Alsace wine tasting

Posted on October 18, 2015 by Peter Joung

2008 Adam Pinot Gris Selection de Grains Nobles (SGN)

Wine is clear, day bright, Deep gold, high viscosity.
Wine is clean, high intensity, candied fruit, orange marmalade, dried apricot, date, raisin, orange, candied ginger, saffron, botrytis on the nose.
No hint of oak.
Wine is sweet, high acidity, no tannin, medium alcohol, med + finish.
Dominant fruits are all the fruits mentioned on nose + candied orange, almost grilled lemon, honey, brooze apricot.

I wouldn’t spit this for tasting. Just swallow.

Heights Chateau

Posted on October 16, 2015 by Radka

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?

Posted on October 16, 2015 by Prof. Karen Goodlad

Isn’t this a great representation of our north east wines? Which do you choose?

http://winefolly.com/update/washington-vs-oregon-wine-infographic/

Wine Shop Analysis

Posted on October 15, 2015 by DanyBear

Daniel Mendoza

Professor Dagorn

HGMT 2402

Wine Visit assignment

For my wine visit, I want to try something different from what was suggested behind the assignment sheet. At first, I was just looking for an easy liquor store that can be located nearby my home, but I became interested in wines as I progressed in the wine course with Professor Dagorn. With the neighborhood of Greenpoint becoming gentrified day by day, new establishments are opening and one wine store that caught my attention was Grapepoint Wines. Grapepoint Wines was established in 2012 by Joanna Zablocki and she is even a fellow Greenpointer and Brooklynite. The fact that she is from the neighborhood and the terminology she used to describe and compare wines gave me the sense of comfort that the owner is willing to meet with, inform and guide her customers during the wine shopping experience. Also I did not feel dumb at all because of certain details that I remembered from previous classes with Professor Dagorn, I even impressed some of the customers there too.

The pros about this establishment, they hold free weekly wine tasting events, the large selection of wines are handpicked by the owner and offer good quality wines at a convenient price. For example, the store offers a $15 & under table and you will find wine notes indicating the wine’s region and description that are written by Joanna herself. The cons is this is a new establishment compared to other liquor & wine shops near the area that were established many years before hers. When the shop is full, I am little nervous to move around because I am afraid to bump into the selection, but that is just because of my size. Honestly, I can’t seem to find any more cons, I am just very satisfied with the customer experience I had at Grapepoint Wines that it overshined any concerns I had before I stepped in. I am definitely going back there!

$15 & under table at Grapepoint wines

Used to be video rental store but now its an awesone wine shop

Inside of GrapePoint Wines and I met shy Chaz who was very insightful

Retail Wine Shop Analysis : Shania Benjamin

Posted on October 15, 2015 by shania11

For my retail beverage wine shop analysis, I choose two retail shops, both located in Manhattans busiest communities. When selecting a winery I was not bias nor did I research the establishment before visiting. I simply went with the most appealing name on the list of wineries issued to us and crossed my fingers. The first winery I visited was located on East 27th street, just a minute off of the main street, somewhat tucked away but in a rather bustling area with lots of people, local bars and crowded restaurants. When I first entered Vino’s fine wine and spirits there was a women who greeted me and announced that they were actually having a wine tasting just to the rear of the store. As I explained to her the reason for my visit and that I was interested in the knowledge that she had pertaining to wine and about the store in general I noticed her face had changed from being enthusiastic to a deer stuck in headlights, I knew that wasn’t a good sign. She quickly stated that she wasn’t 100% sure about the attributes withheld in the store but she would answer the questions she did know. The first thing I noticed about the store was that the room was in a dim light setting that made the store feel larger. The wines were displayed upright, tall and high and separated by regions. On top of each variety of wine there was a mini chalkboard with a handwritten region or a specific selection i.e. the USA, Australia, Sparkling or Red Wines (picture B) Of course the most expensive wines were placed towards the top and the least expensive were placed closer to arms reach. There was a gentleman in the back of the store that was very familiar with the inventory and the outline of the store and was more than willing to help me. He pointed out the temperature controlled case just towards the back of the store that contained the stores rarest vintage selection. I found it interesting that the wines in the case were set to lay on its side compared to the ones not displayed in the case (picture A). The stores main goal was to offer the most modern day collection of wines and liquor to its clientele with recognizable labels, which makes this store unique. On the other side of the case was where the hard liquors and “quick mixes” where located. I also found it interesting that some of the wine descriptions were labeled “Try me I’m Local”, referring to the tight knit community between producers and the buyers wine glasses. Some of the “Try Me I’m Local” wines were from Long Island and Fingerlakes NY.
The second winery that I visited was near Chelsea Market and right across from the highline, Appellation Wine and Spirits. Just as the first store they were having a wine tasting event and were very professional about the merchandise displayed in the store. Patrick, the gentlemen who helped me around the store was very familiar with the store and answered all of my questions. The differences with this store were that the wines were set in wine racks that caused the wines to tilt back but not fully in a flat out position. When a bottle is kept sideways, the wine stays in contact with the cork, keeping it wet so the cork won’t dry out, shrink, and let air get into the wine. This also leads up to premature oxidation (picture C) The wines were separated by flags and arranged so that the lightest white wine was displayed first and as you proceeded onward the heaviest white would conclude that specific country. Each wine had a descriptive note specifying the region, producer, and vintage and so on. Every country started off with a white wine and the cost preference wasn’t depicted according to the set up. The least expensive wine in the store was about $7 and the most expensive was a Cognac bottle ranging about $500. Appellation had a bright ambiance, I wouldn’t say a tight knit environment but rather spacious enough for you to complete a 360 degree spin and be able to view another country in the same vicinity. They also had a separate fridge at the front of the store that held one of each regions white wine just in case a buyer came in for a quick pick me up for dinner. I learned about a consolable wine called Tetra Pak, which allows people to travel with wine more conveniently without the actual weight of a wine bottle and the precautions of cracking the wine bottle (picture D)

