My family frequents the liquor whenever there a celebration to have, and with my cultural background, there is always something to celebrate. This liquor store that I visited back in February is one that we frequent often, and though I’m not of drinking age I can give my opinion that I rather favor the shop. Upon entering the store, I was able to get help right away from the staff members at the cash register who then lead me to Trueman Haskell III who is the General Manager of Wine and Spirits Discount Warehouse. He was able to answer all my questions though there weren’t too many, and with me already knowing the store I only need info mostly on their wine section. Here are some pictures I was able to take of the wine choices they had, such as their red section that included Merlot, the white section where I found our recent study if Sauvignon Blanc, and of course, box wine.

As I went further into to the store near the back I found a refrigerator that I’m familiar with that holds the wine I see when I walk in. Trueman told me that where they keep most of the wines that don’t see, which is a way for them to move product that hasn’t done well on profit. This actually clarifies why whenever my brothers and I walk in there a note is on the door explaining some type of sale. Which we usually walk past, to be honest.

The wine that is refrigerated and may be resold

The box wine was something I’ve always heard of but, has never actually seen; it was later explained that there’s usually a pouch inside to hold the wine because I couldn’t figure out how something like that was possible.

Near the front of the store all the way to the left I found where another good part of their wines resides in regions rather than grape variety. From New York to Australia to Syrah there were many wines there waiting for the seals to be broken. By the end of my visit, I felt I had more than enough info and thanked Trueman for his help. Here are the questions I asked along with his answers in quotations.

What are some wines you desire to have in your shop?

“We have a little bit of everything. Wine is very diverse so we try to take it all in”

What are some struggles you have while in this location?

“There isn’t much to complain about. We’re right next to grocery store (ShopRite), so business is good.”

What are your best sellers/where do most of your profit go?

“Most of our wine profit goes to the less expensive names such as Yellow Tail, and Barefoot, which go for $10-$12.”

Do You make your own wine?

“No, I leave that for the pros”

Below I took a picture of some that caught my eye, I should warn you I know very little about wine and mostly just like liquor/alcohol for the pretty bottles.

Country- America Region- California Grape Variety- Cabernet Sauvignon Vintage- 2013 Producer- Down By Law

Country- New Zealand Region- Marlborough Grape Variety- Sauvignon Blanc Vintage- 2015 Producer- Starborough

When I first encountered this assignment, I didn’t quite know how to approach it because I’m not a big fan of wine and don’t ever really drink it. Although I wasn’t going to be tasting the wine, I wasn’t sure I had the enough information to go in a wine store and question them regarding their store. Luckily we came up with questions in class which gave me a sense of confidence to go.

I visited a close by wine shop by where I work, Warehouse Wine & Spirt located 276 Avenue X Brooklyn, NY 11223.

Storefront

Right before I entered I took a breath and opened the door and my eyes quickly noticed how big long the store expanded to and how organized it was. I then was approach by a gentleman name Sam. I informed him that I was doing an assignment for wine class and if he had some time to answer a few questions and take few photos. He answered, “oh sure I have all the time in the world as you can tell” (empty store) As I

My first question which one was which was is the most popular wine during this season?

He said it would have to be the Yellowtail Sauvignon, because it’s an affordable price bottle for a good quantity.

My next question was, How much money does a customer usually spend?

Sam said around $20-$40, as mentioned their price is very economic for their location and also they know who they are targeting so the range is fine for the community.

The following question was Do you get questioned by customers for answers or recommendations on the product they are buying?

He mentioned that not a lot of customers come in looking for questions, they pretty much know what they’re here for, pay and the head out. There has been a few times couple of weeks ago, where someone asked him about the region of the wine or whether it was dry.

Red & White Wines of France

The following question I had was Which category of wine was sold the most Red or White wine?

He said, it’s very hard to say because there is so many varieties of both and they both seem to hit the top.

I then asked if I was able to photograph around and he said sure, I really like how they had mix wines of Red and White in one category according to their country, of course it’s to save storage, but I just liked seeing the different regions, grape variety, producer.

Red & White Wines of California

Wines of Italy

I also liked how they had sales for their wine, like the one above. An Italian White wine Ruffino- Pinot Grigio it was on sale, 3 for $10.58 Ea. They also had a small section of different regions and producers of Sauvignon Blanc (photo below) There was one from Chile, New Zealand from Marlborough which refreshed my memory from last week wine class.

