As director of wine for San Francisco-based Kimpton Hotels, Emily Wines is anything but green when it comes to selecting varieties for the company’s eco-friendly wine program. Currently, 30 percent of all wines served at Kimpton hotels are eco-friendly.
The master sommelier, who has been instrumental in overseeing the program, immersed herself in information about sustainable wineries, seeking out notable eco-friendly wines and their distributors. It is a job she embraces wholeheartedly and enjoys.
What are some of Kimpton’s green initiatives?
At Kimpton we have this program called Earthcare. Through it we’ve seen the power we have as a large hotel company and how we can produce change. It’s not just through our wine program—it’s through a number of initiatives. A good example of this was when Nikki Leondakis, our chief operating officer, became frustrated with the dry-cleaning methods used on Kimpton uniforms. She thought at least the hangers should be recycled, so she said, “Look, I’m a big vendor and can insist that the dry cleaner has to have a program set up to recycle these hangers.” That was one way as a company we could influence change.
Another was when we implemented a water filtration system that would cut down on the use of bottled water. We noticed, particularly at conferences, that at each setting one would get a tiny bottle of water. It seemed so wasteful, so we decided to put in a water filtration system and serve the water in these beautiful pitchers. It still tastes good and is not wasteful. Think about how much water we go through at all of our hotels—there are 47 of them. It’s a considerable amount.
Tell me about Kimpton’s eco-friendly wine program.
Wine is just one of Earthcare’s many components. In small ways we’ve always tried to get our restaurants to use eco-friendly wines, but now we’re mandating it. We’re requesting that 30 percent of the wine selection at every restaurant be eco-friendly. That can include anything that fits into the category. For instance, they can be organic, sustainable or biodynamic. Or it can be tied to something cool a particular winery is doing, like using solar power [to produce their wines].
What is your role in the eco-friendly wine program?
To help the restaurants out, I’ve created a master list of eco-friendly wines that fit into those three categories, and the list is ever evolving. We have wine lists as small as 50 and as large as 1,400 selections. Every restaurant is different in terms of price and style of wine.
Have you always been a proponent of eco-friendly wines?
This is something I’ve always found interesting, even before green became hip. I’ve always had an appreciation for wineries that are doing unique things. Happier vineyards doing creative things, coming up with solutions that are not toxic, make better product.
How does Kimpton select its eco-friendly wines?
We have a by-the-glass selection, where we’ll usually do one red and one white per quarter, that always has an interesting story. By doing this we offer them extra visibility and placement. Right now, we have a glass on all of our menus called Evolution from the Sokol Blosser winery that is solar [produced], salmon-safe and organic. It’s really incredible and comes from a really healthy, happy system. When it came time to think of a summer wine, I immediately thought of it. There’s a great story behind it, and the wine is really great.
What has the public’s acceptance been like?
I think the acceptance by customers is wide. It doesn’t hurt that green has become such a buzzword. When the NRA had its conference this year, one of the things mentioned was that the push for eco-friendly wines had gotten much bigger. It was really a wake-up call for me that it wasn’t just in California; it really is on a national level.
So customers really want eco-friendly wines on the menu?
I see people coming in and sitting at the bar, asking which of the wines is organic. That absolutely happens, and it didn’t 10 years ago. But those are also the same people who will ask which paper towels are made from recycled products and which cleaning chemicals are nontoxic. But that is part of a bigger conversation about what peoples’ feelings are about the green movement and sustainability.
Are they very expensive to do?
They’re really comparable in price except in the case of biodynamic wines, which are more expensive. Generally, eco-friendly wines fit into any price range; there are $5 and $500 bottles. It runs the gamut.
Where do you see this trend going?
I hope it’s not just a trend. My biggest fear is that people will lose interest. But the proof is in the pudding, if you will. This type of production really does produce better wine.
