For my retail wine analysis I visited Cappy’s Warehouse Wines and Sprits located in Lynbrook, NY. I am very familiar with Cappy’s because I shop there often when buying alcohol in bulk for parties or events. Although I’ve been there multiple times I’ve never ventured over to the wine section of the store, which basically makes up 80% of the store. When I called to see about making an appointment to talk to a manager about my project, I was told that I can come in on October 14 on a Saturday morning.
This photo shows the view of the store. It gives warehouse vibes.
When I arrived at 11 the parking lot was chaotic and the store was packed. As far as the set up of Cappy’s it looks very much like a warehouse. When you first walk in they have grocery carts and trolleys for people buying large amounts. I was immediately greeted and pointed to the direction of the manager Dawn. She showed me around the store. The isles were separated by Countries/ Regions and then within each isle the wines were separated by the type of wine. While Dawn and I were discussing some of my interview questions she had to step away to help other shoppers. She introduced me to one of the employees Marissa. Marissa asked me what type of wine did I like and I told her that that I liked sweet desert wines. She directed me to the in store tasting and told me that the they had wine of the week every week .She insured me that I would love the wine that they featured. The wine was called Bartenura Moscato from Italy. She was right I loved it and brought two bottles. Each bottle cost only 10.99. The wine had a sweet refreshing taste with hints of pear and melon.
This photo shows how the the wines are separated by region.
There also this cool thing called instant wine cooler. It looked like a water fountain. It chills wines 25 times faster than refrigerators. If you leave the bottle in for 3 minutes and it get cool, 5 minutes it gets cold and for 7 minutes it gets ice- cold.
Wine well get wines cool while you continue to shop.
By the end of the tour I had picked up some other goodies and the cashier told me about Cappy’s loyalty program. I signed up and saved 10% on the  spot. Every time I come in after points will be added to my account. Once I got 5,000 points I would receive $5 back to use in the store. Overall I had a pleasant time visiting Cappy’s Warehouse Wines and Sprits. The employees were knowledgeable, friendly and very helpful.
Country: Italy
Region: Lombardy
Grape Variety: Muscat Blanc
Vintage: 2015
The retail wine store that I visited is Astor Wine & Spirit. It is located on 399 Lafayette St, New York, NY 10003. I went on a Wednesday afternoon around 2 PM. When I stepped in, I was quite surprised with how huge their store is. Before I spoke with a retail store employee, I walked around the store first. It was clean, bright, and very well-organized. The selection of wine is amazing. You can find almost any kind of wine here. I saw all different types of wine from different region. Then I introduced myself to one of the retail store employee. His name was Charles, he was extremely attentive and knowledgeable. I let him know that I am a current student from New York City College of Technology studying wine and I would like to ask him a few questions.
He was extremely friendly and was pleased to answer my questions. The first question I asked was “What is the most popular wine that you sell?” He didn’t really say a specific wine because he says that every consumer has different taste in wine and that majority of the customers are buying their wine by regions. That is why you see their wine categories into different region and below each region you see will have a staff picks suggestion. (Pictures below). Which then lead me to my second question, “How is the wine set up?” He said that the store is set up mainly into two different parts. The back of the store is more of “New World Wine” (United States, Australia, South Africa, China, India, Japan, Argentina and New Zealand) while the front of the store is portrays more “Old World Wine” (France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Germany)
This is an example of how the wines are organized. They are separated by region, so all wine below this sign is from the Loire Valley.
Staff pick (Their suggestion): “Les Argiles,” Chidaine
Great Deals ON SALE Moutiouis suc chidaine NOW: $29.97 WAS: $38.96
Wine from Rhode Valley
Staff Recommendation: 40eme Rugissants Estezargues
The last question I asked was “What is his own personal favorite kind of wine?”
Charles personal favorite wine is Riesling. To be more specific, he recommended Riesling by Dr. Loosen 2016 or 2013 Donnhoff Oberhauser Leistenberg Riesling Kabinett Nahe. Riesling by Dr. Loosen is an entry level, off-dry Riesling a hint of peach flavor. But if you like a Riesling wine with more sugar, sweetness, and high acidity, the 2013 Donnhoff Oberhauser Leistenberg Riesling Kabinett Nahe would be perfect. I eventually bought the Riesling by Dr. Loosen 2016 to give it a try and because it was pretty cheap ($11.96) compared the other one which was (~$23).
