I visited two retail wine stores this week. Both were very nice and had friendly and helpful workers. The first store I went to was Chambers Street Wines on 148 Chambers Street. Quiet jazz music was playing creating a nice ambience. Although it was two in the afternoon on a Monday the store was pretty busy. I spoke to a worker, Andrea, and she gave me a tour and helped me through my experience. The store is cramped with wine and did not a lot of space to move around. There are hardly any ShelfTalker, Andrea told me to check their website for them. Andrea also told me the store was so crowded because they where having a wine tasting later on that day. They will be pouring six wines from these great estates: Domaine de la Pépière 2014 Muscadet “Gorges” and 2015 “Clisson,” Domaine Luneau-Papin 2014 L’ d’Or and 2017 “Terres de Pierres,” and Champagne Tarlant “Brut Zero Rosé” and “Cuvée Louise” NV (base 2000). I found this aspect of the store very interesting. I was very tempted to stay for the tasting. Sadly in order to navigate this store you would either need a store assistant or have studied wine. I think this store can have a better flow for customers to browse. I also think labels of regions could help the store tremendously.

The second store I visited was Sea Grape Wine Shop on 512 Hudson Street. This store was also cramped but it had a much more cozier feeling to it than Chambers Street Wines. Despite its cozy feel, it was much smaller then the first store and there was no music playing in this store. There were only the two workers in the store and there was no crowd. I spoke to a worker, Eric, and he also gave me a short tour of the small shop. This store also had no ShelfTalker. The price range in the store was much more affordable then the first store I visited. The flow was also better in this store. They had small label for all their wines and had a large selections of wine and champagne.

In both stores I was able to find red wines from Spain, sparkling wines that were not from France, and red wines from a region I did not know made wine; Australia and Brazil.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed both experiences. Both workers were very kind and knowledgeable. Both stores could work on a clearer system of organizing the wine but that challenge is understandable. I would suggest Chambers Street Wines for catering, a tasting, or an expensive quality wine. I would suggest Sea Grape Wine Shop if you and your friend are walking around and want to visit a cozy store to learn a little about wine. You will walk out with something to your taste that will not hurt your pocket.

The First Location version of Shelf Talker

First Location: Red wine from Spain

First Location: A Germany Riesling-
Hofgut 2015 Saar Riesling Sekt Brut

First Location: Jour Fixe Riesling Brut Nature 2015
A sparkling Wine from Germany

Second Location: Red Wine from Spain- Tempranillo Viñas Viejas Milcampos Ribera del Duero

Second Location: Red Wine from Brazil

Second Location: Sparkling White Wine from Italy

Second Location: A light red wine from Australia

The Second Location sadly did not have any Shelf Talkers.

Heights Chateu Fine Wines & Spirits located on 123 Atlantic Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11201 has been in business for 35 years. I interviewed Rebecca and she was more than glad to answer some of the questions I had. Before I part taken my interview- the exterior design of the store looked ancient and looked as if it has been around for awhile- It has a very traditional style as a first impression and I automatically felt like I had already gain the trust and confidence of leaving this store with good wine.

Rebecca developed her wine knowledge as a sommelier. She sold wine for living and therefore knew an immense amount of information about wine. With so much information about wine, where and how do I look for a particular wine? I asked her about how is wine organized in the store. Of course, Red wine and white wines are organized separately by subregions especially for Europe. Wine is also organized by the New World and Old World. New world wine is organized by grape variety, and that old world wine is organized or divided by region/appellations.

I went on and asked about what is different about their wine store compared to other wine stores. Most importantly, she emphasized the importance of cellar space. Heights Chateu has a big cellar and small cellar for wine storage that most wine stores may not have to an advantage. Most of the expensive wines are stored in these cellars and it is very rare that customers enter the premises of these cellars. Rebecca pulls out a wine directory book and showed me the different types of wines stored in these cellars. Most of them cost more than my bank account and that the most expensive wine they currently have in stock is the Burgundy red wine from Romanee County- cost $2000. Customers often times buy this wine around Christmas time. What exactly do you eat a long with this wine? She joked and went on about eating pizza, but after all it really depends on what they customer is in the mood for. More often times people just sip on it and just cherish the expensive wine taste.

