Category: Best Of

Lopez de Heredia Rosado….Again?

A NOTE FROM THE FUTURE: 6 cases!!! 6 cases!!! These days, ten years later, we get 6 bottles. And that’s only because I whine and cry and tell sad stories about the days when I used to be able to buy 6 cases at a time. 6 CASES!!!

Originally published on September 12, 2009.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’ve written about Lopez de Heredia before. Their whites, their reds, their aged wines, their younger wines, their roses. In terms of wines and wineries most mentioned on my site, it’s probably a toss up between Lopez and Chateau Musar. If I could stock the store solely with these wines…and make any sort of a profit….I would do it. If anyone has any thoughts as to how this might be possible, please do let me know.

Anyhow…back to my broken record Lopez tendencies. Today, I’m revisiting the Lopez de Heredia Tondonia Rosado…for the 3rd time on the Frankly My Dear blog. I’m excited about this wine (again) because we just brought in 6 cases of the 1998, which is the newest vintages. It’s a little bit more fruit forward than the 1997. But this doesn’t mean it’s fruity. It’s definitely not fruity – and still requires a warning label because of its distinct non-fruitiness. But compared to last year’s version, it’s a bit more tropical. It’s still a holy trinity of funkiness: Fino Sherry tang, exotic spices, and those subtle, almost ghost-like tropical fruits.

Now 6 cases may seem like a lot for a $25 bottle of non-fruity rose. But the most recent shipment from Spain was only 50 cases. Which isn’t a lot. If 20 accounts take 2 cases each (because there’s a 2 case purchases deal, which most stores will by on) than that only leaves 10 remaining cases for a second round of purchases. And without a good sense of when the next shipment will be arriving (October? November) if I took just 2 little cases, there would be a good chance I would be out of stock And this is one of those wines I HATE being out of stock on.

So I sucked up 6 cases. This decision was based on neither cash flow nor margin considerations (the two main factors driving most of my size-of-buy decisions.) It was simply based on wanting to keep this wine in stock. It’s a decision even my accountant would understand.

That Customer #2: Some Refinements

Originally published on September 10, 2009.

A lot of retailers seemed to really enjoy the last installment of That Customer that featured the (perhaps willfully) clueless customer who walks into a dark store without noticing that it’s, well, dark. And possibly closed. Or just about to be.

I thought it would be a good idea, or at least some fun, to set out the etiquette in such a situation. Emily Post doesn’t cover this stuff, so I might as well.

Retailer After-Hours Etiquette:
If you’re going to let someone in during closing, you have to give them the same attention and consideration you give any other customer. You can’t give them the evil eye while drumming your fingers on the counter. If you don’t want to help them, don’t let them in.

Yes, it is true that if they can see you from the street, they’ll be pissed if you don’t let them in. I recommend hiding as the most effective strategy against this form of perceived rudeness. Most cash registers are on top of a counter. Most counters can be hidden behind. I suggest you do this if you really want to get out of the store quickly.

Customer After-Hours Etiquette:
If you walk into a store and it looks like they’re in the middle of closing (dark lights, pulled blinds, frantic shelf stocking, cash counting) then they probably are indeed in the middle of closing.

Ask if this is the case. If the answer is yes, then this is not the time to leisurely peruse every single bottle on the shelf. This is not the time to have a 15 minutes phone conversation with your roommate about what she’s thinking of making for dinner. This is the time to tell the staff what you’re looking for so they can quickly point out some good choices and go about their closing chores while you make your decision. You shouldn’t feel pressured, but you shouldn’t feel entitled to lollygag.

And there you have it. My view of after-hours (or nearly after-hours) etiquette. It’s all about mutual respect and understanding.

And being more aware of your surroundings than your mobile phone conversation….but that’s probably the subject of anther post.

What Wine Store Owners Do When They’re Not Selling Wine

Originally published on August 28, 2009.

When wine store owners are not selling wine (or buying wine, or talking about wine) they, or maybe just I, come up with clever ideas to put on the chalkboard signs in front of their stores.

I was feeling particularly clever today. It’s the first dreary, rainy day we’ve had in, oh, a week and this just jumped into my mind.

I fully expect to see the tourists taking pictures.

That Customer #2

Originally published on August 22, 2009.