Riesling, Dr. Loosen 2016 ($11.96)
2013 Donnhoff Oberhauser Leistenberg Riesling Kabinett Nahe ~($23)
The place I decided to use for my retail wine assignment was Ambassador Wine and Spirits on 54th St. and 2nd AV in Manhattan.  This Store is located around the corner from where I work and the person I spoke to is a regular customer where I work so it made it easier to walk in there and ask the questions I needed to ask. A friend and I stopped by on a Monday around 2:30 in the afternoon. We spoke to Lenny and we were told by him that they weren’t allowed to answer questions based on the store itself, however when I showed him my questions and he could answer 2 out of the 3 questions I had. The one question he couldn’t answer was “what is your typical client like.” However, based on the type of people I see/ saw that went into the shop it seems like there clientele is mostly aged from 30- 60.
The two Questions he answered was how he got into the wine business and what sort if wine they specialize in. Lenny explained that the reason he got into wine was that all of his family has been in the wine business in one way or another and he grew up watching and experiencing with his family and so naturally it just became something that he was interested in and it helped that he is a Biochemist by trade.
As for what kind of wine they specialize in he said they specialize in everything, there’s no specific type of wine they focused on. They have wine from Japan, France, Italy, Spanish etc… they also have Vodka, Tequila, Bourbon, Gin and Sparkling wine. He said they have one of the largest selections of wine since it was a 2-floor shop, he said we could have a look around downstairs as well and if we had any questions he could answer he would to the best of his ability. My friend and I went down to the basement we toured the whole place took pictures and we saw that they had some large designated rooms for different kinds of wine. There is a whole room designed for special champagne that one can make an appointment to have it all explained and shown. Lastly there most expensive wine that I saw was also downstairs with a locked shelf and it was a 2003 Ch Mouton-Roth Pauillac at $700 and they also provide wine tasting Thursday-Saturday from 5-8 pm
Spanish Region Wines
French Margaux
$700 2003 Ch Mouton-Roth Pauillac
Coessens Rose Sparkling Wine
“Heights Chateau Fine Wines & Spirits” located at 123 Atlantic Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11201 has a remarkable reputation providing its customers over 2,000 different types of wines to select from and contributing over 30 years of service and experience. The shops unique style is able to lure customers in and experience the different types of wines from around the world. The shops environment is quiet and dim lights which gives a peaceful and calm feeling. The shop continues to pursue a successful business and service to its visitors and customers.
My experience at the “Heights Chateau” was amazing. Once I arrived at the location, I was impressed with the design of the shop, it was all black with gold, bold capital letters that spelled out “Heights Chateau Fine Wines & Spirits” it also had open windows which give the visitor a glimpse of what they are going to expect inside the shop. The only thing that threw me off was the decorations that were displayed on the windows. It could have been well thought out and look more presentable but in general, it is an amazing wine shop. I have gotten the opportunity to meet Chris who has worked in the shop for years and has experience in the business as well. Chris was very informative and profession and knew particular words that have been used in class such as vinification, vitification etc.
Some of the questions that I asked Chris were, What is the most popular wine sold? And he answered, “There are several popular wines that customers buy such as the, Sacha Lichine Single Blend Rose Vin De France, Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc Oyster Bay New Zealand, D’Esclans Whispering Angel Rose and J.Lohr Riverstone Arroyo Seco Chardonnay.” How is the shop/products advertised? “The shop has a website where we coordinate customer guest list and subscription as well as web promotion such as social media.” Are wines displayed depending on change of season or trends? “No. Different sections are organized by country such as the U.S, Europe etc. for an example France is organized from northern through southern, white wines first, regions such as Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhone Valley and then the southwest.” Are most wines selected from local or international vineyards? “Yes. We work close with distributors and sell representatives who we believe are the best for our shop, we send staff to sample and taste wine who a few have experience in the business for years. Mathew LaSorsa who is the owner of Heights Chateau have four consultants who taste everything that’s going to be displayed in the shop.” I actually was lucky enough to meet the owner although he was busy at the time, so I could not ask him questions but it was an inspirational moment to see a successful entrepreneur and learn about the different strategies he uses when making decisions of the particular wines are being selected and sold in his shop. Do prices range depend on the age of the wine or its geographic? “Reputation of the wine, its quality, case production and vinification are all aspects that are contributed into pricing.” How is the Heights Chateau unique and different from others? “We have a small staff who are well educated and dedicated for the success of the shop. Our staff has 150 years of experience. Myself have 32 years in the business and the owner has over 40 years, solidly has been drinking wine for 25 years. In business people are use to creating supply and demand but our goal is to create demand where we are able to sell quality wine from all over the world.”
