Pause: it's a powerful word

Do you ever notice how we forget to pause and reflect or breathe for that matter in these hectic times we live in? I have a friend who is a story teller professionally who tells me that the pause taken in the course of telling a good story, is just as important as the words themselves. All this to say that I’m taking a pause in the middle of the holiday season, when we’re blessed with being busy making 2009 plans for our clients that encompass the worlds of tea, chocolate, fine wine and environmental causes, to share Charles Communications' insights into beverage trends be they green, vinuous, spirituous or non-alcoholic. These were presented at the 2009 San Francisco Trends  Think Tank organized and presented by my long term friend and colleague Andrew Freeman, who has a knack for what’s next. I’d like to think that our curiosity and desire to quench our thirst for knowledge, informs what we envision to be the trends for next year.  I plan on making this forecast annually, and I hope the research helps you in whatever way possible.  So get a glass of your favorite beverage, and sit back for a look see into the crystal glass of 2009

Top Beverage Trends for 2009General Overarching Trends:

Going Green Organic, Biodynamic, Fair Trade and Sustainable offerings are continuing their upswing in many arenas be it fine wines, mass market wines, craft brew beer, spirits, coffee, teas, juices. It’s becoming more of a standard than a specialty item, but still has a ways to go. Also because there are so many shades of green, consumers have yet to have complete confidence in or understanding of the degrees of greenness in products.

Mr. McGuire to Benjamin in the Graduate, I’ve Got One Word for you: Plastics As the beverage industry responds to two incentives 1) consumer call for more green packaging and 2) the economic realities of rising fuel costs and shipping rates, packages are getting lighter and carbon footprints are getting smaller. More beverages from Coca Cola to Appellation Controlled Rhone wine are being packaged in PET plastic bottles, meant for early, quick consumption, not aging.

Small is Beautiful Sample sizes are not just for beauty products any more. Many wines are being offered more often in ½ bottles now for those who are watching their intake or who are being savvy shoppers. There are even juice size boxes for wine in 250 ml sizes. Ready to drink is not just for non-alcoholic beverages.

It’s a Small World After All As the internet has brought us closer, and as people who enjoy beverages travel and seek value, we are seeing more exotic wines show up on wine lists from places such as Croatia, Uruguay, Turkey, India, China. Beverage managers for top restaurants are now visiting distilleries around the world, in addition to wineries as well as other locales where unique beverages are crafted.

Alternative Packaging: Recycling Many products are either making their packages more environmentally sensitive (note the new water bottle shape using less plastic), or are made of post consumer recycled product or are 100% recyclable. Tasty affordable wines are showing up in trendy modern designed boxes and tetra paks, aluminum bottles and lighter weight glass. Some bottles are being designed by spirits companies for re-purposing, re-use.

Drinking outside of the Box: High end designed boxed wines are no longer the stigma socially that they used to be. Quality across the boards from import to domestic is on the rise, and with premium wine prices rising, boxed wines are the chic alternative for big gatherings and at home consumption.

Education: No Glass Left Behind From servers to clientele in hotels, restaurants, wine shops the thirst for education has never been stronger. Certification programs are abounding for wine knowledge at the consumer and trade level. Staff are being trained to know everything from sakes to teas to artisan tequilas so they can up sell their clientele. Staff trainings and tastings are more prevalent than ever. Many restaurants are offering their clients an opportunity to be educated on specific subjects of interest i.e. Single Malt Sundays at the Viceroy in L.A., Sommelier Unplugged Nights with Chris Sawyer at the Carneros Bistro in Sonoma, Eno-Versity at Eno in Chicago where clients learn about wine, chocolate, cheese once a month.

What a Pair Going beyond the traditional, restaurants are pairing all sorts of beverages with their menus these days from beer to sake to coffee, and are also giving clients suggestions right on the menu of wines by the glass or bottle to enjoy with their dish, helping clients get over the hurdle of what to pair with their meal.

Flight Instructors It’s taking off, sample sizes or tastes of different wines, beers, spirits, sakes are being offered in wine bars, restaurants, hotel bars/lounges. Two ounce pours of different offerings are offered in flights for people to learn about nuances i.e. difference between blanco and reposado tequilas, to experimenting with new wine producing regions around the world in a glass. Bars are encouraging trial and sampling, Try Before You Buy. Small tastes of top luxury wines/spirits are also popular where one can have a taste of something that may be out of normal affordability range: a bit of luxurious indulgence.

