Wine Shopping

Wine Shopping. It can be a fun and exciting experience or a scary uneasy experience. To me the key lies with the wine salesman.

I started in wine retail in the beginning if 1970. Along with my 35 years with IBM and retirement I’ve worked at 4 different wine retail shops. One of my hobbies is visiting various wine shops all over the USA. I like to see their inventory, displays but also to watch how salesman interact with their customers.

I’ve seen such varied styles. I can see why some people are intimidated by some salesman. Those types have a “Im smarter than you” and look down their noses at you. They throw out big words and expect you to smell and taste everything they say you should. And when you dont they chuckle. Then there are salesman that will sell you anything that is on sale even if it was not a type you were looking for. We also have the salesman that really doesn’t know wines and should not be doing that task. They are the ones that when you ask if that Red Zinfandel is good. Their answer is “Its the best in the store and very sweet”. All of this just leaves a unhappy customer. What should a wune salesman be like? Knowledgeable, Honest, Communicate at the customers level. And when they dont know an answer, then just say “I dont know but I will get you an answer”

A valuable tool for wine shops is wine tastings. I’ve run so many in house wine tastings. Here are my musts.

1) Do not only taste sale wines.

2). Change the style and type if wine uiu offer frequently

3) Try tasting like grapes or same type if wine from different countries

4) provide the customer with the details,terms, aromas, and taste they should expect.

But also make it light and easy. Letting the customer know its not easy to pick all if that up. Whats important is if the customer likes the wine or if they do not like the wine. My key to success in doing that is having those same customers coming back week after week to see you