Overall- the experience interviewing Rebecca was a memorable because I have never interviewed anyone about wine and at least have some knowledge of what I am asking about because I have studied wine this semester.

Shelf Talker-  Retail for $20 and is a Nebbiolo Grape Variety from the Langhe Region from Italy.

Red Wine from Rioja Region of Spain. Grape variety is Marizuelo retail for $40.

Sparkling wine from  Spain a Pinot Noir grape variety grown in Juve & Camps Estate. Retail for $17.

I had no idea that Wine is also made in Michigan. When asked about a wine that I might not know, she sped up her walking and lead me to this wine. Made by a Blaufrankisch Grape Variety from Eden Hill Vines.

When visiting Sea Grape Wine & Spirits Shop located at 512 Hudson St, New York, I came across two employees that were working there at the moment. Mark who has been working at Sea Grape for an year and a half. And Joti who has been working at Sea Grape for 3 years. Unfortunately the manager had just walked out upon arriving. But Mark and Joti were able to provide me with an abundance of information they have learned from their Manager. My very first question was, What’s new? Mark immediately guided me towards Portuguese Wines. Portuguese wines are one of the most newest wines they carry and are seasonal. They have wines great to drink during the summer and red wines that are great to drink in the winter due to their deep rich notes. Another new wine is Orange wine. He explained the rather complex vinification of Orange wine to me. Orange wines are oxidized which is the opposite of what we want to do during vilification. He said it is different, it is new and it is non traditional, something their customers are constantly looking for. Sea Grape are always rotating their stock with new wines to try. There’s not a single wine that has been there for too long. My second question was what’s the competition like and is there any challenges Sea Grape faces? Joti immediately said that Sea Grape does not focus on competing with other local wine shops. He confidentially pointed at the ceiling with their logo, and said that Sea Grape has been here since ‘89 making them one of the oldest well known wine shop in the area. Not only is Sea Grape one of the oldest wine shop, they taste each and every wine that are being sold in their shop. Sea Grapes focus is to sell natural wine from small local vendors and vineyards. Mark then stated that his manager in fact faces challenges. One challenge he comes across often is wether selling a wine or not. The manager often has to put his preference and bias opinion aside which can be hard for him. Although he might love a wine from a vendor, he highly considers what his customers might like or think. My third question was, what is your bestseller? Their all year-round best seller is a rose, Vrac selling for 11.99$. Lastly do you study wine? If not how did you end up selling wine? Both Joti and Mark do not study wine. They know a lot about wine because they learn a everyday from their Manager. According to them his palate for tasting wine is godly. But after talking a bit about my major, both Joti and Mark absolutely love wine and are considering to study wine. Overall Sea Grape Wine Shop was a great experience and open to all my questions. They were able to educate me further about new trends and foreign wine.

Sea Grape Wines and Spirits
512 Hudson St, New York 10014

Shelf Talker
“This Malbec is in need of a Good Home”

Red Wine from Spain 
Gran Cerdo: Organic Red Wine from Rioja,Spain
Grape Variety: 100% Tempranillo

Sparkling Wine 
Schilcher Frizzante: Sparkling Rose from Steiermark, Austria
Grape Variety: Wildbacher

Red Wine from foreign region
Casa de Mouraz Dao: Organic red wine from Portugal
Grape Varieties: Touriga-Nacional, Tinta-Roriz, Alfrocheiro, Jaen, Água-Santa, Tinta-Pinheira and Baga

