Trends are not always so good: Wine Theives
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Heights Chateau
I visited the Heights Chateau wine store on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn Heights. First, I walked through to see how is the store organized. Then I spoke to the manager responsible for organizing the store. She said she had just reorganized the French and Italian wines by region. As you can see from my photos the shelves have signage of countries as well as “North” and “South”. The front bottles are standing up and the same bottles behind them are laid on top of each other (unless their shape doesn’t allow for stacking).
I asked about luxury wines. She said they store them downstairs in the cellar which is temperature-controlled. When a customer needs a luxury wine, he/she can choose from a catalog.
Out of curiosity, I asked the lady where did she learn what she knows about wine. She said she studied acting and worked at restaurants so she learned from industry professionals. I also asked if they carry one of my favorites (Mirassou Chardonnay). Unfortunately, they don’t.
Oregon or Washington? Which to Choose?
Isn’t this a great representation of our north east wines? Which do you choose?
http://winefolly.com/update/washington-vs-oregon-wine-infographic/
retail beverage shop analysis
I went to Heights Chateau which local at 123 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn for the . When I enter the store, the staff was stand behind the front desk and I was told her about my objective and ask the permission to take photograph and the question about their wine store. After this, I was walking around the store and taking picture about the wine. The staff was very nice, and enthusiastic to answer my question. After I asked the staff the question, I know that they organized the wine by location, then by prices. The oldest wine in this wine store was 1995 and the youngest is 2015, which is from Australia, since Australia will make the wine on each March and April every years. But the wine store will not get the wine until the end of this years. And this wine store will keep their wine on tempter between 68-69 degree. And 55 degree downstairs on the cellar. When the staff serve their costumer the white wine, they would server it cooler that the red wine, and they serve the red wine for 59-60 degree.
Retail Analysis of a Wine Shop
I decided to visit the Heights Chateau which is located fairly close to New York City College of Technology so I took a short walk over there. The neighborhood is very quiet and I was eagerly anticipated for the experience but I was also a tad wary as I doubted the information that I have already learned about wine. I met with my mother in front of the wine shop so we could be able to purchase some wine, seeing as I am underage. When I first walked in I was overwhelmed by the selections of wines that were from all over the world. There were wines from Israel, Portugal, Greece as well as the usual prospects like France, Italy, and Germany.
I actually met with a store clerk there named Rebecca who was very helpful in answering all my impending questions about the wines. I first asked about how the wines were situated and what the concept of the placement of each wine was. She told me that the wines were separated by country from north to south which was executed by the country’s name tags with the country’s flag even more extensively the wines were separated by year, appellation, and whether it was red or white wines. Then, I asked about the way the wine bottles were positioned whether vertically or horizontally and what was best for the wine, in terms of flavor. She explained how the differing positions of the bottles in this particular establishment were specifically for space as the bottles’ shapes vary; some can be stacked while others must be vertical. But she said that to age wine better, it is best to lay them horizontally yet the wines they sold were already properly aged. She informed me that they had vintage wines dated back to ’98 which were the most expensive and were located in the temperature-controlled cellar downstairs as for the upstairs the vintage wines dated to ’07.
I also learned about kosher wines which I was completely clueless about but Rebecca kindly explained that kosher wines similar to kosher foods had to be blessed by a rabbi who is a Sabbath observant. The rabbi must also supervise it through the entire winemaking process from the grapes being picked to it being bottled. The grapes that are used for the wine also must have never been touched by any grains, breads, or dough to be pure. Each bottle of kosher must be certified by a specialized stamp located on the back of the label.
Finally, I asked Rebecca, how does she suggest wines and could she make a wine suggestion for my family, she said that she certainly could suggest a wine. She replied that she usually need to know what preferences that we had to a specific alcoholic beverage or the region that is particularly favored, then the occasion that the wine will be served, and the price range. My mother and I wanted a light wine which was on the sweeter side which meant we’d need a white wine that had residual sugar. Rebecca chose two wines for us, one was from Spain it was a 2014 Entremares blanco coupage and the second one was from France it was a 2013 Jovly chenin blanc. Both wines are medium bodied and well balanced; I cannot wait to try them. Rebecca described the secret about food pairing and said that usually wines should be paired with regional foods. As my mother purchased the two wines, I began to realized how beautiful of a learning experience learning about wine truly is. I am not only able to taste wine but understand wine as well.
New Zealand, 2015
At the 2015 Society of Wine Educators Conference, Will Costello, MS told the audience how New Zealand is a “land like no other,” during his presentations titled “New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc: Breakthrough Approaches and Individual Expressions.” You can download a copy of the presentation here: NZ Sauvignon Blanc presented by Will Costello
http://winewitandwisdomswe.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/NZ-Sauvignon-Blanc-presented-by-Will-Costello.pdf
Grisell’s Wine Retail Shop Experience
Gruner Veltliner
If you liked the “Gruner” we tasted in class here is the link to a similar wine. I always enjoy Gruner so if you can not find the Nigel please taste another and share your notes.
http://www.skurnikwines.com/wines.cgi?rm=view_detail&wine_id=22923
Retail Wine Store Analysis
For the retail wine store analysis I decided to visit. Mount Carmel Wines & Spirits, located in 609 E 187th st, Bronx, NY. As I walked into the location I saw that there was only one person standing at the counter and I was hoping that he was knowledgeable enough to answer my questions. Before I approached to him I took a look at the location and I really loved the atmosphere. The walls were like a wood type of color as well as the floor, the wines were well organized in terms of uniformity. When I approached the counter I introduced myself to the employee and starting asking him questions. He told me that the wines at the store are organized by region and once they put them by region, then they separate the whites from the red, and then they placed them from low to high prices. He told me that it just make it easier for customers that are looking for something not too expensive.
The store is located in Bronx Little Italy there for they specialized in wines from Italy. They also carry wines from Chile, Argentina, California, and France. Walking around the store I also realized that the prices for wines were not more than $43 dollars so ask him about the luxury wines. He said that they keep their luxury wines in a room that is located in the back of the store, but he also told me that most of their luxury wines are by request. Must of their customers already know what they are looking for so what they do is that they will older the wine the customer is looking for. They also carry cultural wines from different regions and countries they are not always expensive but he said that the customers requested them. This wines are in cases around the store that’s how they choose the wines that are going to be display in the front cases, but he had one or two cases with sparkling wines on sale also.
Coffee in the News, Peets and Stumptown
I love my Stumptown, I hope I see no change at all. Read the article (the video is very informative) and share your thoughts.