Archive for April, 2018

Wine Industry News for April 16, 20

April 16th, 2018

Is that glass of wine trying to kill you? Opportunity in China, screwcaps in New Zealand, and the SF Chronicle’s winemakers of the year.  [level-members] So much for all red wine-related health news being rosy. (Or rosé, yuk yuk.) Apparently each glass of wine we drink is killing us. Slowly. Or more accurately, bringing about […]

Finger Foods For Spring Noshi

April 13th, 2018

Spring, long overdue in many parts of the country, seems finally to be here – or nearly here. So what should we eat and drink to celebrate? [level-members] There aren’ttoo  many meals that I enjoy more than grazing meals. That’s what we call setting out a range of small bites. It could be as simple […]

Wine Stories Worth Sharing for April 12, 20

April 12th, 2018

A documentary on the great Andre Tchelistcheff, the concept of perfect ripeness, storing your wine in a bomb shelter, and a conversation with sommelier Fahara Zamorano. [level-members] A great subject and a great documentary – tough to beat. In this case it’s Andre Tchelistcheff and a movie worth hunting down. André — The Voice of Wine is not […]

Building Sustainable, Repeat Wine Shop Sal

April 11th, 2018

Repeat business is the holy grail in nearly all industries and wine shops are no different. Here’s one way to build it. [level-members] Forget about trophy wines! Sure, you should stock some truly great wines in your shop, no matter how small or how rare the sale, but your focus should be on the wines that […]

The Shifting Sands of Interstate Wine Shipping Regulatio

April 10th, 2018

With regulations constantly changing, and interpretation of those regulations changing nearly as quickly, it pays to stay on top of new developments. [level-members] Obviously, keeping abreast of new developments is an important part of staying on the right side of the law, of course, but it’s also an important part of recognizing new opportunities and new […]

Wine Industry News for April 9, 20

April 10th, 2018

Cork returns, black is the new black, a new wine glass, and guess where there’s now a wine theme park? [level-members] There’s a wine theme park. Where else would it be but France? A new wine glass to beat all wine glasses. (Depending on what you look for in a wine glass …) Pink, orange, […]

Food & Wine Pairing: Beef St

April 6th, 2018

As spring continues to play coy, it’s still time for stick-to-your-ribs cooking. And few dishes have more rib-stick-to-it-iveness (no, that’s not a word) than Beef Stew. [level-members] And as this article in the New York Times points out, there are more variations and versions of beef stew than you can shake a stick at. So […]

Wine Stories Worth Sharing for April 6, 20

April 5th, 2018

Wine labels, wine and politics, and rock vs. rock. [level-members] The art of the wine label: labels that approach art and illustrator Ralph Steadman’s take on great wine labels. What does a love of wine say about your politics? Schist versus Limestone: terroir differences in the glass. An interesting tasting. [/level-members]

Alternatives to the Big Name Win

April 4th, 2018

Sure, we’d all love to sell big ticket wines and nothing but. Roughly the same amount of effort, but more gross profit. But not everyone can afford those wines, so having a way to appeal to “the other 99%” is an important part of your wine shop marketing. [level-members] As a geek, this brings to […]

Wine Scores and Their Impact on Sal

April 3rd, 2018

You already know that high scores from widely-read publications drive sales – and prices. But what happens, and how do you talk about wines that get different scores from different critics? [level-members] I don’t know that I have an answer to that question, but this recent Wine Gourd article about the different scores of two […]