It’s the Economy Stupid As goes the general world economy of haves and have nots, while value sensitivity is increasing in restaurants and wine shops where consumers are quietly downshifting their price points for wines by the glass or wine purchases by the bottle, at the same time, people are splurging for $2,000 shots of rare single malt whiskeys or spending $75 for a vintage dated top growth Bordeaux by the glass.

Here Come the Millennials One of the most influential groups to affect the world of beverage especially wine, but it extrapolates to the cocktail and beer culture too. Many are price resistant, well-traveled, internet savvy and total networkers: encouraging and sharing wine, beer, cocktail faves like never before. They are being credited with helping the wine industry have one of its strongest year’s ever. Unorthodox in their approach, they are leading the way with trial and experimentation across the boards.

For everything there is a Season Seasonality in ingredients is not just for the menu any more, there are seasonal farmer’s market based cocktails exploding on the scene in the world of mixology. Craft brews made for a limited seasonal time are at an all time high in terms of popularity fueling the locavore movement and the sense of being sensitive to the season we’re in resonate with consumers.

Trends in Specific Beverage Arenas:

Raise the Wine Bar It has been said that Wine Bars are the Coffee Bars of the 2000s. Wine Bar concepts are exploding around the country with mutiple bottle lists, themes (i.e. only South African or California based wine lists), large numbers of wines by the glass i.e. 50-100 offerings are quite common in many new wine bars. Themes that get people’s attention from ‘Oak vs. Stainless’ chardonnays, to ‘Funky Reds’ are popping up on lists to get consumers to have fun while they’re getting educated.

Will we see Wine at McDonald’s? As we see institutions such as McDonald’s serving the needs of coffee drinkers seeking lower priced alternatives to Starbucks, perhaps wine isn’t far off. Some early adopter upscale fast food locales such as Q-Shack in North Carolina or Taylor’s Refresher in California are offering wines by the glass or ½ bottle with your pulled pork and hamburger. Noodles & Co. and Pei Wei are chains that are offering wines now. Why not? It might slow the artery hardening... :)

Are you Local? All 50 states produce wine today in the U.S. and as the quality levels continue to improve, we’re seeing more local wines on lists in urban markets as well as more demand to have wines consumed locally that have a lower carbon footprint. Sommeliers are encouraging trial with tastes and local farmer ingredient driven menus for pairing.

SpiritsFrom Sea to Shining Sea From the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Bay Area, mom and pop distilleries are all the rage with over 100 independent spirits producers in Northern America (up from 5 in 1990), small spirits producers are being championed by the urbane mixologists across the country, creating a market and demand completely unexpected. Called the “gourmet-fication” of spirits by experts, expect to see more on the scene.

Corpse Revival Playing off the term used for a classic cocktail including Absinthe, obscure, once forgotten spirits are coming back due to high demand from the creative cocktailians mixing it up across the country. Spirits and liqueurs such as Crème de Violette, Absinthe, Swedish Punch are being brought back by purists who want to see classics revived.

Ying and Yang in Cocktail Culture Borrowing from the savory and sweet side of many menus, and crossing over between bartender and chef, never before have the kitchen and the bar collaborated so closely in the making of cocktails. Gone are many of the super sweet cocktails (dessert cocktails excepted), and mixologists are opting for the palate cleansing balance of a good cocktail.

Drink Your Dessert Many mixologists are finding innovative ways to forego dessert in favor of a dessert like cocktail or even a cocktail that is half eaten and half drunk such as the French Toast cocktail at Benoit Bar in NYC or the White Russian Rice Krispie flavored treat at Tailor in Soho, NYC.

That’s the Spirit Certain spirits seem to have a buzz going, meaning that they’ve become the darlings of the mixology set…2008 saw a rise in popularity of 100% agave Tequila, Absinthe with its legal status granted for the first time in 75 years, genever style Gin gaining favor over traditional gin, Small Batch Whiskey from different states in the U.S., artisanal Bourbon still rising in popularity as an American original.

Beer: Roll out the Barrel Cask ales from craft brewers are now offering limited releases and are being aged in cellars in restaurants like wine. Restaurants are beginning to pair specialty cask beers with menus and it is one of the least known but rapidly growing areas of interest in beverage right now.

Big Bottles The 22 ounce beer bottle is no longer the domain of the frat boys, it is now an offering in restaurants for food pairing similar to wines for specialty beers. Especially popular are the Belgian beers and lambics both at retail and on premise.

