Category: Shower Thoughts

Database Madness at Frankly Wines

A NOTE FROM THE FUTURE: As Rich, a.k.a. Happy Robot, mentioned in the comments on the original post, maybe I should just use tags. He was ahead of his time – these days, tagging is the standard. I still wrestle with how to manage a system where you can add as many pieces of info as you like for a given field (the “tag” field) but I also held on to my iPhone 6 for, oh, six years because I didn’t want to give up my headphone jack. So I may not be the best judge of tech advancements.

Originally published on December 28, 2008.

We’re less than 2 weeks away from getting the Frankly Wines web site up and running. Or rather, the e-commerce version of the web site. The current site exists as 1 snappy page of html code I taught myself while waiting for my license to come through. Not a bad place holder for a girl who hasn’t done computer coding since BASIC was the language of choice.

The new site is being done by Jeff at Pixalt and it’s going to be very cool. Simple, easy to navigate, lots of room for content which I can easily update myself, synchs with my in-store POS system….it’s a fully functioning e-commerce site!

And it’s almost ready…the only real thing holding it up is the database coding…and the person responsible for that is…me!

You would think this would be easy. Just type the info into the fields for producer, vintage, region, size, etc. Except my POS system doesn’t have fields for all of those items, so there’s a bit of jury-rigging required. But that’s not the problem – there’s not a small business owner around that’s not well-versed in the fine art of jury-rigging.

The real problem is the database architecture for the grapes. (I did database work in a past life, so I’m entitled to throw around the phase “database architecture”.) Here are some of the problems that are irking me:
What do you do when you have 1 grape that goes by multiple names (syrah/shiraz, tempranillo + about 5 different aliases, grenache/grenacha)?

What do you do about the vast number of wines that are traditionally blends? For example, I what’s in a Bordeaux Blend, so I could just set up a category “Bordeaux Blend”. But will someone looking for a Cabernet Sauvignon know that grape is one of the main grapes in a Bordeaux Blend? Similar issue with Rhone Blends and those looking for Syrah/Shiraz. Will they know that a “Rhone Blend” will probably make them happy? Wine geeks will say “duh,” but most wine drinkers are not wine geeks.

What do you do with the really non-traditional blends, the kitchen sink blends that give such joy to many winemakers. A category of “Gewurztraminer/Riesling/Pinot Grios/Pinot Blanc” might be the most accurate, but I don’t have room for such a long descriptor. And the generic “White Blend” is just too, well, generic. I can’t remember someone ever coming into the shop and saying “I’m looking for a nice white blend”…I doubt on-line shoppers would either.

So these are the things that keep me up at night. Check out the new site when it’s up to see how I decided to solve these pressing conundrums….and speaking of Conundrum, how on earth would I code that one!!!

The Trouble with Touch Screens

Originally published on December 26, 2008.

The POS (Point of Sale) system at Frankly Wines is basically a fancy Windows-powered computer with a touch screen. The touch screen is great once you get used to it, but it has it’s downside…I find myself tapping on my laptop screen, the screen of my desktop at home, sometimes even the TV. Tapping those devises does nothing…except make me look like an idiot when I get all huffy because “they’re not working.”

Could be worse. I could have a store full of tribbles…now that would be trouble!

Gift Idea #3: Dessert Wines (yes, I know Christmas is over)

A NOTE FROM THE FUTURE: I still think we don’t drink enough dessert wine.

Originally published on December 26, 2008.

So my concept of posting daily gift ideas didn’t actually happen. I got hung up on the dessert wine post and couldn’t move on. Every time I would start to write I would get hung up on details like how the wines are made. I’d start to drop terms like “botrytis”, “noble rot”, “fortified”, “late harvest” and found myself getting far too technical. And then I would fall asleep. (Because I would usually start writing around 11pm, after the shop closed, the kids were asleep, and I’d sorted out orders for the next day.)

So I’m determined to finish this post before the 12 days of Christmas come to a close. And in the interest of doing just that, I’m going to just do a list. And if I drop a fancy wine term, I’m going to resist the urge to explain it, or even just mention that it’s a subject for another post. If you don’t know what I’m on about, don’t worry, just trust me – these wines are all yummy. Maybe just the thing to cap off a New Year’s dinner (before you break out the bubbles.)

Now, onto the actual post…

Dessert wines get a bum rap, which is a sad thing because they can be extraordinarily good. And in this glum economic environment, they can offer a bit of decadence without forcing you to join the ranks of the foreclosed. Because they’re generally quite rich, a little goes a long way – and you can serve a small room full of people from one bottle.