In conclusion, Heights Chateau is able to stand out due to their high-quality wines as well as high experienced staff. Their wide variety of wines from all over the world in their small shop is a perfect fit for marketing purposes especially in the hospitality industry. Heights Chateau is able to provide quality and quantity for their customers and I would highly recommend for family and friends to visit Heights Chateau Fine Wines and Spirits and experience the different types of wines with different features such as flavors, geography, design, age and many more.
As stated in the picture”Staff Selection Wines $12.99 & Under” displays several wines at a affordable price.
Some wines such as Alsace Joseph Cattin Riesling and Vin D’Alsace Jean Rosen Pinot Blanc 2016 are displayed under France.
Some wines that are displayed under Spain are, Tres Picos Borsao Garnasha 2015 and Mercedes Eguren Shirag Tempamillo 2013 and many more.
This picture shows U.S Sparkling Wines such as the Schramsberg Blanc De Blancs and Sea Smoke Sea Spray.
These are wines from New Zealand, one of them came from Oyster Bay and is a Chardonnay and there is Sauvignon Blanc as well.
I visit a retail wine store called “GI Wing Spirits.” It is located at Willoughby St, Brooklyn. The store itself looks like a local retail shop, not a very big one but they have wines all from different part of the world. Some of the wines that I found interesting are the one from New Zealand, Australia, Spain, Africa, South America and even Brooklyn. When I first walked in, I told them that I studied Wine from New York City College of Technology. The worker asked their manager outright the way because they said he has the knowledge and he is a wine professional. I was very excited to meet him.
Wines from France there are Pinot Grigio and some of the wines are from Vallee Du Rhone.
I though a listed of questions that I wanted to ask him but because he has a costumer I asked a few that I’m really interested in. I asked him what is the best wine your store offers he react immediately, he said “there are no such thing the best because everyone has a different taste, you might like it sweeter than the others it was really hard to say what’s the best. But we can say what is a high-quality wine instead.” Then he talked about what the local market, he told me because the area becomes a very diverse place they included a lot of different wine from the different part of the world. People in this area came in to purchase all type of wines, some people are daily wine drinker which they liked cheaper wines. He didn’t mention about a fine dining restaurant, so I assume that most of his business are mostly focus on local daily drinkers. I asked him I love Chardonnay which one you prefer. He told me there are Chardonnay from different places for examples Brooklyn, New Zealand, and France. Every place has their unique characteristics. I told him I tried Naudin Varrault, Chardonnay, Mâcon-Villages, Burgundy, France, 2015 the other day from a restaurant it was amazing I paired with Maine lobster it made that lobster when to a whole other level. Unfortunately, they don’t have that one in store but he shows me another interesting one that is from France. I had a great time talking with him but I didn’t have a chance to ask his name and business card because he had other business to take care.
Wines from Spain and some of the Spain region that I discovered is Rioja.
Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand.
I think one of the weaknesses of this store is their location. Its located in a business area and a lot of schools are around, so I think in terms of marketing they only focus in daily drinkers around the area. I think it would bring them greater business if the store is open in another area. Also, I realize that there is only one person which is the manager has knowledge about wines and when I walked in I have to wait for him, he is super busy it was really hard to focus on every customer, they should have at least one more person that has the knowledge.
For my retail beverage shop analyse assignment i visited Discovery Wine shop.Which is located in 16 Avenue B,Manhattan,NY 10009.It was very easy to find the store is in the corner of Avenue B.,I called the wine shop before and Arranged a meeting time with the manager.The manager Jessica Compton was really nice and humble.i had few questions she took her time and explained me everything.She had good knowledge of wine and spirits.I asked her if it was ok for me to take pictures they allowed me to take some pictures of their wine collection.I told manager the purpose for my visiting their wine shop.she was happy to know that our school offers wine and beverage class.It was my first time ever visiting a wine shop so i was very excited to learn about wines and walked around the store explored everything.Discovery wine shop is not that big store but the atmosphere was pleasant.Their wine selection is pretty diverse.they import wines from all over the world.