Different Regions of Producers of Sauvignon Blanc

From never entering a wine store I would recommend this store for a quick stop on your way to friends/family house, or for a special someone. It’s super affordable and have a wide range in varieties of wines to vodka, liquor. It was a nice experience and made me more curious into learning more about wines.

How many wine stores have you been to? I have been to a few, but never understand how the store display their wine because I never actually walked around a wine store. I been to the wine store when I was little a few time with family, but parents always said to stay by their side which I never got the chance to look around the store. Due to this assignment, I got a chance to look around and ask some questions.

The retail beverage store I choose was Astor Wine and Spirits located at 399 Lafayette Street.

As I was searching for the location, it was not really hard to find. It is a very noticeable big red building. When you walk in, it is quite big and fancy and they have televisions hung up on the walls telling you what promotions and events they have. The employees at the store are very friendly and helpful. In the store their display is nicely organized. They display their wines in different section based on price and taste. The wine is also separated by the type of wine and region with a sign above the wine.

It is interesting having signs of the regions above the wine and provide some information on them about the wine. I had a lot of fun reading the signs because I can learn more things about it. Using the knowledge I earned from class, I practiced reading labels while looking around the store. It was a really fun experience there. Other than the wines displayed on the floor, they also have a cool room for wines that need to be controlled in temperature.

After taking a look round the store, I had some questions for the employee. The employee was really nice and willing to answer all my questions. Their employee answered my questions clearly and phrased it in a way I could understand. They also respond to my questions quite quickly and with a confident, showing me they have the knowledge of knowing their wine and information very well.

First question I asked was, which is the most popular wine and why? The employee said the most popular bestselling wine is their sparkling wine. Sparkling wine is the most popular wine because the price is cheap, under $10 and their store has been promoting the wine for parties, and wine itself is a great value bubble wine. Other popular wines are the ones that are pricing between $10-15.

Seeing the cool room got me wondering about temperature, so next question I asked was, What temperature do you store the wine? The employee respond “it depends on the wine.” For their older wine, they have it in their temperature control room at about 55 degree. On the floor their temperature is around 60 to 65 degrees.

Another question asked was, What is your best value wine? Their best value wines were from France whether they are red or white. The employee did not give me a specific name for the red wine, but as from white wine, Sauvignon Blanc with the price of $9-10.

The last question I asked really curious of what kind of wine it is because I never heard of it before. I asked, Do you see any trends? I got interested when the employee responded “Natural Wine, Organic Wine.” Hearing that really got me interested because I knew there was organic wine.

Not only did organic wine interest me, I also thought it was interesting when I saw display of “Wines that Staff Adore.” I would never expect a retail beverage store to have a section for staff adores. I think this is interesting because if a store has a section of staff adore meaning the company would like to understand and know what the staff likes to drink. It is just like how retail beverage store would always like to know what customers like to drink and buy. Staff are customers too, they like to drink and buy things too. I like the idea of this display because it gives other customers another opinion of which wine to choose.

This trip to the retail beverage store I had fun and learned a lot. I got to see so many different types of wine varieties. As of the store, I think a benefit was their price range which allowed people to purchase some best tasting wine at an affordable price. A drawback about them was that although they had signs with some information about the region, but not information of the wines. And as for the store’s attributes/ weakness, I think they did not show any weakness, but the staff had very nice attitude, friendly and informative. I would recommend others to come and take a look and purchase come wines.

Retail Beverage Shop Analysis

Xiaocui Wang (Vivian)

“When I first saw this assignment I was very confused , because I did not know anything about wine. Thus, for my retail beverage shop analysis, I decided to go to the retail shop that just one block away from my house called Mighty March. I passed by this store almost every day, but I never had the opportunity to visit. Before I went to the store, I called ahead to make sure that I could speak to the owner or any other store employees that could help me with my questions.                                       

Mighty march is located at 8134 Broadway, Elmhurst, NY 11373. This retail shop opened since 2004. The owner Cici is taken over from a Hong Kong couple since 2014 until now.  When I went to store, i spoke to a nice lady called Shao. I told her the reason why I came visit the store and she was happy to answer all my questions.

As I walked around the store, I found it pretty small as a retail beverage shop. After that I started ask her questions. Shao told me that all of the wines in the shelves were organized by its region and grape variety. Wine suppliers for the shop would recommend them with a list of wine to be purchased, and they chose Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot for red wine. Shao told me that these two types of red wines became the ones with high sale in the shop as expected. For white wines, they chose to sell Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. Shao told me that for those who visited the shop for white wine, Sauvignon Blanc is their top one choice. Compare with Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc is fresher and smoother, but chardonnay is too sour.                                                                                                   

Since there are many Asia and Spanish living in this area that make it difficult to sell expensive red wine and white wine. Therefore, the most sold wine are those value from $6-$20.

