{"id":2457645,"date":"2020-04-24T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-04-24T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/?p=324767"},"modified":"2020-04-24T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2020-04-24T18:00:00","slug":"wineink-creativity-is-key-to-survival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/wineink-creativity-is-key-to-survival\/","title":{"rendered":"WineInk: Creativity is Key to Survival"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery p402_hide\" readability=\"6.44\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-324767-318\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled gallery-container\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/wine-atw-042320-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/wine-atw-042320-1-1024x640.jpg\" data-sub-html=\" | \" class=\"swift-gallery-slide h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/wine-atw-042320-1-1024x640.jpg\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/wine-atw-042320-1-1024x640.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/wine-atw-042320-1-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/wine-atw-042320-1-1-768x1024.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Courtesy Photo | Greg Van Wagner, sommelier, IT specialist and delivery man for Jimmy\u2019s in Aspen, cranks up the Booze Bike for a late-afternoon delivery of specialty cocktails, spirits and, of course, wine. Jimmy\u2019s is just one of many restaurants being creative in reaching out to their customers.\" class=\"swift-gallery-slide h-100\" readability=\"2\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"15\">\n<p><strong>Greg Van Wagner, sommelier, IT specialist and delivery man for Jimmy\u2019s in Aspen, cranks up the Booze Bike for a late-afternoon delivery of specialty cocktails, spirits and, of course, wine. Jimmy\u2019s is just one of many restaurants being creative in reaching out to their customers.<\/strong><br \/>Courtesy Photo<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/wine-atw-042320-1-1-768x1024.jpg\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/wine-atw-042320-1-1-768x1024.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Greg Van Wagner, sommelier, IT specialist and delivery man for Jimmy\u2019s in Aspen, cranks up the Booze Bike for a late-afternoon delivery of specialty cocktails, spirits and, of course, wine. Jimmy\u2019s is just one of many restaurants being creative in reaching out to their customers.\"><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/magazines\/aspen-times-weekly\/wineink-creativity-is-key-to-survival\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/magazines\/aspen-times-weekly\/wineink-creativity-is-key-to-survival\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">A silver lining of the COVID-19 pandemic may be that people have been forced to, in the words of Steve Jobs, \u201cthink different.\u201d Nowhere is this more evident than in the hospitality industry and the world of food and wine.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cThere has been an amazing amount of creativity, especially in the restaurant and wine space,\u201d said John Salamanski of CS Wines, who represents a portfolio of small, bespoke wine producers selling to both \u201con-premise\u201d establishments (those that serve food and liquor) and \u201coff-premise\u201d sales locations (liquor shops and wine stores that don\u2019t allow open bottles) in Colorado.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cFirst, there was creativity in the decision by the governor to allow restaurants to sell wines, then the creativity by restaurants to open to-go windows so they could still interact with their customers.\u201d Many eateries also have creatively put together wine offerings to help bolster their bottom lines in difficult times.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Local restaurants have taken full advantage and view this as a new opportunity.<\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col\" readability=\"6\">\n<div class=\"row at-donation at-donation-mobile p-0\" readability=\"7\">\n<div class=\"col-xl-4 p-2\">\n<div data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/AT-logo-white.png)\" class=\"p-0 mt-2 mb-2 h-75 text-center rocket-lazyload\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/AT-logo-white.png\" class=\"logo m-0 p-0 invisible\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><h3 class=\"d-inline mr-3\">Support Local Journalism<\/h3>\n<p><button class=\"btn d-inline\" type=\"button\" onclick=\"handleDonationButtonClickMidArticle()\">Donate<\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cWine and booze sales have really been a game-changer,\u201d said Wendy Mitchell of Meat &amp; Cheese Restaurant and Farm Shop. \u201cI love this governor. We\u2019ve lowered our margins and all of our wines are half off our regular menu prices. Honestly, I might keep that policy going forward just to get people excited, especially about our natural wine program.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">This week, until April 26, is Natural Wine week at Meat &amp; Cheese, with $5 off each bottle, on top of the already discounted price. And the process is flawless. Simply place an order online or call, and the meal \u2014 with your discounted wine \u2014 will be there when you arrive. You need not even go in.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">And at Jimmy\u2019s in Aspen a few new spokes have been added to the mix by proprietor Jimmy Yeager and wine and beverage director Greg Van Wagner. Last weekend they added an app that Van Wagner created that can be accessed with the link <a id=\"N0x2c115f0N0x2bfcfa0:N0x2c115f0N0x2b9ccd8\" href=\"https:\/\/jimmysboozedelivery.glideapp.io\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">jimmysboozedelivery.glideapp.io\/<\/a><i class=\"fas fa-external-link-alt\"><\/i> and downloaded with a QR code to your phone. Each evening between 4:30 and 8:30 p.m. their \u201cBooze Bike\u201d takes to the road, offering a promised one-hour delivery of bottled cocktails and spirits along with bottles on the prestigious and prodigious wine list offered at 50% off the list price. Customers also can order food and buy gift cards for future dining on the app.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">It is slick, efficient and fun. And it is an example of the way restaurants are using technology and the tools at hand to creatively meet the crises.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cAll of the revenue generated from food, wine and liquor sales has gone into our employee relief fund,\u201d Jimmy said. \u201cWine is running at 20% of our sales. So, it\u2019s been a great contributor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">It is a trend that is seeing traction. Mawa\u2019s Kitchen in Aspen is open every day, doing both delivery and curbside pickup of their homemade menu and, \u201cYes, we are selling wine with our to-go foods and deliveries,\u201d said proprietor Mawa McQueen. Need a bottle of bubbly for breakfast? The current online list features both a 2006 Dom Perignon and a non-vintage Veuve Cliqout Yellow Label. Your choice.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">In normal times at Basalt\u2019s Free Range Kitchen and Wine Bar, a spring evening would see a packed bar as guests toasted with wines from Steve Humble\u2019s hand-picked list. But not now.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cSome of our great regulars that like my selections have bought wine, but not many,\u201d he said via a recent email, though Free Range continues to offer wines with to-go and pick-up orders.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">So what will happen to wine sales when restaurants reopen?<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cIt will be interesting,\u201d said Salamanski, who sells the majority of his wine book, which features many limited allocation wines, to restaurants throughout the state. \u201cWill people be spending as much on wine as they did before? Will there be pent-up demand?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">We\u2019ll just have see. But in the meantime, if you are ordering delivery or pick-up from your favorite haunts, be sure to add in a bottle of wine.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">It will make both the meal and the bottom line more palatable.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/magazines\/aspen-times-weekly\/wineink-creativity-is-key-to-survival\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Greg Van Wagner, sommelier, IT specialist and delivery man for Jimmy\u2019s in Aspen, cranks up the Booze Bike for a late-afternoon delivery of specialty cocktails, spirits and, of course, wine. Jimmy\u2019s is just one of many restaurants being creative in reaching out to their customers.Courtesy Photo Show CaptionsHide Captions A silver lining of the COVID-19 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2457645","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-17 23:44:31","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley&#039;s Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2457645","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2457645"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2457645\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2457645"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2457645"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2457645"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}