Discovery wines voted best wine shop in NYC -village voice 2010.This picture above is taken by me in their store.all the wines at this shelf is from France.France is the 3rd largest growing region for wine.their wines this shelf has some syrah,pinot noir,cabernet franc,merlot,gamay,grenache etc.
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so in this cabinet they stored some of their expensive wines.i asked the manager what is the oldest wine they have in their collection and how long its been stored there for. she said the oldest wine they have is called “Lafitte Rothschild” from 1990. Unfortunately i couldn’t take picture of that wine bottle because they stored it in their store basement.i also asked what kind of customer do they get.she told me recently a lot young people come to shop wines. and for their store mostly females.
this is their testing area.Every friday and Saturday from 6pm- 8pm they have new wines for testing.which i found very interesting and if you like any wine from the testing and you want to purchase they give 10% off for the customers.They offer free delivery and they also ship.
in this shelf they have all white wines from around the world.stored nice and neatly.The store was very organized. Theres sauvignon blanc,semilon,pinot grigio,riesling,chardonnay,moscato you name it and they have it
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in this shelf they have some wines from Austria and Germany. Austria makes less than one percent of all the wine in the world.they make about 28 million cases per year.their wines are mostly dry and sweet.overall it was a great experience for me.I learned about some of wines.Discovery wine have big selection of organic bio dynamic and sustainable wines from all over the world.
On October 11, I went to height chateau located on 123 Atlantic Ave, for my Retail Wine store analysis. I called in and talked to Amanda to see if when I can come in for a short talk and she responded with anytime I am available, really nice, I thought most people would have an annoy tone in their voice when someone ask if they can just go to the shop just to talk, that is customer service right there. When I did arrive, I first went around the store looking at the shelves of wine, the regions they sell wines from and the price of the wines and the interior of the shop was fitting. I met David who started working there last year June and he called the manager Alex to help me with my question and give me some information about the store.
Shelf Talker wine of Limited Quantity left, making sure that they sell and that the customers knows when they walk into the store.
Quite the variety of wine they have, Argentina, Italy, France, South Africa, Austria, Spain, New Zealand, etc. I also ask if they had any problem with customers time from time and David told me about shoplifters that comes by for the wine even thought they get caught shoplifting. Then there was one customer who keeps buying a Cote de Rhone wine made with Syrah grapes but hats Syrah and complains that the wine have Syrah but keeps buying it because he likes it, very odd. Most of the expensive wine they have are kept in their cellar which is set to 55 degree Fahrenheit as safekeeping them from the shoplifters. Alex and David told me about discounts for buying a case of wines which consist of 12 bottles, the more u buy the higher the discounts, buying 1 case give the customers 17% discount on the price and buying more would give a higher discount.
Wine from France Gewurztraminer from Alsace and Riesling from Alsace
I ask Alex which wine had the most value and he answer me with Malbec and Sauvignon Blanc would be with most value, but all the wine in the store had great value, and its about the customers preference, what they want at certain times. Unfortunately Alex got busy with another business and David took over for the rest of the tour, He mention that their is a tasting every Thursday and Saturday and I should come by if I have time to taste some of the wines, the wines they offer to taste are different every week. One of the other customer noticed me taking notes and ask was I doing a report and I answer just doing my college project about a wine shop and he said this is the right place. In general, the staff were all friendly, they were all very knowledgeable, and the customer service they provided to other customers were top notch.
