Industry & Beverage Trends

The head sommelier at a Michelin-starred restaurant in California finished his pre-service tasting at 4:47 PM. He had walked through nine pours, evaluating each against the seven courses on that night's menu — but two of those pours were not wine. They were the non-alcoholic pairings now offered alongside the traditional flight, priced at $185 against the wine flight's $245. He marked his notes, set the bottles upright on the pass, and walked into staff briefing. Three years earlier, tho …