Operators see opportunity in sangriaOperators see opportunity in sangria

Bret Thorn

This post is part of the Food Writer’s Diary blog.

There’s been a lot of talk about how Millennials love sweet wine, especially Moscato, which was generally thought of as a dessert wine until those young disruptors started drinking it all day long, making it an integral part of many restaurants’ wine lists.

But from what I’ve been hearing out there among beverage directors, Moscato sales these days are steady but flat.

However some operators are seeing opportunity with another sweet wine, sangria.

OK, technically it’s a wine-based beverage, but there’s no reason to split hairs. Your customers don’t. They just drink the stuff, over ice, garnished with fruit.

“Every time we put one in place, it sells like crazy,” said Ryan Valentine, director of beverage for the multi-concept Cameron Mitchell Group, based in Columbus, Ohio. “If you have a little disposition to sweet, then sangria is a way to have a wine and fruit. It’s not real bold. It’s easy to drink.”

And it’s profitable, made with just wine, fruit, some sugar and possibly a little brandy.

Red Robin’s serves a pre-made, boxed sangria. Photo courtesy of Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Brews

Like many restaurants, the Cameron Mitchell ones make their sangria with by-the-glass wine that's getting a little long in the tooth.

“But it has to be good,” Valentine said. “We never say, ‘What are we going to do to dump this off?’ We go with ‘What could be great?’ and if we have the opportunity to use something, we will.”

Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Brews used to do that, too, but in February 2015 it switched to a premade sangria out of a box.

That’s a category that’s enjoying growth. I don't have the latest data on sales in restaurants, but I do for retail, where sangria sales are up by more than 8 percent in the year ending July 17, 2016, in dollar terms, and by around 5.6 percent in terms of volume — meaning consumers are spending more per bottle, or possibly per box: Boxed wine sales are up by just under 13 percent in dollar terms, and just under 12 percent by volume, during that same period.

“It pairs great with a gourmet beef burger, so I think naturally our guests see that fit,” said Katie Burkle, Red Robin's beverage development manager.

“But more than that, the execution of it is very easy for bartenders, which makes it something that they love to sell, and servers love it because, since it’s easy to make, it’s up in the window fast and they can get it to their guest quickly. It’s also a very consistent product. I think servers always feel confident making a recommendation for Beso Del Sol to the guest,” she added, referring to the brand of sangria she uses.

Previously they had a recipe with more than 10 ingredients and used leftover wine, so it wasn’t consistent and took a long time to make — something Cameron Mitchell restaurants get around by making it in batches it in advance.

Burkle said since adding the boxed wine to their nine-wine list (they mostly sell beer) as “Red Spanish Sangria,” it has consistently been one of the top sellers.

“It also photographs beautifully,” she said.

Contact Bret Thorn at [email protected]
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