Sparkling wine
A region we didn’t learn I chose was from Japan, Sake, which I did not know that they were considered wines actually
Outside of Astor Wines and Spirits
For my Wine shop retail analysis I decided to go to Astor wines and spirits located on 399 Lafayette St, New York, NY 10003, the area was very familiar to me and the shop was easy to find. When I walked in I was surprised to see how big the size was for a wine shop it was almost as if I walked into a small supermarket dedicated to wines spirits. I looked around at first then I began to look for help because I was so overwhelmed by all the columns and rows of wines, so I was able to speak with wine specialist Jared who was very pleasant and easy to talk to after explaining to him I am a wine student who is studying I was able to ask him allot of questions referring to demographics and things of that nature. I started off by asking him what kind of customers do they get and his answer was that they get a big range of customers but recently they have been seeing alot of younger people taking an interest in wine lately which is something he is happy about. I also asked him which type of wine and which wine do they sell the best and he responded by saying that there is not right or wrong answer for any of those questions it just all depends. As far as the type that sells the most would probably depend most on season and right now red is the best selling since its fall, and for the best selling wine he feels that New World Chardonnay is selling rapidly and also case wines which is something that alot of customers like to purchase especially if there a member to receive discounts. Next I asked in about areas in which most of their wines are from and the most exclusive wine varieties. Jared let me know that they wines from all over like Asia, South Africa and more but most of there wines come from Europe both new world and old world and then he said the most rare/ exclusive wine they have right now is from the Loire valley by producer Joley. Lastly I asked how do they choose there wines he told me that they two wine buyers that shop and taste each and every wine and rate them through a process to see which ones they feature. Jared was so in formative and so where the other associates I was able to fine out that once you become a member you enroll in a benefits program that features some of the wines that the associates actually have picked themselves I thought that we so interesting because that’s such a great way to interact with customers in a personal level and they even offer wine tastings. I was also pleased to see wines that we have studied in class from the Loire valley and Riesling wines from Germany in fact I saw that amazing wine we tasted called Butterfly by Zilliken . Overall this was an amazing experience Astor wines and spirits is such a friendly and welcoming enviorment ready to help anyone who is new to wines or for some one who knows exactly what they want!
Butterfly By. Zilliken
Case Wines / Memebers pick from Portugal
Botanica Pinot Nior from South Africa also Staff Pick
Refreshing Reisling
ABSTRACT
From the past two weeks I researched several Wine & Spirt shops around the downtown Brooklyn and lower Manhattan. I called shops got turned down for request to interview managers or employees who had any knowledge of Wines. Some Shops were willing but they were on days that were inconvenience to me but I thank you them for their consideration. In total I visited four wine shop but I decided primarily to discuss two wine shops. The two other wine shops will be briefly discussed. The two wine shops that I visited in Brooklyn were purely for observation purposes. I wanted to see inside beverage shops that have a variety of wines and have wines from around the world or at least wines that were covered in class for the past several weeks.  I wanted to witness shops who cater to their customer and ultimately I wanted to have a discussion about wine.
“Nicolas Feuillatte Brut” A Sparkling wine from the region of Champagne with a rose blend of brut.
The first shop in Brooklyn that I was Michael Town Wines and Spirits located at 73 Clark St. Michael Town Wines sell a variety of wines in small yet decent sized wine shop. They also sell cognac, bourbons, whiskies located mostly behind the register.  There wines though I appreciated the selection they had from different countries but what they lacked were the organization. In depth they had wines from Germany, France, Argentina, Chile, the grape varieties did differ but were grouped together with their represented countries. The store had red, white, dry, sweet wines in one section of the shelves from France. You couldn’t barley tell the wines apart. I could tell from the region, appellation or at times the sub appellations. I needed to investigate these wines in this shop.
A Featured wine from Astor Wine Spirits. ” Tenuta Rapitala” A wine with a Sicilian Terrior and a french wine making style of the grape Variety Grillo.
The second shop was Heights Chateau located on 123 Atlantic Avenue. I really endured what they had to offer in wines. It was a shop that offered not only a variety of wines but it also seemed to dedicate itself to wines and the education of wine at least from my perspective. What I observed Were once from France and Italy. They had other wines from other countries but my focus was primarily on those two countries. What amazed me was the organization of the French wines. Their French wines covered regions from Bordeaux, Burgundy, Alsace, the Loire Valley, the Rhone Valley and many other regions of France. Each of those regions had a dedicated shelf and had their dominant grapes along the vintage year organized in order. It was good to see a red dominant grape wine like Merlot in it home grown region of Bordeaux shelved and on display.
