A Sparkling Sojourn In Santa Monica

By Liza B. Zimmerman

A few months ago I had the pleasure of visiting Santa Monica after a many-year hiatus. I stayed at The Georgian Hotel, a 93-old grand dame that has been lovingly renovated and faces the beach. The 1930s gem was home to singers and celebrities throughout the years and still houses a swanky jazz club and steakhouse in its basement.

It’s also home to a classic bar in the lobby and a Mediterranean-influenced restaurant that offers indoor, and outdoor, dining with an in-depth and esoteric wine list. Some of my favorites included Benati’s Etna Rosso Riseva and two dozen interesting Nebbiolo-based wines of different appellations from Piedmonte.

Wine director Kristin Olszewski oversees the list and sat down with me to talk about the resurgence of sales of bubbles and trends she is seeing at the restaurant. She dropped out of pre-med at Harvard to become a wine director! All questions have been edited and modified for clarity.

L.B.Z.: How many do you carry and what is the approximate price range top to bottom per bottle?

K.O.: I like to carry at least 10 sparkling wines, with prices ranging from $60 to $1,000.

L.B.Z.: Which are a hand sell?

K.O.: I think grower Champagne is becoming more popular lately, and the price point is more accessible than most of the big houses so customers are more likely to try. I do think that the more niche sparklers—such as Ciro Picariello Fiano Brut—are more of a hand sell, but because they’re so much more affordable than champagne, people are always so overjoyed when they taste the quality you can get when you go off the beaten path.

L.B.Z.: Which categories are selling the most?

K.O.: Set and setting is essential. We sell a lot of Champagne at The Georgian, I believe, because the environment just begs you to open a bottle of fancy bubbles. Whether you’re on the terrace, looking at the ocean drinking grower Champagne or you’re downstairs sitting in a red leather booth, having a glass of Krug, it all just feels right.

L.B.Z.: Do consumers care how the bubbles are produced?

K.O.: I don’t think consumers care or know the difference in production method for sparkling wines, they just understand that anything labeled “Champagne” will be more expensive.

L.B.Z.: What is driving the sales or lack thereof in each category?

K.O.: I think post-Covid, we are all looking for reasons to make the ordinary meal feel a little more celebratory.

L.B.Z.: Are U.S. consumers finding bubbles to be food friendly as well as a good aperitif or after-dinner sipper?

K.O.: Consumers are still drinking bubbles at the beginning of their meals, and less so throughout, but I think sommeliers are really shouldering the cause and using every opportunity possible to push bubbles throughout the meal!

L.B.Z.: Is Christmas still an important sales season for bubbles?

K.O.: YES! In Los Angeles, we have so many holiday parties and it’s one of the best times of the year to sell bubbles.

L.B.Z.: Are there markets in which bubbles sell notably better?

K.O.: In the last eight years but I’ve definitely noticed sparkling wine sales rising in popularity over the last few years. I push sparkling wines because they are superior for food pairing (and more fun). And personally, bubbles are always my go to.

Via Forbes