Other cool trends in beverage:

Tea: Lose the Doilies Tea is no longer associated with only the formal hotel service of British heritage or the yoga set, it has gone mainstream and modern. Tea sommeliers are working the floors of tea salons in urban areas, teas are showing up in cocktail infusions and in hot toddies, Ready to Drink teas are more popular than ever with all sorts of healthful flavorings from green tea to ginger, to pomegranate to white and red teas. Chefs are cooking with tea for savory and sweet items on the menu.

Water Pressure With water becoming a more precious resource and with sensitivity to packaging and waste becoming more top of mind, restaurants are now switching to inhouse filtration and carbonation systems to produce water options from the tap and offering it complimentary to guests.

Focus Your Energy The proliferation of energy drinks and vitamin/energy infused waters doesn’t seem to be losing any ground. For people on the go, getting nutrients and energy boosts is a global phenomenon.

For more "trends to watch for 2009", check out the following live interviews. Popular Spirits for 2009

Watch more video clips on: Organic Spirits, The Impact of the Internet on Wine, Economic Effects on the Wine Industry, The Rise of Sake, Wine Bar Popularity, Overarching Trends for '09.

Visit our video library on YouTube.

Paying it forward with the help of San Francisco Food Bank

I love everything about the holidays. Christmas music, holiday decorations, buying people presents, eating, drinking, and being merry- I love it all! And the city with its decorations and lights is just so charming. But I have to admit that amidst all of the shopping and holiday parties I have a tendency to indulge a little bit too much and get wrapped up in the fabulousness of it all. But over the past few days, efforts on the part of some very hardworking and generous people have given me some perspective and inspiration to pay it forward. Dine Out Against Hunger

Owners Mike Pierce & Scott Youkilis of Maverick in the Mission have spearheaded a great initiative called ‘Dine Out Against Hunger.’ On Thursday, December 18th, along with 12 other Mission restaurants, Maverick is donating 10% of total dinner sales to the San Francisco Food Bank. Maverick is also offering guests that make a donation to the San Francisco Food Bank a 10% discount off of their bill.

The San Francisco Food Bank deserves a special shout out for the incredibly effective work that they do every day, but especially during the holidays. SFFB supplies food to over 600 food programs operated by partnering community service agencies and food pantries throughout the City. Like many other non-profit orgs, their individual and corporate donations are lower than usual, as are food supplies, due to strained economic times and high food costs. Children are especially affected by the work of the Food Bank. A tidbit I found compelling is that less than 20% of the people receiving food assistance are homeless.

I hope you'll consider Dining Out on the 18th to support the SFFB. Maybe I'll see you at one of the participating restaurants: Maverick* A16 Americano Andalu Caffe Sociale Delfina Destino Foreign Cinema Incanto Kuleto's Magnolia Range Serpentine Slow Club SPQR

Confessions of a E-Shopaholic

My name is Andrew and I am a shopaholic. There, I said it. People often say that acceptance is the first step to recovery. I have no problem admitting to my addiction; stopping myself from typing www.blowyourmoneyhere.com, on the other hand, has proven to be rather difficult. Having gone to college in the middle of nowhere, I quickly fell victim to the lure of online shopping. First, it was a few special edition sneakers but as we all know, the problem with online shopping is that it makes you realize how meaningless your life is without those USB robots that dance to the music from your computer, or those beanbags shaped like puzzle pieces. However the benefit to e-shopping is that it allows me to research/ learn about products with ease, and there’s never a shortage of stores that are selling what I want for a cheaper price than the ones before them. And with the current economic downtown, I’ve come to favor discount codes more than ever. Before I finalize my order on the check out page, I search for all kinds of discount codes that might apply to my order to get that 5 or 6% off. And when I do locate a discount code that’s applicable to my order, not only do I feel smarter than Stephen Hawking, but I also pat myself on the back for my ‘advanced’ researching abilities. On the rare occasion that I find multiple discount codes available, I apply the one that offers the most discount to my order, and then write the rest of them down in the “Do you have a comment or a suggestion?” box, hoping that whoever is processing my order will take notice of my ingenuity, have a good chuckle to him/herself, and decide to apply all the discount codes to my order.

As Christmas season is fast approaching (or is it here already?), I thought I could talk about one of my favorite websites to shop for fun, quirky gifts. I wish this e-store were a ‘hidden gem’ that I could introduce to the world and people would awe at my discovery, but alas it is not. However, that does not mean it is a bad store by any means.

