Behind the Counter – Page 7

That Customer #3: The Clinker

A NOTE FROM THE FUTURE: I still hate clinkers. My blood pressure is starting to rise just thinking about them!!!

Originally published on October 28, 2009.

This person isn’t typically encountered in a store, so technically, they’re not a customer. But what I’m about to describe seems to generate such rage among working wine stiffs that it’s worth a rant.

First, a bit of background. Anyone who’s worked as a wine importer, sales rep, or brand manager has probably spent their fair share of time standing behind a table at some major consumer tasting event, pouring wine for thirsty customers who seem to have no idea that the buckets on the table are there for spitting.

The grand daddy of these events just wrapped up: the Grand Tastings that are part of the Wine Spectator’s New York Wine Experience. $250 per ticket. 250 wineries spread across two gigantic floors of the Marriott Marquis hotel. Trophy wines everywhere: Bordeaux First Growths, California cult wines, top-of-the-line Champagnes. You’re probably not going to get to taste some funky, cool thing from the Jura or the far northern reaches of Italy, but as much as I hate to admit it, it’s still pretty impressive. At least until the lack of spitting turns everyone all sloppy.

So in the last week, in the lead up to the event, there was a lot of chatter among industry wine folk about their time behind the tables. And what was the most frequently mentioned topic? It wasn’t any particular taste of big name trophy wine. It certainly wasn’t the food. It wasn’t even tales of decanters used as spit buckets (although if people actually spit, this would probably happen more often.)

No, the big topic was the “clinkers.” Alright, no one really calls them clinkers. They’re usually referred to as “those insanely annoying people who raise their glass and clink it against your bottle as you’re trying to pourthe m wine.”

This little raising-of-the-glass motion could be the most universally reviled movement in the wine industry. Just mention it to someone who’s had to work behind a table at a wine tasting…and watch their blood start to boil. Mine boils just thinking about it.

Why do people clink?

Perhaps they don’t realize that the person on the other side of the table is a highly skilled wine pourer.

Perhaps they don’t notice the slow pours on the bottle, which are indeed meant to force the wine to….you know…pour slowly.

Perhaps they don’t realize that the pourer is fully aware that he’s pouring at a wine tasting, not a drinking.

Perhaps they just don’t realize they can spit, and instead, fear the consequences of being required to drain the entire content of every glass they’re poured and therefore, the clinking thing is just a fully understandable attempt at self-preservation.

Or….perhaps they’re just too rude to utter a simple “just a little please.”

Really now, why talk when you can just clink?

Grand Opening Debrief

Originally published on October 18, 2009.

It’s been almost 2 1/2 years away from the corporate world and my urge to produce Power Point presentations has waned considerably. (Waned….but not disappeared. I’m afraid that may never happen. Ever.) But I still love a good debrief, and last week’s “Grand Opening” is as good an excuse as any.

Key learnings:

1. It’s impossible to throw a party in a 320 square foot store during business hours…and actually do any business. I kind of already knew this, but figured to try it anyway. We close at 8.00pm, but decided to start the party at 7.30pm. Because who actually comes to a party on time? Well, to this party…apparently everyone. By 8.00pm, the store was packed (in 320 square feet, packed = 25 people) and we had to physically drag paying customers through the crowd to the cash register. OK, not really, but it was tough to do business during the party. Not a surprise, really, but a good debrief never shies away from stating the obvious.

2. People never use the spit buckets. Not a new learning. Maybe after the 10th time stating this, I’ll just stop putting them out.

3. You can never have enough glasses. Even if you have 50 glasses for 25 people, somehow, you will run out. This appears to be an immutable law of wine physics.

4. A two-tiered wine offering system sounds like the height of snobbery, but it really is a necessity. I’ve always hated the idea that you pour one wine for the special guests and another for the general population. I’ve been to parties where I was actually invited into a storage closet to partake of the good stuff. But when faced with a store full of thirsty people and only one bottle of 1994 Chateau Musar, a two-tiered system becomes less an exercise in snobbery than plain old common sense.

A NOTE FROM THE FUTURE: That Chateau Musar 1994 was really, really good. It was a vintage that had a refermention problem in some bottles. This one, I think had probably done a bit of refermention at some point in it’s 15 year history, but it had worked to its benefit somehow. The wine was almost overtly fruity, even juicy and based on my non-statistically significant sample size of bottles opened, it’s always been a crowd pleaser.

