Archive for April, 2017

Food & Wine Pairing – Mushroo

April 14th, 2017

I have to admit I’m not an experienced forager, but something about spring always makes me think of mushroom foraging. Here are some recipe and wine matching ideas for your springtime bounty. [level-members] Since there are even more ways to prepare mushrooms than there are varieties of edible fungi, you have a lot of options […]

Wine Stories Worth Sharing – April 13, 20

April 13th, 2017

What would you request for your last meal? Would it include a glass of wine? The attraction of wine labels. Using birds of prey to control pests in the vineyard, your brain on wine, and skid-row rosé. [level-members] “Tasting Wine Uses More Brainpower than ‘Any Other Human Experience.‘” But what if I drink wine while […]

Creating Interesting Tastings and Fligh

April 12th, 2017

There’s no rule that says you can only sell wine as single bottles, matched cases, or whatever mixed combinations your customer chooses. You can “package” your wines in other attractive ways, as well. [level-members] There are, of course, verticals and wines of a particular region. You can group wines of the same varietal from different regions. […]

Transparency with Cost Structure and Profit Margi

April 11th, 2017

Have you bought a car lately? If you’re older than 40 or so, boy how times have changed. When you bought your first car, the dealer held all the cards. Now, the consumer does and dealers seem to live and die on their service departments. What’s that got to do with retail wine sales? The […]

Wine Industry News – April 10, 20

April 10th, 2017

You thought you had a lot of shelves to fill in your wine shop? (Or hard choices to make in deciding what to bet your shelf space on …) More on LCI’s impact on the wine biz. And counterfeit wines. [level-members] Need some merchandising help? Costco has way more shelves to fill than you do, […]

Food & Wine Pairing: Chenin Bla

April 7th, 2017

Before we get to the summer rosé craze and everyone wearing flip-flops, we’ve got springtime before the blooms. And this is a good time, in my book, for Chenin Blanc. [level-members] Chenin Blanc is an underrated wine for pairing with food. It’s acidity and sweetness make it a great match for things with a bit […]

Wine Stories Worth Sharing – April 6, 20

April 6th, 2017

Your brain matters when it comes to wine, and not just the next morning when it’s pounding if you’ve overindulged. Yao Ming does Napa, wine was a big deal in ancient China, and what happens when wine and lava mix? [level-members] By now you’ve heard how important your sense of smell is in tasting and […]

Wine Shop Marketing – Passover Pr

April 5th, 2017

If you don’t have a good stock of Kosher wines on your shelves, this might be a good week to add them. [level-members] Passover begins Monday evening and if your community includes Jewish families, they will no doubt be looking for Kosher wines. They may also be looking for a break from the usual Passover […]

Do You Deliver? (A Great Wine Shop Experience

April 4th, 2017

Anyone who refers to rosé as “summer water” is OK in our book, though the news gets less good from there. Well, good for wine consumers. Not so good for wine shops. [level-members] Summer Water Societé is a joint venture between Winc and Yes Way Rosé is a delivery service focused entirely on, you guessed it, […]

Wine Industry News for April 3, 20

April 3rd, 2017

Nielsen – the ratings folks – are working with the Wine Market Council to look at the current state of the U.S. wine industry. One Forbes writer thinks he knows where it’s headed already. Plus reports from Napa and Texas, Burgundy, and Chile. [level-members] Wine Market Council and Nielsen Explore Industry Trends “The wine industry […]