retail beverage shop analysis

Posted on October 15, 2015 by ShuLing Ruan（Suki）

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.

out15

Retail Wine Shop Analysis.

Image

The store that I chose to visit for this particular assignment was that located on 123 Atlantic Ave called Heights Chateau. I had called prior to my visit to make sure that the associate would be able to help me with the questions that I had, in which they said I could stop in at any time before 9:30 (closing time). I found that very welcoming, and I did not feel pressured to be there at a certain time nor that I had be on a time crunch. Once I arrived, the associate who helped me out was very nice. I didn’t get a chance to ask for his name but he started off telling me about the history of the store. Heights Chateau just moved to their present location not that long ago, 18 years to be exact. They used to previously be located three buildings down, which is now a bar in present day. The associate continued telling me about the way that they section their wines; they section them by country and within that country they section the wines by region. They do not section their whites, or their reds in different sections. Rather, they keep both their whites and reds within the country/region that they belong to. I found this interesting and asked what type of wines do most clients ask for. He answered that most people like wine on the more inexpensive scale, and such is the reason that Heights Chateau does not carry big named wines. In addition to that, the associate said that most wines that come from a well known wine supplier tend to cost more than that of a not so known name.

I continued by asking if they sectioned their wines within the country by the sweet wines as opposed to the more dryer wines. He said they do not, and that if a client were to come in to ask for such a wine, that the associates would have to know the difference. He gave me an example by showing me some German wines like a Riesling and explined that it is semi-dry, not bone dry. He continued by saying kabinett is not very sweet or very dry, and that if we wanted a dry wine would have to look for trocken, which means really dry (He showed me a trocken riesling, as an example). He explained that most people are intimidated by German wines till present day. He explained the types of wines people in the area liked, using cherries as an example. Using his words; “California, Latin America, and South African wines, tend to be more like bing cherries, European wines are like the cherry no body wants. Because it has a tang to it, and they’re better food wines.” He explained that California wines for example are more drinking wines, although they can be paired up with food, for certain dishes it would be hard to pair the wine, such as a pasta, because of the sauce.

The associate said that Rose has taken up a lot of popularity in the last 3 years, and he proceeded to show me the sparking wine from Italy, and the champagne from France. He did mention that most people come for wines in France, particularly those from Sancerre. I ended by asking if they had any wines that could be aged and they said they did but that they kept them downstairs in the cellar. He allowed me to take as many pictures as I pleased and I noticed their wide ranged variety of wines that included Greece, Portugal, Chile, Austria, New Zealand, Argentina, France, Italy, Germany, USA, Kosher wines, and

-The inside of the store.

Sparkling wines from Italy

As a student interested in pastry, this section interested me.

Some champagne.

French wines categorized by region.

I felt the moving wooden stairs gave the store an old school, classic look

The reason for this alignment is overstock,.

USA wines.

The outside of the store.

