“Unique” and “Intimate” are some of the words that come to mind when thinking of “Thirst Wine Merchants”, which is located in downtown Brooklyn. When deciding where I wanted to emphasize my wine research, I came to the conclusion that I wanted to visit a place that stands out not by quantity of selections but by quality of the wines provided. This is when
“Thirst Wine Merchants” became my number one choice.
One of the Shelfs of “Thirst Wines Merchants”
Noah who is a sales representative at “Thirst Wine Merchants”, was able to answer all questions I had about the business and beyond. He had previously worked at a vineyard site, which allows him to have extensive knowledge about the vinification and viticulture procedures for some of the wines that they carry.
When browsing the shop, I realized that they do not have much “shelf talker” wines. Noah later explained that they do not follow “shelf talker” procedures being that they prefer the personal one on one conversations with their guest about the wines. They believe that through speaking to each individual guest about the wine, it is more likely for the guest to purchase the wine. There happened to be one example of a shelf talker that day:
The only “Shelf Talker” at Thirst Wine Merchants
Noah kindly introduced me to one of their Red wine from Valle De La Orotava, Spain. This wine is produced by Dolores Cabrera Fernandez, whom he highly recommends wine from. Surprisingly, this is one of their most selling red wine from Spain at a cost of $23 dollars per bottle.
Red Wine from Spain
As I continued to browse the store, I realized that there were wine tastings taking place. That’s when I came across the Jour Fixe, which is a sparkling wine that comes from Germany. It was amazing to see that the dominant white grape variety in Germany was also being used for a sparkling wine. Again, Noah explained that this was a common purchased wine.
German Sparkling Wine
After learning of so many different wine regions, the most surprising one was Georgia. Being that I did not grow up with family drinking wine, I had minimal knowledge before taking this course. I was always aware that European countries have mass production of wine, everything outside of that was rare. Noah and Haley who is another sales associate informed me that although it is not sold as often, wines from Georgia are very unique due to its historical content and quality of the grapes.
Wine from Georgia with Historical Content
Overall, what I captured from my visit to Thirst Wine Merchants is that their service is highly personalized and focuses on determining exactly what fits best according to the guest preferences and needs. The staff at this retail shop is well rounded and knowledgeable about all the wines that they carry. They are also well educated and were able to answer all questions regarding their target market, purchasing decisions, etc. Catering to a market of people from ages 26-42, management at Thirst Wine Merchants strive to accommodate their guest with high quality wine ranging from $26 dollars to $199 per bottle. While keeping sustainable practices within their establishment (by carrying all organic wines), Thirst Wine Merchants makes a great impact on society and those who they surround. Everything was extraordinary and I would not change a thing about my experience.
German wine which is the most expensive wine that Thirst wine Merchants carry; cost $200.
Wow! the wine with historical content looks very interesting! It seems like you put in a great deal of effort and in turn, got two great experiences at two different stores! This post made me want to go to the wine tasting you mentioned as well!
I see where Noah is coming from about not having shelf talkers so they can personalize the experience with customers, but there are customers that want to go in and out. As in they don’t really want to talk to no one, they want to see what they like, buy it and leave and not really stand there and have a long conversation. So a shelf talker would help those types of customers more.
Usually, I believe that shelf talkers are a great way to help customers in knowing better about a bottle of wine and what to expect. Though after reading your post, I believe what Thirst Wine Merchants propose about not having shelf talkers in order to achieve the one on one interaction with their guests is actually a genius and perfect example of hospitality. As long as they are able to efficiently and continuously provide that service, shelf talkers are just a safety net for them.
Prof. Dagorn enjoys wines from Georgia and that they still employ ancient methods of wine production. To readers, make sure to identify this region as the country, not the state.