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One of the big events around our Mount Kisco offices takes place every Friday at 5 pm. No, it’s not quitting time–our work day doesn’t officially end until 5:30, and many folks stay at least til 6–it’s our weekly dispersal of extraneous wine samples. Employees are invited to wander over to our tasting room and help thelmselves to a bottle of wine for the weekend. Because we normally receive two bottles of each wine we review and often we only open one, we accumulate hundreds of bottles over the course of the year that we need to find homes for. Some end up at charity events or our annual halloween party, but others go home with staffers every Friday.
I find it fascinating to observe people picking out a bottle that’s just right for them. Many seem to know what they like and instantly gravitate toward those wines week after week. One guy always goes for Italian reds, while another employee invariably grabs a tall skinny bottle, because she’s learned those wines are often sweet. Some “shop” by looking for a pretty label, others look for specific grape varieties on the label. Pinot Noir must still be hot, judging by the reaction that it continues to draw from our office crowd. I should note that the staffers work in various departments of our multi-product company (we also produce an accessories catalog, run a large warehouse etc) so the level of wine knowledge varies widely, just like it does in the real world.
What constantly surprises me is the unwillingness of some fellow employees to experiment, given the price (nothing). A perfectly fine Greek wine will sit untouched, while a mediocre Pays d’Oc Pinot Noir vanishes immediately. Inexpensive and unappealing Argentine Malbecs are snapped up quickly, while terrific Côtes-du-Rhônes languish, victims of nonvarietal labeling. Even though myself or Assistant Tasting Director Lauren Buzzeo are often there to give advice, it’s rarely sought. Or if it is, the question is often along the lines of “Is this good?” It’s rarely “What can you tell me about this wine?” or “I’m planning on having trout tonight, do you think I should go for the Riesling or the Sauvignon Blanc?”
What better time to try something new than when it’s being giving away for free? What better place to get advice on choosing wine? And yet we see a deep-seated reluctance on the part of many to do either. One can only imagine these folks going into a wine shop or looking at a restaurant list–how much harder it must be when there is money on the line and our wavering consumers envision a salesperson or sommelier licking his or her lips over the prospects of a big score.
The fact is that wine salespeople and sommeliers don’t make enough off single sales to close up shop and retire to St. Barts. Or even to a mobile home in the swamps of Florida. Their livelihoods depend on return business–on pleasing you enough with one sale that you will come back and rely on their advice again and again and again. So ask for help, experiment freely and one day, when that tall, thin bottle turns out to contain a dry Riesling when you were expecting sweet, you may just discover a new passion.
Filed under: Connoisseurship, Opinions and Commentary
3 Comments
October 6th, 2008 at 10:20:53 AM
Joe,
Interesting topic! As a wine retail shop manager, I couldn’t agree with you more that people are constantly stuck in their shopping habits, or what I like to call “wine ruts.” This applies to both the thirty-something woman who comes in every Wednesday for her jug of Yellow Tail Chardonnay, or the aged gentleman who constantly is searching for that unattainable bottle of Bordeaux because it’s what he thinks he should have in his cellar, let alone the fact that he probably doesn’t even know what grapes are in it and would obstinately refuse a beautiful (and comparably lower priced) Cabernet or Merlot from Chile or Argentina. It is near impossible to get people to change their habits, and all we can do is continue to offer the best advice and recommendations possible to get people a little more interested in all of the wonderful wine options out there, hoping one day, maybe, they’ll break out of their shell.
October 14th, 2008 at 8:59:45 AM
I definitely have a few grapes that I tend to favor but I am always willing to try something unique upon recommendation. I don’t always like the suggestions, but sometimes I am truly (pleasantly) surprised. This is why I love free wine tastings, you have the chance to find something new but are out nothing if it’s not something you like.
October 20th, 2008 at 10:37:32 AM
When I was features editor at a metro, we’d do the same with books and cds leftover after donations (so the selection was often “electic”).
As we didn’t get duplicates (a book may be bad but it doesn’t go bad) the cull was once a quarter. We did have two big rules: 1. take no fewer than 5 and no more than 10 books/cds 2. there are no “returns” and nothing could be left in the newsroom cafeteria (the threat: no more giveaways).
People read or listened to things they otherwise might not have, though most did stick to genres. Yet by offering things no one would naturally buy, it actually opened up a lot of minds. While the flow of wines is such that you can’t hold any back, maybe you could try a version of “in order take one you like, take one from the “mystery” table and let us know what you think.”