Wine Enthusiast Magazine
Subscribe
I went into a wine shop this past weekend for the first time in a couple of months. I was out in the Hamptons (Long Island, New York) for a little rest and relaxation, and was thinking that the most appropriate purchase I could make would be a nice Long Island rosé. I’m always a big fan of Wölffer’s rosé, and to me nothing says Montauk more than relaxing by the beach with an immensely refreshing local wine from a vineyard that you pass on the way out to the end of the south fork.
While in the wine shop, like any curious wine lover and consumer, I browsed the aisles to see if anything new or interesting caught my eye. I saw many of the usual suspects: a slew of well-known California Cabs and Chards, a spattering of White Burgundy, and some easy-drinking Italian whites like Pinot Grigio and Gavi. To my surprise, the local wine selection was smaller than expected, but then again the store was not terribly vast.
I picked up my Wölffer rosé and got ready to head to the register before being greeted by an associate. “Can I help you?” he said with a huge grin, his teeth beaming at me due to the contrast against his Montauk sun-baked skin. “Oh, I’m just looking,” I replied, thinking I didn’t really want to get into it with him.
But then I thought to myself, if I didn’t know what I wanted, how helpful would this golden boy be? “Actually, I do have a question,” I added, “I really want to try a local rosé but I’ve never had any of them before. Can you tell me what you think of this and what it will taste like?” The pearly whites shone again and he started, “Oh, I don’t really drink pink wine, but the ladies seem to really like this one. It’s too sweet for me.”
I tilted my head and gave him a puzzled look. Having had the wine before, I knew that the rosé in question was in fact a crisp and dry style. “So, this wine is sweet? What does it taste like?” “Strawberry candy and honey,” he replied, “and kinda like cotton candy.” Strawberry, maybe, but my palate memory recalled faint and soft hints of the fruit backed by other red berries and peach notes, all balanced with crisp acidity and a light but solid structure; candy and honey were nowhere to be found in my recollection of the wine.
“Oh, well that’s different than what I thought, but I’ll give it a shot,” I answered. I then thanked him for his help but inside cringed at the polite gesture, knowing full well that if I had not known what the wine was truly like I would have listened to his advice and description and put the wine right back on the shelf.
I know that the usual places I visit to shop for wine have a well-informed and educated staff with who I can discuss various wine-related topics with, but how often does this happen to people who might be a bit less knowledgeable? It’s no wonder that some people feel intimidated or hesitant to shop for wine if they end up dealing with a retailer like that.
Do you have a wine shopping story to share? I’d love to hear both good and bad experiences you’ve had, as well as some recommendations on good shops to visit or advice on how to deal with pushy or not-so-smart sales people.
Filed under: Industry Issues, New York, Opinions and Commentary, Wine Retail
10 Comments
July 22nd, 2009 at 2:17:19 PM
Cool post Lauren. Something else that irks me, of a similar vein, is when the associate assumes you don’t know anything about wine. I think a good salesperson can ask a couple of questions to gauge someones level of knowledge, without assuming they should be talking down to a customer. Maybe it’s the fact that I’m young and female and or maybe I’m hypersensitive and this happens to everyone, but it makes me want to avoid help at all costs!
July 22nd, 2009 at 2:44:20 PM
That is a great story Lauren. I only wish you called him out on it! There is nothing worse than an ignorant retailer. It sounds like he should be working in a tanning salon NOT a wine store!
Hope you enjoyed the wine and got to relax and enjoy it on the beach.
See you soon,
Allison
July 22nd, 2009 at 3:10:32 PM
Sorry you had that bad experience, Lauren. One thing I’ve learned from experience is that it’s okay to be humble and say, “I don’t know but let me ask someone who does,” rather than try to flub your way through an answer. It sounds like this sales person was not familiar with the wine and he ended up doing you a disservice by being dishonest about his lack of knowledge.
As for the pink wine and ladies like this comment, why, oh why, did he have to go there? There’s no need for it.
July 22nd, 2009 at 3:53:36 PM
I find it interesting how often supposedly savvy wine shops still profile people. If a younger person walks in the door, or someone who does not fit their idea of an “important” wine consumer is browsing the aisles, many times the associates will brush on by without any interaction and head straight for the older, and sometimes less interested consumer. I also agree with Erika that they should try to gauge your wine knowledge with a few quick questions. That misstep with Wolffer is really unfortunate given that it was a local wine. I wonder if the shop has a habit of recommending wines that are not local?
July 22nd, 2009 at 5:36:48 PM
How sad, but true. I was wondering how the females would react to his “the ladies seem to like this one” comment. That’s just rude and you should have taken him to the shed. I fortunately have a few wine shops locally with knowledgeable folks to buy from when I need them, but that local (if he is one) should have some idea what the selections taste like in one of the more know wine making regions.
July 26th, 2009 at 3:41:15 PM
What a sad case of a missed opportunity! At the Store I work in we always start out with a few questions, such as “what type of wine do you enjoy”, “How much do you want to spend” and most importantly, “what do you want it to taste like”. These are great ways to get to know the customer and give the customer a few options within their stated paramaters. As far as the ladies comment, that was just totally out of line.
July 27th, 2009 at 7:38:40 AM
I’ve been in the wine business for over 30 years. If would’ve had a wine salesperson tell me that about a wine, I simply would have said, “young man, you certainly know jack shit about your business”.
August 7th, 2009 at 10:33:21 AM
Having been in the business for many years. Most of the time this is common. There are thousands upon thousands of wines that enter and leave the store and you just don’t get to try them all. Most of the time I would size someone up and tell them what they wanted to hear about the bottle of wine they were mulling over. On occasion when it was a regular customer I would pay more attention, for fear of sending them away with a poor suggestion would refelct badly on repeat business. For the casual transient shopper it was more like being a clothing salesman, as long as they made a purchase before they left you had done your job. In this case from a salesmans perspective it seems like he did a poor job sizing you up and bullshitting what you wanted to hear about the wine you were choosing. On the sales side of wine the art is not in the bottle as much as it is in the pitch.
August 7th, 2009 at 10:53:02 AM
Thanks for the great comments, everyone! Seems like I’ve touched on a bit of a sore subject for many; too bad that we’ve all had similar experiences.
Ohio Wine Guy – I like the suggestion of taking him “to the shed”; I’ll keep that in mind next time!
Cesar Chavez – Like I mentioned, I was very tempted to “call him out” on his lack of knowledge, but for the sake of seeing how far it would go didn’t. But glad to hear that you would have a similar instinct!
Erika, Mmm Wine, Susan, Wine in Denver, D – It’s true and sad that shoppers do get profiled, especially on age and gender, and as an educated wine consumer nothing can be more frustrating. One would hope that retailers would have better etiquette than to place such judgments on customers and would actually attempt to help shoppers by asking questions like Wine in Denver mentioned. But, I have to admit I do understand D’s closing argument that “On the sales side of wine the art is not in the bottle as much as it is in the pitch.” Food for thought, indeed.
August 10th, 2009 at 9:55:15 PM
It is really unfortunate for the not so educated consumer that some salespeople get away with this kind of thing. If someone holds himself out as an expert by virtue of dispensing advice, they should certainly be called on the carpet for making up a sales pitch to sell a bottle without any regard for the consumer. If you were a frequent visitor to Montauk, he would have likely lost much more profit than just that single bottle provided the business. A word to the proprietor would be in order. Or publishing the name of the shop.