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NEX TGEN TRENDSE T TERS

to that end, Barcelona embraces all varieties, including the less com mon fortified wines, like sherry and vermouth. Now with the low-ABV movement heating up, Barcelona is ahead of the pack. “What’s clear to us right now is that the low-ABV vibe is not going away, and we’re totally into it. I think there’s such an incredi ble opportunity for that, specifically with our pro gram,” Nevin-Giannini says. “It’s exciting that everybody else is dig ging them, too.” Looking to the year ahead, the bever age team will lean into sherry-based cocktails, like rebujito. A popular drink in Spain’s Andalucía region, rebujito is tra ditionally made with lemon-lime soda, but Barcelona’s spin incor porates cider vermouth in addition to the req uisite sherry. The drink can be served individ ually or presented in a porrón—a glass pitcher with a pointed spout that imbibers typically pour directly into their mouths without their lips touching. “We’re bringing back the communal vibe and the sharing nature of it,” Nevin-Giannini says. “Our [beverage] program is so big and so deep; it’s just really about constantly look ing at what’s new and how to make things even better.”

a real learning curve because it’s easy to

make incredible choices with five restaurants, but it gets harder [as you grow] to make these decisions to support small, arti Giannini says maintaining strong relationships with the right vendors while also pushing boundaries in its beverage program ming can sometimes be akin to medical tri age. But this balancing act—challenging as it may be—is part of what keeps the brand on the cutting edge. Barcelona’s pioneer ing efforts will be espe cially apparent in the coming year. “Wine” is in the brand name, and sanal produc ers,” she says. Nevin

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: BUILD OFF YOUR EXISTING AREAS OF EXPERTISE AND INNOVATION.

EMILY NEVIN-GIANNINI BEVERAGE DIREC TOR Barcelona Wine Bar

A key element to being a trendsetter is the ability to think on your feet—at least that’s how Emily Nevin-Giannini sees it. As beverage director for Barcelona Wine Bar, she is constantly navi gating the relationship between menu innova tion and supply chain readiness. It’s some thing that’s become increasingly complex, not just because of the pandemic, but also because of Barcelona’s ever-expanding foot print. After all, when Nevin Giannini joined the team in 2011, the restau

rant had yet to leave its home state of Connect icut; now it spans about 20 units across nearly a dozen states. “From the beverage perspective, it’s been

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