This is the second installment in our recurring That Customer feature. Now just to reiterate (in case you don’t feel like clicking through to the original post) – “these” customers are annoying not because of anything that has to do with wine. They would probably be annoying to anyone who works behind a counter for a living. They quite possibly could just be annoying, period.

So…onto the complaining part

That Customer #2:

When we close for the night we follow this basic protocol before starting to count out for the night:

  1. Bring in the chalkboard sign
  2. Roll down the light/heat blocking curtains
  3. Dim the lights to just-barely-glowing level
  4. Lock the door
  5. Perform final closing chores

As you might guess, numbers 2 and 3 make the store a little dark. More than a little dark. More like nightclub- or trendy-bar dark. Can’t-see-the-labels dark

Now, imagine you walk into a wine store that’s this dark.

Would you think, “Gosh, this must be some new trend in wine retailing. Makes it a little touch difficult to see the prices, but hey, it’s kind of cool.”

No, you would probably think, “Oops, they’re about to close! Better hurry up.” You might even ask if we’re about to close. And we would say, “Yes, but come on in and pick something out.” We wouldn’t say “quickly” but it would sort of be implied. And you would come on in and pick something out…quickly. Because you would have noticed that we’re about to close.

Unless you’re That Customer.

In which case, you would walk into a near-dark store and just wander around slowly picking up bottles (in the dark), trying to read the labels (in the dark), ignoring our request to let us know if you need help (as we stand in the dark.)

That Customer somehow doesn’t notice that the shades are pulled, the lights are off and we’re counting the cash register out by the light of the bathroom because….we’re about to close! That Customer probably wouldn’t notice if we snuck up behind them, put a kraft paper wine bag over his head, and whisked them down the cellar stairs. Well, they would probably notice the whisking part, but nothing before that.

OK, ok…maybe we should lock the door and just not let anyone in. But sometimes a customer sneaks by just as we’re about to put our key in the lock – or appears outside just after. And it would be cruel and unusual punishment to deny someone wine when they’re so close they can practically touch it. So since most people can pick out a bottle 10 minutes it takes us to finish the other closing-up chores, we let them in. But too many times waiting for that customer to wander around in the dark….we might have to change our policy.

So please, don’t be That Customer – you could ruin it for everyone.

Don’t Be “That” Customer – A New Recurring Feature

Originally published on July 11, 2009.

It’s a very rare day that we complain about our customers. After all, without customers, Frankly Wines would just be a very expensive wine closet. But occasionally, a customer walks in that just rubs us the wrong way.

Now I can hear you out there, thinking “those wine snobs, making fun of poor, unsuspecting customers that come in and ask innocently silly questions. That’s why wine has such a bad rap as an elitist’s drink. That’s why I just stick to beer!”

Now I can’t speak for other stores, but at Frankly Wines, we like to talk about wine. What you may think of as a silly question, we think of as an opportunity to talk about wine. And it’s a very rare customer who can annoy us by talking about wine.

No, the rubbing the wrong way usually has very little to do with the specifics of wine retail. That Customer would likely annoy anyone working in any retail establishment, regardless of what they’re selling. That Customer would likely annoy anyone, period.

You really don’t want to be That Customer. It’s just not polite.With that background in place, the Frankly Wines blog will kick off a recurring feature about That Customer. It will do nothing to increase your wine knowledge or increase our sales. But it could help make the world a kinder, better place.

Here we go:

That Customer #1Customer #1 walks into the store. It’s a small store and there’s only one person manning (or in this case, wommaing) the shop. I greet the customer, asks if he needs any help. He doesn’t. The phone rings. It’s a customer checking on a delivery for later that afternoon. Our conversation takes less than a minute during which the word “delivery” is probably stated 10 times.

During this less-than-a-minute conversation, That Customer comes to the counter to ask a question. I try to give the universal “be right with you” sign, which he doesn’t notice. He doesn’t really seem to notice I’m on the phone. Clearly talking to another customer about a delivery. Not talking to my mother. Not talking to a friend. Not yapping away for an extended period of time, like, oh, more than 45 seconds. Not talking on a phantom blue tooth ear piece in which case I could just be crazy and not actually, clearly, obviously talking on the phone about a delivery.
Nope, he asks his question loudly. Then asks it again. Loudly. Sort of like my 5 year-old, who is, well, 5 years old. I smile, wrap up the last 5 seconds of my delivery conversation and answer his question, smiling, smiling, smiling.