Lush is a store that sells fresh, handmade natural cosmetics and bath and body products. As an avid fan, I knew their handmade natural soaps, bath bombs, shampoos, lotions etc. were total crowd pleasers but only recently did I realize how ‘green’ their offerings are. According to the Lush website, you can purchase 70% of their products without any packaging, and with the products that require packaging, they use post-consumer recycled, recyclable and biodegradable materials. How commendable is that, considering that some stores feel obliged to tissue paper your purchase to death?

How bathbombs work (courtesy of Lush.com)

And these are some of my favorite bathbombs:

Big Blue Bath Bomb

Sakura Bath Bomb

Ickle Angel Bath Bomb

From Farm to Table?

There is a food phrase used in the media that always catches my attention: ‘From Farm to Table’. Sounds simple enough right? You collect the eggs to make your omelet, you pick the lettuce to the make your salad and you milk the goat to make your cheese? If only it were that pastoral... With the all too prevalent foodborne illness scares, the term has come to mean the governmental process of tracing a contaminated tomato back to its agricultural source; Or in Michael Pollan’s case, tracing a McDonald’s hamburger back to a commodity cornfield in Iowa; Or a rustic, familiar allusion to family-run, local ranching in The Niman Ranch Cookbook: From Farm to Table. While I feel it is admirable that the term is helping people really consider where their food comes from, for me personally, it alludes to the very literal sense of the phrase: From a farm to my table, with no extensive journey in between. In true investigative form, I set out immerse myself in my romantic perception of this phrase.

Camp Joy Camp Joy is a small non-profit organic farm operated for educational purposes and supported by Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) boxes. The farm is 4.5 charming acres of organic fruit, vegetables, flowers, goats and chickens in the Santa Cruz Mountains. I just happen to visit at peak fruit time.

In addition to eating fresh peaches and plums right off the trees, I was treated to fresh eggs for breakfast and homemade herbed goat cheese made from Camp Joy's happy and productive goats. Camp Joy strives to educate others on how to live more sustainable lives, and after my amazing visit, I felt compelled to start immediately.

Country Flat Farm Country Flat Farm is one of the most endearing places I have ever been. And let me explain "endearing": The single family run farm sits atop a mountain overlooking the Big Sur coast. The views are absolutely spectacular. It is no wonder the energetic lemon trees and fruitful (ha) apples trees happily bask in the sun there. The home on the property is completely solar powered and built from materials that came from the land on which it stands. The farm is run by a remarkable family that doesn't take an inch of beautiful land for granted and through sustainable life practices, hope to make a difference. I spent the day digging out carrots, snipping off fresh bunches of lettuce and filling my shirt full of fresh meyer lemons (making sure I only took as many as I could consume.)

What did I learn? First of all, there is something kind of sexy about dirt under your fingernails at the end of the day on a farm. Also, food just tastes better when it comes directly from the farm to your table. There are many ways our population can easily be more conscientious eaters. Buy local. Look into starting a CSA box for your own home. For a great listing of Bay Area CSA box options check out this comprehensive list on Om Organics website.

Happy Eating!

Downsizing = Greensizing

When my husband and I made a move across the country to check out a new place and get a new perspective, little did we know that it would turn into a great exercise in greensizing.  In the process of downsizing and choosing a new community in which to live and work, we found ourselves inadvertently reducing our carbon footprint exponentially. I say inadvertently a bit tongue in cheek, as my husband and I have both been working in the green space for decades.  However, our initial choices of a town, apartment, and amenities were instigated by our desire to keep things simple and downsize financially, not to go uber green.  We achieved both in the process. Below is a list of choices we made, and the green benefits we gained along the way.

Location: Small town vs. Big City We like small towns and we like to be able to walk and bike everywhere. This was our desire to slow down the rat race, and maintain a high quality of life. We found a small town in the northwest in which to settle and explore.

Green benefits:  Small means that everything is close at hand.  Not only can we walk to dine and shop, but to do any errands necessary.

Small in our case also means a tight-knit community, one that supports local agriculture and business, and one which celebrates that every week with a farmers market featuring many delicious organic options. Boy we love berry season!

It turns out we also picked a town with great public transportation, a well established and extensive system of trails in a community that values greenspace and open space.  This means that our recreation opportunities are right outside our door as well.