Joel Abreu

October 18^th 2018

Wine and Beverage Management

As a student taking this class I had to visit a wine retail store where I had to ask a few questions based on the what they have in stock and how the wines are stored. From what I noticed when visiting this wine shop many different people go in and ask for specific wines of their choice which shows that people know what they want when they go in and ask for what they are looking for specifically. The most popular wines that they carry are Pinot Project or Pinot Noir from California and Underwood Pinot Noir which is Oregon Grown. Some wines are kept in barrels of wood, are oaky and have a specific grape process which reminds the local customers where they came from. The manager mentioned to me that they prefer a wine that they once tried in their hometown and has a specific taste. This specific wine company by the name of G&I Wine Spirits has days when they host for wine tasting or they market the new merchandise by placing it in a specific area where the customer would take notice of what is being marketed to the buyer. The way this retail shop stores the wine is by keeping them in the basement, but one specific way the red wine is kept in in refrigerators as oppose to white wine that isn’t. the most popular wine that is carried by this company is Caymus Vineyards which come from Napa Valley and Stags Leap Wine Cellars which also comes from Napa Valley. Eddie mentioned to me that he studied and received his wine certification here in New York City. Besides the customers he says that his biggest challenge is maintaining the wine so that it doesn’t go bad. he said to me he makes sure that each and every single wine is able to be sold and has not gone bad. he makes it his responsibility to make sure that the cork hasn’t gone bad because it can affect the wine as the aging continues.

This is an American sparkling wine named Gruet Methode Champenoise.

this is a wine from a region I didn’t know made wine which is Australia.

This one here is a shelf talker and product from Spain.

Few weeks ago, I went to a wine store with my two friends and our assignment. We went to the one that located at 146 W 38th St, New York, NY, 10018 and name Midtown 38 Wines. It is near the herald square station. We went there on the Columbus day, but the store was not busy at that day. When we step in the store, the owner and staff was very welcoming. They were willing to help us and answer our questions. The owner introduced his staff to us to answer our question. The staff told us a little bit background and the history of the store.

The store was open five years ago, and the higher sell amount is selling around 200 bottles on a day. The target of this store is people who work around Herald square. The staff told us that the worker doesn’t need to wine certification to work there, but they have to have some wine knowledge. Also, they develop their wine knowledge by read the label of the wine and taste the wine when they have free time.

After finished talk to the staff, we talked around and take some pictures. The wines were organized either by countries or grapes variety. I took a photo of Spain red wine which call 2015 Juan Gil. It costs $13.99. This wine has been aged in French oak barrels. It has black color. It has berries and smoked flavor. This wine is good to pair with meat and smoked seafood. And then I pick a sparking wine that from California which call 1882 Korbel. It is a California Champagne and has 12% of alcohol. It is $12.99. it is mix with orange, lime, and strawberry. It is medium dry. This wine is good to pair with fruit, cheese or light appetized. The third wine I picked is call Recanati 2016 Shiraz which from Israel. This red wine costs $17. This wine has a noted of black plum, dark berry and coffee bean. It also has smoked and espresso flavor. This wine has 13.5% alcohol. This wine is good to pair with smoked meat or seafood.

Overall, the price of wines in the store are reasonable and they have different kinds countries wine. The staffs also are very nice.

Sparkling wine not from France

1882 Korbel California Champagne which contains 12% of alcohol

Red wine from Spain

Juan Gil 2015 Spain Red wine

Red wine from a region I didn’t know

Recanati Shiraz Israel, 2016

Shelf Talker

Wines are storage by grapes variety

I went to the New York City’s largest wine and spirit store, Astor Wines and Spirits on September 27 around 11:40 am with my 2 classmates, Mei and Preeya. Astor is on the corner of Fourth and Lafayette Streets in Manhattan. Astor Wines and Spirits has been a Greenwich Village fixture since 1946. The retail store offers a variety of liquors and wines.

When we walked in the store, there were not many customers at that time. There were a lot of workers. Most workers seemed busy. We met the sales manager Doug Yacka. We explained why we were visiting the store, and he readily helped us for our interview. My three questions were: “Which is the most popular wine in the store? How much does the average consumer spend in the store? What is the most expensive wine?” The most popular wine was Vezzo, Pinot Grigio 2016 Italian white wine. The original price was $6.96, but it was on sale $4.96 at that time. He said Italian wines are the most popular wine. Actually, I bought and tried it. It was a dry white wine with ripe and mixed citrus flavors. I liked it. I will definitely buy it again. The average customer spends an average of $40 with 2 or 3 bottles in the store. The most expensive wine was the Petrus, Pomerol 2009 red wine. Petrus is a Bordeaux, France red wine and costs $3,499.90 at the store. He did not show us the bottle. He said the wine is stored in a chiller in the basement. Their storage facilities ensure that all temperature sensitive items are held at the correct temperature so that they are not damaged before they arrive to the consumer. He showed us the cool room that also ensures that wines are stored at the correct temperature on the sales floor. Anything requiring gentler handling is stored at 57 F in the cool room. The cool room was very impressive.

