzuoli. “This gives that person who may be hesitant about ordering a $20 glass of wine, a chance to try it for $16.” If they like it, they may order up from a house wine on their next visit, he added.
To counteract possible higher tariffs on Italian and French wines, Pozzuoli is adding more South American wines, which are currently very cost effective, he said.
At Eddie & Vinny’s, an Italian fine-dining restaurant, the wine club is proving a draw—mostly for older customers with deeper pockets, but some younger guests are also intrigued.
For a fee of $120 for three months, members can purchase discounted wines by the bottle, have access to “Private Pour” premium wines by the glass, enjoy a monthly wine club happy hour with free pours and bites, and finish up with a complimentary Limoncello toast.
The club has two tiers; with a $1,000 annual membership, customers get the perk of a wine locker. This allows then to store bottles of wine and have them served without paying a corkage fee.
“In the two months since Eddie & Vinny’s opened, we've got all of our 20 lockers sold and 45 monthly memberships. And we're growing by about three to four memberships a week at this point,” said Pozzuoli.
Guests at Corvina are greeted with a glass of bubbly to set the stage for wine at dinner. | Photo courtesy of P Hospitality.
But the appeal to guests goes beyond the exclusivity. Once again, it all circles back to storytelling.
“Every month, we bring in a new supplier or rep, and over glasses of wine, they'll explain the story behind the wine; what makes it special, something about the winery itself and the people behind it,” said Pozzuoli. “This membership program is all about showing people the fun side of wine.”