The Retail Store that I visited is called Leiser’s located in Flushing; it has been open since 1947. With just over 3,500 square feet of store space, the store has a large collection of bottles to choose from. When I called the day before to ask about coming into the store, the woman Jan seemed intrigued by the project and willing to help. Unfortunately when I got to the store it seemed that she had already left. I consulted Jason, who was stocking at that time. I noticed off the bat that the store was divided into two main sections: wine bottles to the right and spirits to the left of the store. When I asked Jason, about how the wines were organized, he mentioned that they are separated by types of wines. For example, Rieslings were in one area, while champagnes and sparkling wines were in another. The good thing about this is that if you are looking for a particular style of wine, you know exactly what section to go to. It is also beneficial if you are looking to compare the different producers as well as how terroir or producer affects the taste of the wine. The downside to this was that I feel that rather than focus on the individual wines and branch out to try different regions or producers, people would tend to look at the price. Speaking of prices, I noticed that the more expensive wines were at eye level while the less expensive brands were at the bottom.
The Shelf talkers were very helpful in explaining some wine notes and food pairings for people who want to get into wine or are just looking to find something to go with their food.
One of the countries that we did not cover in class was Greece. I found an Agiorgitiko Wine which is from red-wine grape from the Peloponnese peninsula. The Agiorgitiko grape is best grown in the mountainous and Mediterranean temperatures of Greece. The labeling in the back described some of the flavor notes as well as food pairings.
When looking for the sparkling wine, I found that most were either from California or France. The one I chose was Meiome Sparkling wine made in the Methode Champenoise. The label in the back mentions that the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir Grapes had influences of “chilly fog and howling winds” from California’s North Coast.
The Red Wine from Spain that I chose was a DOC (Denominación de Origen Calificada) Rioja Gran Reserva 904.
Leiser’s has a large variety of wines which were moderately priced ranging from $7.99 to $149.00. Overall, the experience to Leiser’s was pleasant, Jason was helpful and seemed to be knowledgeable about the locations of the wines, unfortunately he did not know much when it came to the regions or specifications.