5. People will not leave until you force the issue. Luckily, there are easy ways to do this. 1) Take away the food. 2) Take away the wine. Then, if necessary 3) Turn up the lights and watch the guests scatter like roaches. Voila – party killed in three easy steps.

Debriefing over…next time, perhaps I’ll put together a Power Point presentation.

Why It’s Good to Be Last

A NOTE FROM THE FUTURE: This was indeed a good night to be last. That may be one of the last bottles of Ulysse Collin in the wild… the days when this producer could be brought out in a sample bag, when I could buy as much as I wanted. Those days are long, long gone!

Originally published on October 17, 2009.

When it comes to booking appointments with my sales reps, I usually like to be the first appointment of the day. In the Frankly Wines case, this is usually 11am, just as we open our doors. I’ve been told this is the best time of day to taste wine – you’re already awake, your taste buds have recovered from the shock of your morning coffee, and you’re starting to get a little hungry so your senses of taste and smell are at optimal perkiness. But that has nothing to do with it….

The reality is, if I’m the first appointment of my sales rep’s day, there’s a very good chance that she’ll be on time. Well, ok, she’ll still be late, but maybe 15 minutes max. And as the day goes on, those 15 minutes turn into half an hour, then an hour, and finally she’s on the phone asking what time we close.

But there is a drawback to being first. Mainly that my rep will have more appointments after mine. And she’ll have to take the bottles with her. But if I’m last, there’s a very good chance she’ll be sick of dragging around a bunch of bottles. And I’ll get to keep some of them. Or in some cases, like tonight, I get to keep them all.

Frankly Wines – The Grand Opening

Originally published on October 16, 2009.

Sure, it may seem like Frankly Wines has been open for nearly two years. You’ve been able to come in, exchange money for wine, maybe try a sample of whatever we had open. But we were actually in our “soft opening” phase. Restaurants do this all the time. They’re “open” before they’re really open. Some of them, like the Waverly Inn, are still in their preview phase, nearly three years after (not) opening. By that standard, having a grand opening party a mere 22 months after opening can seem a little premature.

But a few weeks ago, we installed the last bit of store décor – a gorgeous stained glass window, created just for Frankly Wines, by artist Alex Bingham. It glows above the cork wall and now that it’s in place, the store finally feels complete.

So we decided to officially declare ourselves open and throw a party….last week. Which means you probably missed it. But never fear, it went well, nothing was broken, and the tiny space somehow lends itself to surprisingly large groups of people. Well, at least 35. So we’ll be coming up with an excuse to do it again. A two-year birthday party? A holiday party? A Turducken festival?

We’ll think of something.

Strange Days Indeed Part 2: New Zealand S….yrah??

One of yesterday’s top selling wines was from New Zealand. Of all things, a New Zealand Syrah. This is strange because New Zealand Syrah is one of those wines that’s way off the grid. Regular people do not associate New Zealand with Syrah. Most wine geeks don’t even make this association. Sauvignon Blanc….of course. Pinot Noir…increasingly so. Maybe Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, or Riesling for the really hard core. But Syrah? Not so much.

Except for yesterday. For no apparent reason, customers just kept picking up the Otto’s Constant Dream Syrah (affectionately referred to in-shop as Otto’s Shrunken Head, also for no apparent reason. Alright, may the head on the label has something to do with the nickname.)

It’s a great wine. A very vibrant, fresh style of Syrah. Most of the best New Zealand wines have really racy acidity, and a bright, pure, freshness of fruit. In this particular Syrah, that raciness pairs nicely with bright red fruits and a kick of fresh black pepper. Delicious really. But it’s not like people come in asking for it by grape/region. Not like they do New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Or California Chardonnay. Or Argentine Malbec.

I guess they just liked the label on the bottle. Luckily, it’s filled with tasty wine.

Strange Days Indeed Part 1: Snow in September

Originally published on September 27, 2009.

Winter came fast this year – we had an early snow storm hit lower Tribeca today. It was highly localized, hitting only the corner of West Broadway and Warren Street. The weather gods must have heard that Frankly Wines has a thing for alpine wines and is looking forward to a winter full of goodies from the Jura, the Savoie, Alto Aldige and other far northern reachs of Italy.

Or maybe it was just a shoot for an AT&T commercial.

For a Really Impactful Window Display, Consider a Ferrari

Originally published on September 26, 2009.