My last question for Shao was how did she develop her wine knowledge? She told me her knowledge is learned from sales representative. Also, she learned a lot while selling the wines and through communications with customers.

overall, I was happy that I am starting to know wine and I guess after this visits I will continue studying wine.”

Pete Milano Discount Wine & Spirits Store Front (EST 1944)

As a student in college studying wine, I did my retail wine analysis at Pete Milano Discount Wine & Spirits located at 1441 Forest Ave. Staten Island. I choose this simply because it was the only retail shop on the list for Staten Island.

Once I entered the store I briefly explained to one of the employees helping me, I was there in order to complete a analysis for my wine class. He was complying and helped me even though I couldn’t understand his accent to well. I was able to get some information from the gentlemen helping me.

The store has a nice set up and makes it easy for customers to shop in the store. The wine they offer to customers from different regions such as Italy , France , Germany ,Chile and California. The way the store is set up is they have flags hanging from the ceiling indicating the different regions of wines in the store. The store is also separated by the region, sparkling wine section, kosher section as well as a fine wine section which was closed off by a small door, it had some expensive bottles of wines but I wasn’t allowed to enter even though I should’ve been able to enter as any customer would be granted permission to.

Flags displayed in the store indicating the different regions. Also useful to customers to help them choose from different varieties of wine.

Fine Wines ( majority of the expensive wines up to $300 dollars per bottle)

A question I had for one of the employees heling me with my analysis : what is the  best price value of wine you offer. He responded with Robert Mondavi at $9.99 for 750 ML of red wine. Another question I had for the gentlemen: what is the best Italian/ French wine that you sell here at this store. He replied to my question saying  Ruffino for Italian wine and Louis Jadot for French wine. I also asked what the temperature of the store usually is ,  he told me its usually 65-68 degrees Fahrenheit.

This store had plenty of wines to choose from and it is beneficial to consumers who shop at Pete Milano Discount Wine & Spirits store because they have good displays with small descriptions amongst all their wines.

In conclusion it was a good experience at the store doing the retail analysis. Seeing the store the way its set up made me understand how much pride is in the wine industry . They had a nice clean organized store with sections separating all wines from regions to sparking wine to kosher wines.

A display of both Red and White Wine produced by BackHouse Grape varieties ( Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot Vintage: 2014 California

Display of White and Red wine produced by Prophecy. Pinot Grigio from the Delle Venezie appellation in the northeast of Italy.

As I planned to pay a visit at a wine retail shop that was listed on the suggested page on Monday night, I did not expect the snowstorm would alter my decision. Unfortunately, I was left with no choice but to change my plan and visited a wine retail shop in my neighborhood. I visited Union St. Wine & and Spirits located on 38-19 Union St. Flushing, NY 11354 and called ahead to make sure that I could speak to a representative of the shop to ask about several questions based upon wines.

Storefront

When I arrived to the store, I was really surprised that how come I have never realized this shop takes just about a minute walk from my workplace. I live at a neighborhood where a majority of people are Asian, so it was not strange to see this wine store not only carries different varieties of wine but also Asian liquors such as soju, rice wine, and Japanese sake. Therefore, the first thing I learned from what I observed was the location and the community of where a wine & liquor shop is opened at can have a direct influence on the selections and sales of alcohol that are provided.

Foreign Liquors and Wines

I was honored that the manager of the store was so kind to use his lunch break to take my questions and to explore the shop with me. Michael, who is the most experienced wine retailer at this shop, answered several of my questions while explaining to me what their customers loved the most from their suggestions. As I asked Michael about my previous observation he agreed with me. “Most of our customers are either Korean or Chinese, and sometimes they come in to ask if we carry soju or sake.” Michael said. Then I asked which selection is the most popular, red/white wine, or other foreign liquors. Michael thought about it for a second and told me that there’s no answer to that, because out of 100%, 50% of their customers come in for soju and sake, and the other 50% have more interests on wine and champagne.