Even though the Heights Chateau gave me insight of what to really expect for purchasing a wine I wanted a better experience. So I went to Manhattan but this time with a series of question to ask. I wanted to ultimately compare these next two shops. The 1st shop, Astor Wine and Spirits located 300 Lafayette ST, the other wine and beverage shop Flatiron Wine and Spirits, located at 929 Broadway. The 1st shop I entered was Astor Wines and Spirits at first glance inside the shop it looked like a wine emporium or a Wholesale store to purchase wine but I was wrong. As I took further steps inside I would consider it the “Whole Foods Market’ of wines. Astor’s had representations of French and mostly Italian wine but with a real great selection. There vintages prices range from $20 to $700 that was before I entered their wine cellar. Flatiron Wines though had a more intimate feel to their establishment. From the inside it seemed quite but it was completely busy but quick.
Pinot Rose
Present by Heights Chateau. This blended rose wine from France made from the region of Sancerre with a 2016 Vintage
The questions I had prepared to ask both representatives had similar answers but I was more concerned with their contrast answers. The 1st question that had me engaged with both shops was. “Who is your target demographic? “That was question that each shop answered differently Flatiron answered their target demographic are millennials. I asked why and the Robby who took the time to answer all of my question answered, “well Millennials drink nearly half of the wine purchased from wine shops. Robert no relation to Robby at Flatirons shop. Answered “Our demographic is mid 20’s to late 50’s. Both establishment did have wine cellars for their premier Cru wines in which the kept the storage temperature relatively the same between 58- 62 degrees Fahrenheit. I asked both establishments, what were the considerations for purchasing wine from a specific country, region, or appellation?”
Robert responded by telling me “it’s by popularity, most of our wines are Italian and French but we try to buy more Italian wines because the market is flooded with French wines and there can be a better appreciation for Italian wines in some time.” Robby from Flatiron responded a little bit differently it was more from a scientific and perhaps from a tasting perspective. The response was “It depends on the vintage year the producer, the actual aging and vinfication of the grape wine. While discussing the taste of wine I also asked. “Do you taste your vintage wines and what impact does it have? Robby answered with assurance. “Absolutely the taste has the biggest on our wines and also our taste makes an impact on choices for our customers.” That being said I wanted to further expand their thoughts on the taste of wines. I wanted to know from Robert from Astor wines. “Can you distinguish wine from its grape variety of similar genetics such as Riesling and pinot noir from a different region or country?
Robert answered me by comparing Riesling. “Yes from the taste Riesling muzzle has a more of a fruit characteristic. I asked the same question to Robby from Flatiron Spirits his response I enjoyed. “Let’s say we have a grape variety of Pinot Noir in France and we have Pinot Noir grown in Oregon. What separates the two taste is the terroir also they are both dry wines. In France Pinot Noir is more acidic and needs more time to develop. In the U.S Oregon Pinot Noir is more fruiter, sweeter and the grapes tend to be much larger than French so we get more sugar, more than acid and we receive more juice.
I stalled for time I realized both establishments were busy but I asked important filler questions about there wine such as what wines from a particular region, appellation or sub appellations contributes to your sales and the gross profit?   Robby from Flatiron wines told me that. “There are certain sub regions that are expensive I they somehow get any Grand Cru’s in their possession they usually make more money on from those purchases. From Astor’s wines Robert Answered it’s the Premier Cru’s and the Italian wines that contribute to the sales. I wanted to know besides the demographic who was the general target market. Robby said anyone who indulges in are more expensive bottle and Robert from Astor’s explained they also deliver throughout the United States so the whole country they deliver to as a whole.  I asked both representatives from both shops. “Are there any issues with customers with theft or unfulfilled orders or promises from vendors and distributors”?
Robert replied Not specifically and Robby said no. The last question I asked both Robby and Robert was. “How long has each establishment ben open for Astor Wine & Spirits has been open at the 399 Lafayette location for about 10 years but the company itself has been around for over 50 years. Flatiron Wines & Spirits has branched out as well having shops in San Francisco, California area. Both shops were able to help me identify wines and have a better appreciation of wine at the Flatiron New York location I purchased a Hungarian Rose wine that was enjoyable but high in acidity. I enjoyed this project very much and I’m looking forward toward the next assignment.
” Tenuta Rapitala” A wine with a Sicilian Terrior and a french wine making style of the grape Variety Grillo.
 
