Archive for October, 2013

Retail Wine Marketing: Improving the In-Shop Wine Tasti

October 9th, 2013

Looking for an event that might draw more interest than the usual weekend wine tasting? Here’s an idea. [level-members] A wine smelling. OK, the name could use some work, but even if you call it a wine smelling, it’s still likely to get more attention than your average, everyday “wine tasting” will. The truth of […]

Handling Customer Complaints in Your Wine Sh

October 8th, 2013

Is the customer always right? You bet she is! Here’s why. [level-members] Unless you are absolutely, positively, 100% dead certain that a customer’s complaint is bogus, you win by giving them the benefit of the doubt. Let’s look at the upside and downside of each possible choice for handling customer complaints. But first, a few […]

Wine Industry News – Whole Foods’ Wine Progr

October 7th, 2013

Not all Whole Foods locations sell wine, but their wine operation is still sizable. Here’s an interview with Doug Bell, who runs the operation, and our thoughts on what independent wine shops can learn from his approach. [level-members] The article, from Wine Spectator, focuses first and foremost on eco-friendly wine, though it’s worth noting that […]

Food and Wine Pairings – Tailgati

October 4th, 2013

Since we published a bunch of recipes from Fine Cooking’s tailgating feature yesterday, let’s talk about some wines that might work with that mess o’ food. [level-members] It was a pretty broad range of stuff, from veggie fare to steak sandwiches and brats. No wine is going to go with all of it. But then, […]

What They’re Reading – Fine Cooki

October 3rd, 2013

Over at Fine Cooking, we have a feature on great tailgating, brownie recipes and a better way to grill onions. [level-members] On the tailgating front we start with a warm black bean and chipotle dip that even vegetarians will love. Steak sandwiches are a nice make-ahead if you’re trying to keep things simple once you’re […]

Content Marketing for Wine Shops: Beyond the Bl

October 2nd, 2013

We spend a fair amount of time talking about content marketing. For a lot of people, that can mean blog posts. But a blog is not necessarily the right channel for everyone. Here are some great ideas for content you can create – and use to promote your business by being useful to your audience […]

That’s The Way We’ve Always Done It and Other Wine Retail Pois

October 1st, 2013

If you’re going through the motions – in your inventory mix, in your customer interactions, in your marketing – your retail wine business is in trouble. Here’s why and how to avoid it. [level-members] Over the weekend a promo landed in my inbox from Amazon Wine. Nothing newsworthy about that; they’re promoting pretty heavily now. […]