Now I get it. It’s annoying if you’re in a store being ignored while the person behind the counter yaps away on the phone. But there’s perhaps a shade of difference between that situation and someone who greets you, asks if you need any help, and then has to take a 45-second phone call from another customer with a question.

Most customers notice the difference. Most customers have the patience to wait out a quick phone call. That Customer, not so much.

Please, don’t be That Customer.

Wood you, could you, spare a wooden wine box?

Originally published on April 10, 2009.

Wooden wine boxes. I have a theory about them. Look at the picture below.

Does it start your pulse racing with desire? Or does it evoke a sense of loathing? If it’s the former, you’re not alone. We’ll put a wooden box on the curb in front of the store and it will be gone within an hour. Some people ask if they can take it, but most just grab it and run. I fall on the loathing side of the box scale, but it took me a while to get there.

So my theory….I propose that the esteem you place on wooden boxes is disproportionately related to the amount of time you spend actually unpacking them and pulling the bottles out. So, the longer the amount of time you spend in the retail side of the wine business, generally, the more you grow to hate them.

The major thought process of each phase is noted below.

Phase 1 – Intense Adoration: Wooden boxes are so cool! Maybe my local retailer will give me some. I can use them to panel my basement. Or make a table out of them. Or turn them into planters. Or even make a computer out of them! I could live in a wooden wine box if it were big enough! Oh, look…there’s a wooden box in front of the store. Do you think they’ll mind if I just take it? Yea! My first wooden box! (For those actually working in a wine store: I can’t believe the owner/manager is actually letting me take home all the wooden boxes I want! This job is fantastic!!!)

Phase 2 – Moderated Respect: I’m a little more discriminating now (since I already have 23 snazzy wine box planters. And my entire basement paneled in them.). I’ll just keep my eye out for high end Bordeaux boxes. Or really cool ones with actual lids and clasps. One of those could make a nice tool box.

Phase 3 – Mild Annoyance: Great, more wooden boxes to open. Where’s the hammer again? And they certainly are heavier than the plain old cardboard ones. But still, they do look great on my basement wall.

Phase 4 – Utter Contempt: Can’t find the hammer…maybe I can just rip the top off……ouch splinter! And I still need that stupid hammer so I can pound down these stupid nails so the customers don’t hurt themselves when they run off with them. And do they really need to put the $10 bottles in a wooden box? Really????? The box has got to cost as much as the bottles! Don’t they care about their carbon footprint? Don’t they care that I just got yet another splinter. Don’t they care that I can never find the hammer when I need it?

To be completely honest, I can fall back to Phase 2 when I come across a really great box that doesn’t require a hammer to open. For example, the Rustenberg Five Soldiers Chardonnay comes in a fantastic box with a sliding panel as the lid. It’s big and impressive, as is the wine, and only requires one little screw to open it up. And I suppose it really would make a really nice tool box. Maybe I could keep my hammer in it.

Occasionally I write about wine

Originally published on March 20, 2009.

OK, time to get back into the swing of the blog thing. And what a better way to start than listing all the wine I tried today. Note I said “try”, not “drink”. If you’re not in the industry, there’s a very good chance you think all wine-industry people sit around and drink all day. Not true. 1) We spit and 2) we’re usually standing when we taste, either at behind the counter at the store or in front of a table at a distributor portfolio tasting.

Yesterday was a taste-from-behind-the-counter kind of day. We saw a total of seven different distributors, all but two with winemakers in tow. This matters because winemakers require more attention and better behavior than your regular sales rep. The winemakers (hopefully) know more about the wine than your sales rep, so they have more to say. And while some wine buyers may take pride in being rude to anyone who tries to sell them anything, I’m not one of them. If you’ve taken the appointment, you should at least pay attention, maybe ask some questions, try to learn something. Otherwise, don’t take the appointment.

Yesterday there were lots of appointments. Here’s what I had. (I’m working from memory here, so if any of my reps are reading this, give me a break if I’m wrong!)