SIMI, Merlot, 2014

As I walked down the aisle, I found out that they categorize the wines by popularity, grape variety, company and country. For example, as I asked which wine would you suggest to your customers when they tell you it’s for a gift, or it’s for themselves he answered that if it’s for drinking at home, he’d recommend Simi, Merlot, 2014, or Robert Mondavi, Merlot, 2013. And if it is for a gift, he’d recommend Cabernet Sauvignon, 2013, also by Robert Mondavi. These choices were all on the same shelf, and it is at the very front of the store, so once a customer comes in, he or she could easily see what selection is trending.

Robert Mondavi, Merlot, 2013

Robert Mondavi, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2013

As I listened to Michael’s explanation, I got curious with his recommendations. I don’t visit a wine shop unless there is an occasion, and I always stick to Simi, Merlot, 2013. So I asked him “Why Simi? Why Merlot, because when I first encountered wine I was introduced to Simi, Merlot as well. Is there a reason why Simi, Merlot is one of your top recommendations?” Michael replied to me that Merlot has less tannin and a smoother finish on the tongue, so for most people it is much more accepted compare to Cabernet Sauvignon.” Furthermore, Michael also states “if customers are willing to pay at a much higher price, such at 20$-40$, I would recommend Robert Mondavi, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2015, from Napa Valley.” Michael mentioned that Napa Valley produces some of the finest wines in the country.

After our discussion with wine, Michael had to get back to work, so I thanked him for take the time to give the opportunity to learn about wine with him. It was unfortunate that I also have to leave for work, so I asked for his permission to take some pictures of the store for presentation. Red and white wines were differentiated by storing red to the left and white to the right. Other categories of wines were put together, too.

Red and White

Red wines

In conclusion, I did not get a chance to choose a wine for myself, but I’ll definitely go back to Union St. Wine &Spirits to purchase a wine. This wine shop may not have the most complete wine varieties but definitely a place I’d recommend to my friends that live within our neighborhood or even friends that live in Queens. It has been a great experience for me because I’ve never gone so deep into wine industry and the knowledge behind the science of making wine until this point of life.  I guess after today’s visit, I’ll never stop studying wine.

I thought the banner was creative and eye catching.

This being my first visit to a retail wine shop I wasn’t sure what to expect! I called Chamber Street Wines and Heights Chateau. I decided on Chamber Street Wines as Amanda who assisted me on the phone seemed very willing and accommodating. She informed me that she would try her best to answer all my questions and if not she would ask her colleagues to assist. Chamber Street Wines is located at 148 Chamber Street, NY 10007. Upon arriving I noticed the store by this banner they had hanging. Once I entered the shop seemed lively as there were wine salespeople introducing their latest wines to the shopkeepers. They were having a tasting session and seemed comfortable and engaged.

I met with Amanda who greeted my friends and I warmly and we went right into the questions.

-What is your best selling wine? Sparkling Prosecco

-What is something you would like to improve about the shop? In store customer service can always be improved.

-What regions of wine do you offer? France, Italy, Spain, US-Georgia, Austria, Germany

-What clientele do you target? We are a neighborhood shop so definitely those who live and work around here.

– Best recommended white/red? Elizabeth Spencer- Chardonnay & California Pinot Noir.

How did you learn about wine & what does it take to work in this particular shop? By working retail and having a strong education in wine, grapes, and regions. Particularly for this store we also focus on understanding natural wines.

Next, I took a walk around to identify the different types of displays the shop offered.

There was an assortment of shelves like above with wines standing up. There were also cardboard boxes containing what Amanda explained to be everyday sellers. The wines in this store are sorted by region with maps of the region posted above the shelves.

This is a photo of the sparkling wine section. I was a little confused as to how I could identify the sparkling wines and champagnes. An employee approached us and explained that the caps on these bottles are crown caps which is how they are identified. He then went down the line of bottles mentioning that they were sorted by sparkling champagne, and sparkling wine and according to region. He named the regions as he went down the line and explained that some of the spirits are from right here in Brooklyn, NY. being a neighborhood shop this was clear proof.

This is a refrigerator which contained more sparkling wine selections.

White Wine Display

Red Wine Display

This is what a display would look like in this shop. They are laid down and posted above is a map of the region. It felt relieving to see the Pinot Noir from Oregon as we’ve studied this region and also to see the Russian River Valley Selby Chardonnay which I remembered is an AVA in California!

I visited Henry Harde’s Wines and Liquors store established in 1933. It is new my job in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Everyone in this neighborhood knows of this store especially that it is local and on the expensive side. It is in the middle of a busy neighborhood full of restaurants and bars that will always need their last minute bottles of anything and this is always open. It had a nice feel with books and toys around the shelves, it made it feel homey.