An added benefit is that we are on an Amtrak route so travel to two big international cities for culture and entertainment is green, economical and efficient.

Housing: Apartment vs. House Due to the fact that we still own our home in another state, we wanted to rent while we check out our new location.  We chose an apartment over a house or townhome to keep our monthly cash commitment to a minimum. (It also didn’t hurt that it has killer views and is close to everything we needs from groceries to post office to great restaurants.)

Green benefits: An apartment means less area to heat than a house which means using less energy and lower utility bills!  We also chose one with western exposure and waterfront views.  This means we have great passive solar lighting and heating, again, reducing the bills.  Our bills are one quarter of what they were for our house.  It also helps that we moved to a slightly warmer climate, which in itself reduces the need for fossil fuels.

Additional unforeseen benefits of living in smaller quarters means that we have limited storage space so we buy less, spend less, consume less and waste less.  Less space also means we need less furniture so our moving costs and fuel cost to move it were small.  We did purchase a couple of items and were thrilled to be able to find furniture made in by local companies, thus supporting the economy and avoiding the fuel costs of products shipped from elsewhere.

Work:  Consulting vs. Corporate Life My husband and I are fortunate enough to have a few years of the working world under our respective belts so consulting is our current preferred mode of making a living. This has afforded us the flexibility to make a geographic move as we can live anywhere.

Green benefits:  With advanced technology, ie, email and phones, consulting is a breeze. No commuting except to the occasional client meeting is necessary for either of us, therefore, we are not polluting the planet every day to get to work.  We are also saving money and are not currently stressed out about gas prices.  Ok, I lied - I hate gas prices going up anyway.

A strange green benefit is that by working from home, we have smaller wardrobe requirements and therefore, consume less and do less laundry, thus saving energy.

Climate:  Consistent Temperate vs. Changing Alpine We moved from a seasonal alpine climate with potentially harsh winter conditions to a temperate coastline to experience a water-side lifestyle for a change.

Green benefits:  In addition to the aforementioned energy savings due to a milder climate, we are spending less on clothes.  One season fits all when it comes to what to wear.  The need for fewer clothes also means fewer shopping sprees which translates into less gas used.

Another benefit of a temperate climate is that we have shifted from a semi-arid climate with water restrictions, water scarcity, and limited agriculture, to one rich in water, agriculture and a great local food supply. Sustainability is inherent in such a location.

In addition to finding the fun in downsizing and greensizing and learning new ways to do it every day, we are thoroughly enjoying a fun, simplified new lifestyle in a new place.  Our biggest green vice is the occasional extra flight to see friends, family and clients.  But we can live with that knowing we have been able to make easy green changes in our every day life. Who knew going cheap would mean growing greener?

Charles Comm in Beijing!!

I've been excited to go back to China ever since I bought my tickets to the Olympics over a year ago. With all the extravagant rumors that we hear in the US media about China and their preparations for the Olympics, who wouldn't be? News stories like the one that said Beijing city planners were building not one, not two, but twelve new subway lines! Or stories that claimed Chinese authorities were testing ways to manipulate the weather such that clouds would rain before they even reached Beijing (WHAT? I thought only God could do that!!) I decided I had to go and see this first hand. You knew you were in for a treat as soon as you got off the airplane and stepped into the monumentally-huge new terminal in Beijing (actually, they built two new terminals since the last time I had been in Beijing a year ago with my father, when Olympic fever was just beginning to percolate). As you walked from the gate to baggage claim, not only were you bombarded by Olympic posters and ads celebrating the games, you were also welcomed by tables of volunteers there to help you with anything Beijing-related. Nearly 75,000 of these volunteers blanketed the city in an effort to help make the games run smoothly.

So let me just get the routine questions out of the way:

Did I see Michael Phelps? No. Were there a lot of people? Yes. Obviously. Was the air really that bad? Surprisingly not.

I saw four events while I was in Beijing: swimming (Womens 50M freestyle, Mens 4 x 100M Medley Relay), Men's water polo (Greece v. Canada, US v. Croatia), soccer (Italy v. Belgium) and track and field (110M hurdles, Men's triple jump). I got to go inside the Bird's Nest and the Swim Cube, and most important, I met the Today Show crew: Matt, Al, Meredith and Anne (of course the highlight of my trip would be meeting American news anchors!!).

All in all, I'm really glad I made the trek! I think that anytime a country spends $48 billion welcoming the world, you might as well take them up on their offer!