Appointment #1:

  • Ribero del Dureos (Portugal), one from 2005, one from 2006. Always cool to try the same wine from two different vintages. One was filtered, one wasn’t so that was extra cool.
  • 1 Chinon, the winemaker’s 2nd vintage, which I liked more than the first, as did the winemaker.
  • Higher end Ribero del Duero. Something like 550 different parcels of land to add up to a total of 4 hectares. This is madness!

Appointment #2:

  • One very nice rose from an island just off the coast of Provence. Lots of mouvedre in the blend…may be why it reminded me of a Bandol rose at a fraction of the price.

Appointment #3:

  • High end Godello from Bierzo region of Spain.
  • Tempranillo/Granacha blend from La Mancha
  • Wacky blend of five different grapes which added up to a really nice wine that people will like a lot…even thought it’s a sort of geeky wine (for reasons I won’t go into for fear of seeming even geekier than I actually am.)

Appointment #4:

A veritable grab bag of goodies, including:

  • Nice Muscadet that made me wish for warm weather
  • Old vine Quincy (what, you’ve never heard of Quincy?? Come on!!! It’s in the Loire, like near Sancerre. OK, I’m a geek.) which is the more concentrated mate to the Quincy I currently carry.
  • Nice little Navarra (big day for Spain)
  • Bordeaux – either Cru Bourgeois or Bordeaux Superior, can’t remember, but primarily from St. Emilion fruit…ie mainly Merlot
  • Another Bordeaux – Grand Cru St. Emilion

Appointment #5:

  • 2 village-level Mersaults, one from 2005, one from 2006. Slightly different fruit sources, but still cool to taste the differences between sites and vintages.
  • 2 Premier Cru-level Mersaults, both 2006. Even cooler to see the difference between two different sites from the same year. These wines would retail somewhere between $70 – $100, so that just made the tasting even cooler. Man, they were good!
  • Premier Cru-level red burg by the same producer which we already carry and love. 10 minutes after the winemaker left, a regular customer came in and bought a bottle of this very wine. Would have been sweet if he’d gotten there 10 minutes earlier. Winemakers love to see real customers buying their wine.

Appointment #6:

  • Value-oriented producer from Washington and Oregon (there’s really no reason a winery has to stick to one state, although most do). Pinot Grigio (OR), Chardonnay (WA), Pinot Noir (OR), and Cabernet (WA). In addition to the wines, lots of gossip about distributors and the wine-in-grocery-store legislation, and discussion about the FCC’s policy about not showing butt cracks on TV.

Appointment #7:

  • 1 Menetou-Salon Blanc (never heard of this region either? Come on now…it’s near Quincy!!)
  • 1 Valencay (also in the Loire, as is Quincy) – a blend of Gamay, Malbec, Cab Franc, and Pinot Noir, which I think is actually every red grape allowed anywhere in any of the AOC regions in the Loire Valley (and if I’m wrong on that, please don’t tell me.)

Whew! I think I need a beer.

People Love the Corks!

Originally published on February 4, 2009.

This is a little after the fact, but check out Dr. Vino’s post on Frankly Wines and the increasingly famous cork wall. There’s a picture included if you haven’t actually seen the cork wall live and in person. Just ignore the boxes piled in front of the counter, and various piles of stuff on the counter, the empty bottles sitting behind the counter…..obviously my art director was out to lunch.

Wine Trade Tastings 101

Originally published on February 4, 2009.

Went to the Wines of Israel trade tasting today. It was actually a very pleasant tasting. Plenty of room, enough people that it didn’t feel empty, but not so crowded that you had to fight for your chance at the spit buckets. I think there were about 20 or so wineries attending, which seems to be a good number in terms of actually being able to try most of the wines in a couple hours.

This sort of trade tasting seems to hold a certain fascination for people outside the industry. There are exclusive events where members of the special wine industry clan gather and sip rare wines from around the world while chatting with the demi-gods who grow the grapes and bottle the juice. And they take place during daylight hours….on weekdays…for free! Drinking free wine during daylight hours on a weekday…that’s living the dream!

Luckily for those who want to live the dream, you can usually get into these tastings simply by walking in like you belong there. But once you have your glass in hand, here are a few pointers to help you act like you really do belong.