Astor Wines and Sprit is well lit, clean, and well stocked. The staff is very well trained, friendly, and fairly knowledgeable. Prices are not cheap, but selection and quality make up for it. They have free wine tasting events on the weekdays at nighttime. I highly recommend this store. It will not disappoint.

(Self–talker)

This self-talker is about the most expensive wine at the store. It is Petrus, Pomerol 2009. The self-talker explains about the wine description, which includes region, price, and vintage. Petrus is always an impressive Bordeaux and certainly the type of bottle that will impress collectors.

(Red wine from Spain)

Vina Bosconia Reserva, Lopez de Heredia 2005, Rioha, Spain red wine is from traditional, family-run Lopez de Heredia. This wine is practicing organic. This wine exhibits nuances of strawberry, blood orange, pomegranate, coconut, and exotic spices. This wine is aged for three years in American oak barrels.

(Sparkling wine from Hungary)

This dry white sparkling wine is from Hungary. This wine is frothing with subtle notes of honey-drizzled pear, juicy white peach, and fresh brioche aroma. When served with a heavy chill, this wine is perfect for any meal.

(Red wine from Lebanon)

These two red wines are from Lebanon. Lebanon is next to Syria and Israel. I did not know about Lebanon wines. Chateau Kafrays is the most popular wine from Lebanon.

(Cool room in Astor)

The cool room ensures that wines are stored at the correct temperature on the sales floor. Anything requiring gentler handling is stored at 57 F in the cool room.

For the Retail Beverage Shop Analysis, I decided to go to Grand Wine and Liquor. It is located at 30-05 31^st Street Astoria, NY 11102. On Monday-Saturday they are opened from 9AM to 10PM and on Sundays they are opened from 12PM to 8PM. The retail shop is family-owned for over 85 years since 1993. They have a slogan Life is Grand… drink it up. It was the first time I ever visited this beverage shop. The place from the outside looked big so I think inside the store would be a lot wider then it was. The employee that helped me answered all the questions I had for this report and other questions I had. The store was very well organized they had banners up on the sealing, so we knew where the wines were from. Also, they had posters up of the map of every country wine was located. They have wines that start at as low as $8.99 and range to $1300. If you have their mobile app you can even place orders on your phone and they deliver the wine to your house.

Questions

1. What temperature do you store your wine in? Do you have certain storage area for different wines? Temperature control. temperature control is 50-55. Some of their wines they store at a little lower then room temperature. But the ones that need to have a temperature control they leave in the fridge.
2. How would you recommend wine to a person who barely know about wine? The employee told me he would first ask what they will be using the wine for. If it’s with food what they will be eating, or if they wanted something sweet, or dry.
3. Are your clients looking for hard to find wine? Are you looking for rare wines? High Profile? He mentioned that they do have hard to find wines that other retail store doesn’t have. That they do have some clients that look for hard to find wines.
4. What happens if you get a case of wine that goes bad? How do you handle that? He mentioned that if the case of wine goes bad they usually send it back to the vendor.
5. Do you study wine? Do you have certification? The employee actually didn’t study wine. He learned about wine while working that this retail shop. No the employee doesn’t have a certification for wine. He has been working their for 3 years and learned about wine while helping clients out.
6. What’s the most difficult challenge you have working here? When a customer asks for a wine that they tried at another place and doesn’t even know the name of the wine or what brand it is. Or if they try to describe the taste of the wine but they aren’t even sure if the taste is the same or not.
7. Do you guys do wine tasting for a specific wine for clients if they wanted to try the wine out before buying the wine? They do not do random wine tasting but they usually have a schedules wine tasting on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

“Shelf Talker”

Red from Spain,

Sparkling wine not from France,

Red wine from a region you did not know made wine

These are the pictures of how the store looked inside and the banners on the sealing.