There was a Ferrari parked in front of the store today. And judging by the reactions of everyone that passed by, the easiest way for a wine store to get some attention in this city may be to park a Ferrari in the front window. I may be rethinking my autumn window display.

In the half hour the car was out front, people crossed the street to get a better view. They stopped in their tracks when the driver brought up the automated convertible top. They craned their necks to get a better view of the back engine. Heads practially snapped off when the engine reved and the car pulled away.

Now I’m not a big car person, but this one was impressive. I even moved my pile of cardboard recycling boxes because they were marring the view. Especially impressive – he didn’t even ask us if he could park there. I guess when you drive a Ferrari, you can park anywhere.

The Winemakers are Coming! The Winemakers are Coming!

Originally published on September 25, 2009.

To be specific, it’s really an Assistant Winemaker/Owner that’s coming. Emil den Dulk, owner of De Toren Cellars, will be traveling all the way from Stellenbosch, South Africa just to pour wine and sign bottles at Frankly Wines on Thursday, October 1st.

O.K. Not really.

Emil will be in New York because Cape Classics, importer of De Toren and a host of other very good South African wines, has a portfolio tasting planned for the following week. But he’s getting in early. And since we love his wines and are always looking for an excuse to pull some corks, he’ll be standing behind the big, white tasting counter from 5.00pm – 7.00pm.

This is the first time we’ve hosted an actual owner/winemaker at the shop. Sure, plenty of them come through during the day with their handlers (a.k.a. sales reps.) They pour their wines and we chat about them, sometimes even buying them….(but never on the spot. Buying great quantities of wine for the store immediatley after drinking….um…tasting it, may be one of the quickest ways to run the business into the ground.) But this will be the first time we actually let a mythical owner/winermaker talk to the customers.

It’s a little nerve wracking really…what if no one comes? What if no one talks to him? What if no one buys the wine? What if he just sits there, at the front of the store, all sad and lonely while we stare at him from behind the counter.

But really, it’s highy unlikely that the shop will be completely empty between 5 and 7 on a Thursday. And it is a wine shop after all…where most people are inclined to talk about wine, try wine, buy wine.

And it’s very good wine: Emil will be pouring both the Merlot-let Z and the Cabernet-led Fusion V. De Toren only bottles these two wines, a level of focus that’s quite rare, especially when it comes to New World wineries, which tend to produce a little bit of everything.

So stop by and meet the man behind a Frankly Wines favorite. Talk, try, and maybe even buy.

A NOTE FROM THE FUTURE: I’m not quite sure why it took almost two years to get a winemaker into the shop for an in-store tasting. Not quite sure what took me so long… apparently I really was worried that people wouldn’t show up. But it’s strange to read this because in the years that followed, we would have multiple winemakers pouring during a single week. Or multiple winemakers during a single day! That’s one of the things I miss about not having a high foot traffic city shop – you really didn’t have to worry about people coming to an in-store tasting. Up in the wilds of Copake, it doesn’t quite work that way – the worry is warranted!

Jura Maybe Not So Obscura Anymore – Hello New York Times!

Originally published on September 22, 2009.

Just 3 weeks ago, I was waxing on about the fabulous wines of the Jura and a 2-Pack I had put together featuring two of them. And what’s due to appear tomorrow in Eric Asimov’s New York Times wine column, “The Pour“? Why, yes! Wines of the Jura!

Ok, obviously Mr. Asimov is not copying my blog. Certain wine regions and grapes have a way of floating around in the rarefied wine-world ether until wine writers, retailers, and sommeliers of a certain bent all seem to pick up on them at the same time. A similar thing happens in the fashion world: somehow, for some odd reason, all the designers wind up showing tiger prints, or tent-like silhouettes, or lines inspired by fairy-tale tapestries.

But it is nice to be first…to feature these wines in-store before they hit the paper. And if my personal obsessions are good indicators of what you’ll see in future New York Times articles, then stay tuned for features on dry muscats, Gemischter Satz wines, very old Chianti and anything alpine. And Chateau Musar…always Chateau Musar!

Consider yourself warned. And remember….you heard it here first.

What Wine Stores Look Like When They’re Closed

A NOTE FROM THE FUTURE: I clearly had a fondness for extreme sepia-tinted filters back in the day!

Originally published on September 19, 2009.

Ever wonder what a wine store looks like before the doors open and the magic happens? Well, here’s an inside peak at Frankly Wines, 11.45am on a summer Sunday, fifteen minutes before showtime.

Category: Behind the Counter