Archive for May, 2013

Weekly Food and Wine Pairing – Branzino and Greek Whites, Carmenere and Grilled Red Me

May 31st, 2013

This week’s pairing is a follow up to the New York Times’ Greek wine column we covered yesterday. We haven’t tried it yet, I have to admit, but it looked too good to ignore. [level-members] Oops. It looks like the link to the recipe in the article below has gone kaput. We’ll leave the link […]

What They’re Reading – Wine Spectator 6/30/13, New York Tim

May 30th, 2013

The June 30, 2013 issue of Wine Spectator cover stories roar about Zinfandel’s return, review Brunellos, and take a “first look” at 2012 Bordeaux. [level-members] Chinese Scale Back on High-End Wines First, of course, the front-of-the-book features. Good news, perhaps, for wine lovers in the west: the Chinese government has officially made ostentation a bad […]

Is Amazon A Threat to Your Wine Sho

May 29th, 2013

As we’ve noted in a number of recent posts, including Monday’s Industry News article, Amazon continues to grow its retail wine business. They’ve added variety and offer flat rate shipping as well as discounts on as few as 3 bottles. So, are they a threat to your local business? Maybe, but only if you let […]

Wine Shop Business Planning: Your Most Important Custom

May 28th, 2013

Last week, in my article on short- and long-term business planning for wine shop owners, I posed the question, “Who is your most important customer?” Here’s the answer. [level-members] Since I said I’d bet that 99% of you would be wrong in deciding who your most important customer is, you are clever enough to get […]

Retail Wine Industry News – Amazon Shipping, Pennsylvania Privatizati

May 27th, 2013

Happy Memorial Day! I hope your shop is closed and you’re enjoying a much-deserved day off. And now, a bit of industry news for you: Amazon continues to expand its wine offerings. Pennsylvania reconsiders exactly how it might privatize wine and liquor sales. [level-members] Amazon Shipping Offer An Amazon offer landed in our inbox this […]

Food & Wine Pairings – Grilled Fi

May 24th, 2013

It’s Memorial Day weekend! Sure you could do burgers and dogs, but fish isn’t just good for you, it’s great on the grill. And grilling it means you’re not living with the wonderful aroma of fish long after your meal is done, as can be the case when you make fish in a kitchen (and […]

What They’re Reading – Bon Appetit, June 20

May 23rd, 2013

Bon Appétit’s cover this month says “It’s Summer!” and features articles on incorporating greens into all kinds of dishes, strawberries, and updating the classic BLT. First, the front-of-the-book features. [level-members] In the “could you get me that recipe” section is a cilantro Martini. Fresh cilantro and lime juice go into the making of cilantro/lime infused […]

Why Your Wine Shop Customer Database Is So Importa

May 22nd, 2013

If you don’t have a customer database, you’re making life a lot harder on yourself. A customer database – in most cases, this means an email list, though a postal mailing list still works – gives you the opportunity to market in ways that you can’t, and increases the effectiveness of any marketing efforts. [level-members] […]

Wine Shop Business Planning: Short-Term and Long-Te

May 21st, 2013

Wine shop owners, like any good business owners, need to think both short-term and long. You have to in order to survive. When that thinking gets out of balance, it’s typically heavy on short-term thinking at the expense of the long-term plan. Here are a few ways to fight against that common impulse. [level-members] To […]

Wine Retail Industry News – Legal Driving Limit Proposal, High End “Wine Residences” in Shangh

May 20th, 2013

Wouldn’t it be great to be able to charge people to buy wine from you? To the tune of, say, $12,000 a year? Also, a proposal to lower the legal blood-acohol content limit for drunk driving. [level-members] First, news from Shanghai that a new “wine residence” has opened that offers retail wine sales, fine dining, […]