Astor Wine & Spirits – Retail Store Assignment

For my retail wine project, I have chosen to visit Astor wine and spirits which is located in 399 Lafayette St, New York. The reason I chose this place is because of the positive reviews online through Yelp.

Astor Wine and Spirits was established in 1946. I was not able to speak with manager as he was not available but he was kind enough to let one of his staff members give me a small tour of the place and answer some of my questions.

At first sight, the store looks intimidating as it is large and sort of overwhelming with so many wines placed in wooden shelves that you don’t know where to start from. The place is very spacious compare to some other wine stores where most of the time is Once you let your first impressions through you realize that the store layout is attractively decorated and is set up to where wines can easily be found by country, region and grape varieties. When you first walk into a country section you will see signs on the shelves with the name of the different regions that produced wine. For each region the sign gives a small description of the region its representing. Then you will notice shelf talkers below each wine. The shelf talkers give a small description of the wine. The person guiding me told me that some wine stores decide not to use shelf talkers because they want to interact more with the customer but Astor Wine and Spirits decided to keep them because some customers find them very helpful.

My first question was how and where do they store the wines. One of the workers was kind enough to let me view the cellar where they store the expensive and other wines at the right temperature, 55F. I expected to go into a basement where they had some sort of fridge but instead it was a beautiful room with glass doors and wines in either wooden shelves or boxes.

My second question was if there is a new existing wine how do they introduce it to the public. He told me that they have a shelf at the front where people get to see new wines.He also informed me about their free wine tasting they offer during the week from 5pm to 8pm and Saturdays from 3pm to 6pm. They sometimes use this to introduce new wines to people as well.

My third question and 4th question was more towards their sales. I asked what country sells more and how do they keep track of it. He answered by stating that most people buy from the region of France. He also mentioned that they have a best selling shelf where they place all the wines that are the most popular which helps them keep track of what is producing the most sales.

In conclusion it was a fun and enjoyable experience to visit Astor Wine and Spirits.

“Shelf Talker” displays the name, vintage, price, and a description of the characteristics of the wine.

Red Wine: Bozeto de Exopto, Rioja is a red wine from spain from the region of Rioja.

Sparkling Wine not from France: Prosecco Treviso, is a beautiful sparkling wine from Italy, that contains pineapple, pear, and apple flavors.

Vlahiko is a red dry wine from Greece. It is from one of the coolest regions called Zitsa. The climate from this town is continental than Mediterranean.

I had to opportunity of visiting “Greenwood grape and still” located at 723 4th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11232. Recently open in 2017 this retail shop is a mix of wine and hard liquor. Every Thursday evening there is “wine tasting”, on Fridays there is “spirit tasting” and on Saturdays there is “whiskey, gin and agave tasting”. The prices to their wines are fair. After I left I did some research on the same wine in other stores and did not see a big price difference. The manager at the time Leonardo was very polite and very welcoming. Leonardo has been studying wine for over 15 years. We spoke about pricing and his advantage was that not many wine stores in his area (2 mile radius) so he feels that his prices are not based on competition but on value/quality.

Red Wine From Spain 

 Granija Remelluri Rioja Reserva

Country: Spain

Region: Remelluri

Vintage: 2010

Grape: 75% Tempranillo, 20% Granija, 5% Graciano

The wine has hints of hazelnut, dried flowers. It is a full-bodied wine with a strong finish.

Sparkling Wine Not From France

Collalbrigio Presecco NV

Country: Italy

Region: Veneto

Vintage: 2017

Grape: Presecco/Glera

This DOCG wine is perfect for mimosas, it has a yellow straw color with hints of pear, peach and honeysuckle flower.

As I was looking around the store I saw this one red wine from Argentina that interest me because I was unaware of how popular it was at the time. Mendoza accounts for 70% of Argentina’s vineyard acreage

Carmelo Patti, Melbec

Country: Argentina

Region: Mendoza

Vintage: 2013

Grape: Melbec

This red wine has hints of strawberry, tilled soil, cherries. medium bodied with a soft finish.