Northwest Current - Restaurateur brings wine machine to Ceviche

Restaurateur brings wine machine to Ceviche
5/14/08
By Jessica Gould

If it's about to be trendy, chances are Mauricio Fraga-Rosenfeld is right on top of it.  In 1995, the restaurateur helped usher in that decade's cigar trend when he and a partner launched Ozio, the smoke-friendly martini lounge on M Street. Two years later, he hopped on the hookah parade by offering water pipes at his U Street venue, Chi-Cha Lounge. Now he has unveiled Washington's first self-serve wine system at his Glover Park restaurant Ceviche.

Located at 2404 Wisconsin Ave., Ceviche opened in 2007 and offers a mix of South American cuisine, including the eponymous seafood specialty. About three weeks ago, the restaurant debuted its Enomatic wine machine. 

"It's a custom-made machine imported from Italy," said manager Alejandro Umerez. A kind of vending machine for wine, the Enomatic preserves wine using inert gas, which allows restaurants to dispense expensive wines without running the risk of bottles going bad before they sell out.

"Usually, restaurants have very few wines by the glass and often it's their cheapest," said Umerez.  But with Enomatic, he said, bottles experience the same levels of oxidation  after three weeks that they would in one day if they were not in the machine. "The great
thing about the machine is that it allows us to sell wines by the glass that we would not be able to [otherwise] because of he cost," he said.

Plus, he said, the Enomatic machine is helping expensive wines sell faster. A $190 bottle recently sold out in five to six days, he said with amazement.  And customers "love it," he said. After purchasing a special debit card, Ceviche patrons can try as many varieties as they like.  Right now, the restaurant offers 16 bottles of red wine, and eight bottles
of white, with prices ranging from $7.50 to $50 per glass. "And they don't have to tip anyone,"  Umerez said. "It's great."

In a news release, Fraga-Rosenfeld called the Enomatic machine a toy for adults. "It's a
fun, interactive way to taste wine with friends," he said.

The wine machine is located on Ceviche's second floor, which is available at certain times
for customers to rent out for private parties, wine tastings and corporate  events.  In addition, the release says, chef Ismael Otarola has developed a special wine menu
featuring cheese and charcuterie.  Ceviche is open from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and 5 p.m. to 3 a.m. Friday and Saturday.

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