  1. You MUST spit. Image 20 tables with 5 wines per table. That’s 100 wines. And that’s a very small tasting. If you don’t spit, you’ll get drunk very very quickly and will stick out like a very sore thumb. And every one will remember you…because there are really only about 100 people in the wine industry and we all have very good memories…because we SPIT!
  2. Bring a toothbrush. Because your teeth will turn a lovely shade of purple and once you leave the safety of the event hall, people will look at you oddly if you have purple teeth.
  3. Don’t count on eating at the tasting…unless you really like crackers and picked-over cheese platters.
  4. If you want people to think you work in the on-trade (aka, a restaurant), wear a suit and tie. And speak French. If you want people to think you work in the off-trade (aka, a store) wear anything you like, just make sure it’s covered in dust.
  5. Map out where the really old, expensive stuff is. Go to those tables first. Return to those tables as often as you like, but don’t think the people pouring the wine aren’t on to you. They fully realize it’s your fifth time asking for “just a little taste” and they will talk about you after the event.
  6. Understand that the person behind the table pouring the wine may not actually know anything about the wine. Sometimes it’s the actual winemaker manning the table (who knows everything but may not be able to tell you because he can’t speak English). And sometimes it’s a distributor sales rep (who may know nothing but will make it up anyway.)
  7. Don’t take the collateral material on the tables. You know you’re going to throw it away when you get home, so just leave it there and let it look pretty.
  8. Did I mention that spitting is mandatory? It is…unless you’re trying something fabulously rare and old and absolutely wonderful. Because really, why live the dream if you can’t actually drink the wine.

That toothbrush however, that is mandatory.

Things They Never Tell You About Opening a Wine Store

Originally published on January 10, 2009.

If you really want to open a wine store, I highly recommend working for someone else before you take the plunge. Better to make those silly mistakes on someone else’s dime! But if you insist on jumping right in, here are some tips (many may be New York-centric, but that’s all I have to go on):

1. That side walk in front of the store….it’s your own little piece of paradise. You get to sweep away the garbage that lands on it, shovel the snow that falls on it, put salt on it, hope no one trips on it and sues you. If this hasn’t already occurred to you, it will after the first big snow fall when you notice the sidewalks to the left and and right of your store are cleared. You’ll wonder why the magic snow gnomes ignored your address…and then you’ll suddenly realize you are the magic snow gnome. And the you’ll go buy a snow shovel.

2. Counting out a cash register is a skill. It may seem easy to count bills and coins, but for some reason, it’s very difficult. I’ve seen plenty of smart people nearly break into tears because the register is $10 short and they can’t figure out why. If they would just remember that a roll of quarters is worth $10, not $20, they would be much happier. But you have to count out about 54 registers before this becomes second nature.

3. You’ll need to pay someone to take away your garbage. The city doesn’t extend this courtesy to business owners. Many businesses can just “borrow” their neighboring store’s service. This doesn’t work for wine stores – there’s just too much cardboard involved.

4. You’ll need to pay someone to clean your windows. Don’t even consider trying to do it yourself. You may think you can peel that tape off the window from the place where you hung that sign, but you really can’t.

5. A manual credit card machine could be the most important piece of equipment in the store. The day your merchant services network goes down for 5 hours due to flooding in Texas, do you really want to lose hundreds of dollars in sales because you were too lazy to order a $25 knuckle buster? No, you do not. That’s why this is the first purchase you make.

6. Those fancy wooden boxes that some wines come in are the biggest pain in the ass. There is no other way to put it. People who don’t work at wine shops love these boxes. Put one out on the sidewalk and it will be gone within 4 minutes. But wine store people hate these boxes. You need tools to open them. A screwdriver to force open the lid. A hammer to pound down all the stray nails. Pounding down these nails is especially important because if you don’t do it, the people who take these boxes from the sidewalk in front of your store will cut themselves. And then they’ll sue you because as you’ll recall, that piece of sidewalk is your responsibility.

7. Posting a “closed” sign on the door does not mean the store is closed. Turning the lights off does not mean the store is closed. Even locking the door doesn’t mean closed. Really, if a customer can see you in the store, even if you’re standing in the pitch dark with your coat on and a key in your hand, you are not really closed. At least not at Frankly Wines. I just feel too guilty denying customers their wine. So if I really want to be closed, I hide underneath the counter or count out in the bathroom. When I’m done, I make a run for it.

I know there are plenty more, but I’m closed. Really close – lights-out-coat-on-key-in-the-hand-making-a-run-for-it CLOSED!