In these tough times, it may seem counter-intuitive to go to a wine shop to find good deals on wine. One would most likely turn to the internet or big warehouses.
Don't.
Unless that warehouse is a wine shop. There are a few out there.
Practice what you preach, so I'm going to begin by saying that I've been ordering a lot of wine from wine.com. Some of their pricing is great. But their wine selection is very
standard. What that means is that it's stuff that most people could find at any grocery store that has a good selection.
If you're looking for really great deals and something different, please go to a wine shop.
One reason why I buy wine online is because I live in the middle of freaking nowhere. An hour away there is a local wine shop that can fulfill most of my needs--whether he actually has items in stock, or he can order them from a distributor.
Yesterday I went to pick up a case of wine from him.
Wait. Let me pause a moment here. I sound like a lush.
My wine needs. A case of wine. Um, yeah. I teach monthly wine classes, thus my need to order/purchase cases of wine on a monthly bases.
So, when I went to pick up my case of wine from him we started chatting nonchalantly about this topic. And it made me realize a lot of people don't understand that wine shops are actually great places to find wine deals. I think most people are intimidated by the shops. Or assume it's not the best deal.
Wrong.
Now, my one caveat to this is that grocery stores and warehouse stores (costco, sam's club) buy enough of certain kinds of wine where they are indeed the best deal--but your choice is limited.
Reasons to go to a wine shop:
- Most wine shops operate on the basis that people are buying wine in the $15 range--meaning they have a huge selection in that range, and it'll basically be a no-miss. I shouldn't say that. You may not prefer that style, but I'd be shocked if the wine was actually bad. If it's corked--take it back and they'll replace it.
- People who have wine shops have a real passion for wine and get excited about new wines/unusual finds. If you want something different go in and ask; they'll find something fun for you to try.
- You can taste the wine. Usually there are wine tastings offered at wine shops--meaning you can actually try the wine prior to buying. The majority of grocery stores do not offer this, nor can they (pesky state laws).
- Much easier to special order. If you find a wine that you love but it's hard to find, go talk to a smaller wine shop. Just be prepared to accept that great wine you had in Paris may not be available in your local market.
Now, because wine shops can be intimidating (my friends in Seattle live just down the street from a nice little wine shop where the guy is kind of an ass. Wine people can be, and I'm used to it--but not everyone is. One reason is that we all get tired of questions. But don't be intimidated by it, dudes. Please), here are a few tips to make your experience more enjoyable.
- Be excited: Seriously. Your upbeat attitude and enthusiasm about finding new wine is refreshing in this industry.
- Know what you're looking for even when you don't know what you're looking for. A lot of people come in asking for a good, inexpensive red wine. You've got to be more specific than that. Think of some of your favorite red wines (Australian Shirazs, Argentine Malbecs, Washington Cabernets) and say that's what you like and that you're either looking for something completely different and you're up for something daring--or that you want something similar but maybe from a different country or region.
- Give a price range. Don't just say inexpensive because to some people inexpensive is $20, other's it's $5. Keep in mind that it is everyone's job to up sale. I never did. I take that back. I'd have my type that I'd upsale to--most of the time I actually down sold--meaning showed people a much cheaper wine than what they were expecting. But small wine shops are a bit different because you're most likely talking to the owner. So if you're going there not wanting to spend more than $15, ask for something maybe around $10. If you're really okay with $20, say $15--see my point. Or be prepared to simply say, "really, only $15, not $17".
- Be realistic--especially about pricing. While i think wine shops are the best place to go, if you're looking for $10 or under bottles, just be prepared to get what you pay for, or that there might not be any choices for you. The wine shop I use here locally, doesn't have anything under $13--wait, that's not true. Maybe just one option. It's because he doesn't have enough foot traffic to justify it. But, doesn't mean he can't get it. If I called him and asked for a case of some $6/bottle wine--he'd do his dardnest to find it and sale it to me as a special order (there's no mark up on that). Leads me to number 5.
- Keep up relations. Go in often. Go to wine tastings. Don't feel like you have to buy something every time you're there tasting (but doesn't hurt), get so they know you. Know your tastes. Know your price range. It's fun to be able to find some $10 bottle of wine that you know one of your customers will love.
- And, finally, for the love of god, don't be stupid. If you go in saying something like "I had this great wine with dinner last night--do you have it?" I'm not joking when people have been that vague about wine they recently had. What? I was there with you? Funny, don't remember. Some people can't even remember what color the wine was. If you're really trying to find a wine, please, please do some research about it before you show up saying "I think it had a white label...but maybe it was blue". If you go in saying "I'm looking for the 2005 Clos la Coutale, it's a Kermit Lynch selection--do you have it or know which distributor has it?", they'll be very excited to help you since you know the key parts to the wine--but even if you can just give the damn winery name you're ahead of the crowd. That said, if you truly don't know and didn't pay attention--instead of trying to find the EXACT same wine (but here's a tip--if you did have it at a restaurant, call the restaurant and see if they have a wine list handy and have them list the wines in the price range you paid for it--see if any ring a bell), describe what you liked about it and ask if they have a suggestion for something similar in the $10-$15 price range.
May seem like a lot of tips/rules to shop somewhere, but it'll go a long way to take the intimidation factor away--and hopefully take away the snobbiness of the wine shop steward as well. All these tips will help make you a better wine purchaser as well.
Comments (1)
If you never drunk blogged you can't be a lush. But thanks for the tips...very helpful.