I’m interviewing Friday for a wine steward role at a seafood-focused spot, and I’m torn between leading with a crisp BTG core (Muscadet, Albariño, Chablis) dialed for oysters/crudo or spotlighting a couple texture plays like skin-contact Friulano to nudge pairings. If you hire for these roles, do you want me to open with margin talk (12-glass list, BTG COGS about 28%) or a tight pairing philosophy anchored by two dishes, e.g., scallop crudo with Albariño and grilled swordfish with Etna Rosso?
I got hired pitching Muscadet + one skin-contact upsell; then showed 28% COGS — ‘oysters want acid, checks want margin.’.
Start with the BTG core dialed for oysters/crudo, then immediately show how you’ll hit the ‘28% COGS’ on a 12-glass list with one quick example: Muscadet landed ~$11, $13.5/5oz, 5 pours ≈ 19% COGS, which gives room for a skin-contact Friulano by-the-ounce via Coravin around 32%. The tiny add I’ve used: a half-pour upsell tied to the crudo section to trial the texture play, and if sell-through drags, flip the wildcard to an herbal Vermentino — still saline-friendly but easier table buy-in, @reneeK34.