Retail Analysis of a Wine Shop

Posted on October 15, 2015 by briannavasquez

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.

The Wine Shop Storefront

The Interior of the Wine Shop

The Sparkling Wines of Italy

The Red Wine Selection

The White Wine Selection

Retail Wine Shop Anaylsis

Posted on October 15, 2015 by Georgina Hall

The first wine store I visited was New York Wine Exchange located on 9 Broadway. I have passed by this store plenty of times since it is near my job, so I took the opportunity to finally go in. Once I walked in I felt like I was being rushed to buy something, by several different employees just asking do you need help. Once I told them I’m a student and about the assignment they all just rushed away like if I wasn’t a paying customer then I shouldn’t be there. It was really unwelcoming. What I did notice was that they displayed their wines based on the regions they were from. Also that their front display were wine that were on sale. All of their white wines were on Fridges toward the back of the store and those were also organized by the different wine regions and countries.

The second Wine store that I visited was Pour located in the Upper West Side. I loved this store it was clean, bright, modern, and made it very easy to shop. They were also giving wine tasting so that’s always a plus. This store displayed their wines based on food paring instead of regions. They started with bubbly in the front of the store worked their way to crisp, mellow, plush, bright, velvety, bold and lastly sweet. Both of the employees were willing to help and answer any questions. They choose to display their wines that way to make it easier for the average customer, which are usually looking for wine to go with a special dinner they have planned. They also store their wines horizontally because it keeps the cork wet and the wine from going bad. They put their newer wines in the front display to let guest know what they have new in store and also put the grapes that are in season. For example she told me that in the summer the display was all Rose because those were the grapes that were in season.

This was a display of one of their red wines section. Under each bottle their was a card with information about the bottle telling the customer where its from, the vintage, and flavor profile.

This is one of their white wines display, this one is the Cisp section of the store. You could also see the bottles stored sideways.

This picture is the new wine display in front of the store when you first walk in. Behind that display is the wall of the bubbly section. That is where they display all their sparkling wines.

Retail Wine Analysis/Comparison – Yoaquina Rollins

Posted on October 15, 2015 by Yoaquina Rollins

The first retail store I visited was “World of Wines and Whiskey” located on 55th and Lexington avenue. The shop was very welcoming and once we entered we were able to see labels on the shelves that distinguished the wine sections by different Countries, France, Germany, Spain, Africa, Australia, New York, etc. besides the store being divided by country, it was also within each section divided by types. For example, Merlot on the top row, Cabernet in the middle, and whites and blush on the bottom. Another benefit of this particular store was that they prefer smaller suppliers so they can have a higher profit in return. As a customer you could benefit from this because they offer an automatic 15% off when you purchase 6 or more bottles. Some draw backs that this store had was lack of inventory and variety. They also were quite pricey on most of their merchandise. Another drawback for them is that they are a fairly new store, only having about a year in operation. There was no exact reasoning or motive to where which wines were placed on shelves or on the floor just by category. This store provided a friendly and welcoming environment but prices and the lack of variety would probably be the reason I wouldn’t be returning anytime soon.

Picture shows the labeling of sections and primarily red wines. (World of Wines & Whiskey)

The second retail beverage shop we visited was “Ambassador Wines and Spirits” located on 1020 2nd Ave at 54th St. this shop had a vast variety of wine. Once you enter the store you run into wines that are good for the current season. Also the shop is two floors; upstairs there are wines from all over the world, while the lower level is completely devoted to wines of France. From a room of just Burgundy wines and another of just Bordeaux wines to a room dedicated to Champagne. Downstairs is also a room where tastings are held, while in the same room you can see storage of wines set to soon be on the floor. The General Manager, Andre Robert Guerin, of the store was very eager to give us the “interview” as he called it and he was very informative and excited to show us their wide variety of wines. The wines upstairs were all placed by price and from cheapest (bottom) to highest (top shelve). One of the draw backs is that they would only lower prices for an item if they get a deal from the actual distributor does since their rent is $22,000 due to location. The store does not have a separate section for aged wines but is looking to in the near future have either its own room or section. I will surely return to this store, and might even take part in their wine tasting deal.

Interview being had with the GM in the classroom/wine tasting room. Storage of wines to rotated onto the floor seen labeled in small crates on shelves.

Entire room dedicated to Champagne on the France floor. (Ambassador Wine & Spirits)

Wines upon entrance of store; season specific. (Ambassador Wine & Spirits)

hmgt2402 fall 2015

"We Study Wine"