I spoke to a semi nice gentleman that I asked if I could take pictures and he told me to take some and go because its a illegal so that was a nice talk but I took some before he noticed. This place had sections for each country as in Italy, France, California, New World and even a section for Sparkling which is my favorite type of wines so that makes it easier for people to find what they want and where they want it from. there was also little facts next to wines and what not.

I asked the gentle man what was his best selling wine he just said red so asked what kind and what company was the most sold so he showed me a black and red bottle called Apothic Red vintage is 2014 which is from California. This wine is a full bodied, bold blend of Zinfandel, Syrah, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. The price was 11.99 with 13.5% alcohol which is not bad for a nice, tasty wine like this because I indeed bought it to enjoy it myself. There was a history fact explaining what Syrah is and where it came from which was interesting because we haven’t learned about it yet.

It was my first time visiting a retail beverage shop. From the given suggested list of stores, I had chosen Ambassador Wine and Spirits located at 1020 2^nd Ave. However, when I called them in advance asking if I could arrange a meeting with a manager or any other store employee, the store informed me that they will not be able to assist me during my visit due to the blizzard warning for the city coming on Tuesday, all their employees will be on a very demanding schedule. Even though, I have encountered the same situations with a few other retail shops I decided to visit a store that is not too far away from my house. As a beginner who does not have much experience visiting a liquor store, with my father’s assistance I could visit Slope Cellars which was a family owned retail shop, located at 436 7^th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11215.

Stephen Moses, one of the knowledgeable staff members in Slope Cellars (his permission was granted to post the picture).

Upon entering the store, we were welcomed with its friendly staff and welcoming atmosphere. As I kindly explained the reason for me visiting the store, one of the owners who is Stephen Moses was happy to show me around and answer all my questions.

Display of wines from Old World.

The store was not that huge, the front room was spacious filled with well-stocked shelves of wines from Old World, and a large selection of spirits on the left side of the room. The back room was stacked with boxes marked “cheap & tasty,” with a great selection of wines for under $10 per bottle. All the New World wines was also stacked in the back of the room, in addition to the small section for the kosher wines.

Display of a large selection of spirits.

On the right side is the display of wines from the New World, and in the back is the corner for Kosher wines.

Looking at the shelves, I could tell that Slope Cellars offered more of Old World wines than New World. However, all the wines in the shelves were properly organized by its region and grape variety (red and white).

Red wine display of Galicia, from northwestern region of Spain

White wine display of Chablis, region in the northwest corner of Burgundy, France

According to Mr. Stephen Moses, when it comes to the prices, the Slope Cellars carried a wide-range of wines from popular to rare, affordable to wildly expensive. For example, he simple stated that dry red wines, and Prosecco among the sparkling wines are sold fast because they taste good and affordable to everyone. Furthermore, after the section of “cheap and tasty” the store also had a small section of “boxed wines” to those people who are buying for celebrations, party or any other events.

In addition, Mr. Stephen Moses also informed me that the temperature at the store was about 50°- 55°F to keep all the wines in its good quality. When I asked about their best variety of each red and white wines, he kindly explained that it depends on the climate which is not constant and different every season. For instance, summer in each region might be dry, hot, cool or wet and there might also be a frost which will affect the grapes quality. Interesting thing that I heard from Mr. Stephen Moses was that while frost is a disaster for many, sometimes it can be a good thing to produce an ice wine, where it is pressed from grapes that are frozen while still on the vine.

COUNTRY: Italy
REGION: Sicily
APPELLATION: Vittoria Frappato DOC
VINTAGE: 2015
GRAPE(S): 100% Frappato
TYPE: Wine – Red

Upon leaving, my father was interested in buying one of their bestselling medium bodied red wines. As the store was getting busy at the time, Mr. Moses introduced me to one of their staffs Winston Caesar, who graduated from CIA, and earned his master at NYU. He was also very knowledgeable and suggested couple of medium bodied red wines from different regions. Among the ones that he listed, my father ended up choosing an Italian red wine Valle dell’Acate 2015, “Il Frappato” for $19.99 with 10% discount.

In conclusion, my experiences visiting a retail beverage shop for the first time was fun, exciting, and very informative. As a student who is studying wine, I am glad to be able to use the knowledge I have gained in the class; as well as being able to recognize, identify and to discuss the selection of wines that they offered in the store by using a proper wine terminology words.

Overall, I am happy with my decision choosing the Slope Cellars and would recommend the store to anyone who are interested in stopping by.