Here’s my list:

  1. Chateau d’Yquem the grandaddy of all sweet wines. It’s the tippy-top wine Sauternes, the sweet-wine-only sub-region of Bordeaux. In my former life at Moet Hennessy USA, I was able to enjoy more than my fair share of bottles – and it is fabulous! Lusciously sweet but balanced by serious acidity and an extra zip of minerality that makes it uniquely d’Yquem. In my opinion (and let’s be honest, this blog is all about my opinion) this is one of those wines that lives up to the hype.
  2. Other Sauternes (or Barsac, which is just a sub-region of Sauterns) – I’m especially fond of Doisy-Daene which has a certain lightness and elegance to it that can be rare in wines from this region. There are other chateaux that carry the name Doisy (Doisy-This, Doisy-That) and they’re all nice enough that if you pick up the wrong one, you’re still in for a treat.
  3. German Rieslings – these remain one of the best bargains of the wine world. They can be confusing, so if you’re confronted with a shelf full of them, ask for help. You’re probably in a shop where the staff will be more than happy to talk to you about them, so don’t be scared to ask.
  4. Tokaji – A region in Hungary with possibly the oldest history of sweet-wine production. The lushest, most expensive sweet wines from the region will be classified by puttonyos (6 is the sweetest.) Lately, the US market has started to see “Late Harvest” Tokaji hit the market. While these wines may get the sniff from purists, they’re good value and more versatile than the major sweeties from the region.
  5. Wacky Stuff – sweet wines tend to bring out the craziness in winemakers. So if you’re feeling experimental, consider a fortified wine from Uruguay, made from the tannat grape (Vinedo de los Vientos’ Alcyone – like adult-only liquid chocolate). Or Malamado, a port wine from Argentina, made from the Malbec grape (the perfect match to anything with chocolate and raspberries). Or the Piandibugnano Nanerone, from somewhere in Italy (intensely aromatic, almost floral, yet rich, with cherry notes.)
  6. Napoleon’s Choice – unique, but not wacky, Klein Constantia’s Vin de Constance is what Napoleon drank on his death bed, or so the story goes. It lively, yet lush, elegant, with a this almost crystalline purity of fruit at the core. I like it very much.

So there – hopefully some of these dessert wines (a.k.a. sweet wines) have your mouth watering. If not…too bad…more for me!

Governor Paterson’s budget proposal could expand New York wine sales

Originally published on December 16, 2008.

So just saw this Newsday article in the daily wine news logs. This is really pretty big news.

For those of you not intimately familiar with the NY beer, wine, and liquor licensing laws, here’s a quick overview: in NY, you can buy beer in a grocery store, but not wine or liquor. You can only buy wine and liquor in a special wine/liquor store. And some of those stores, like mine, are only licensed to sell wine. Oh, and in theory, one corporation/individual can only hold 1 license in the entire state of New York.

But now NY needs to raise a bit of cash to balance the budget, and one of Governor Patterson’s proposals to do so is to allow stores currently licensed to sell beer to also sell wine. For practical purposes, this means grocery stores, and in NY City, the ubiquitous corner bodega.

Now something like this is generally seen as bad for the independent retailers…because if someone can buy their wine at a grocery store, why would they want to buy it from me? This is why retailers generally bitch and moan in any state when a proposal like this surfaces. And even though I know my store benefits from the current laws, it’s hard for me to rally behind what is essentially an anti-competitive system. While I certainly don’t want the big Whole Foods around the block selling wine, I’d like to think that my thoughtful selection and great customer service can hold their own if it comes to that.

What I don’t buy is that the expansion of wine sales will benefit local wineries. I’ve been in too many grocery stores to believe that it will do anything but benefit big, commercial brands. You think a big grocery chain is going to happily take delivery from some Finger Lakes winemaker who drops off you order in a pick-up truck sometime a week or two after you place it? Probably not so much.

So let’s not pretend this will benefit smaller local wineries. That’s probably just wishful thinking.

Yes, this will raise revenues for the state because more stores will be paying an additional wine licensing fee. And yes, it’s a good thing for the consumer because to not be able to buy wine where you buy food is sort of silly. And yes, it will make it more difficult for wine/liquor only retailers to make a buck – we’ll have to up our game, which is also a good thing for wine retailers.

So even though it makes my specific wine store business more challenging, it’s a good thing for the wine industry in general so I’m essentially for it……WITH TWO BIG QUESTIONS!!

  1. As a licensed wine store, will I now be allowed to sell beer? Only fair.
  2. If big grocery corporations can now sell wine in multiple licensed locations, shouldn’t I, or rather my corporation, be allowed to sell wine in multiple locations? Only fair.

This questions may already have been answered in the proposed legislation, which honestly, I haven’t read. But I think I may need to contact my local representative, whoever that is. I’m all for competition…level playing fields and so on…as long as I’m not stuck in the outfield.

It’s Finally Thanksgiving

Originally published on November 26, 2008.

Here at the store, wondering if people actually will buy wine on Thanksgiving. It’s a grand experiment for the first Thanksgiving Frankly Wines is open. And since it’s just me here, no reason not to give some limited hours a try. I know I always need to do last minute errands on Turkey Day! And if the day is a bust, at least I’ll have a few hours to work on web site stuff (just as soon as I finish this post.)

I do feel obliged to say what I’m planning to open for dinner later today. Can’t say I’ve come up with a definitive list, but I’ll choose from the following:

  • Scholium Project “The Prince in his Caves”
  • Lopez de Heredia Rosado 1997
  • Klien Constantia “Vin de Constance” – gorgeous dessert wine from South Africa, what Napoleon requested on his death bed
  • Some Bordeaux for my father-in-law. Maybe La Lagune 1998 or one of the bottles we just picked up at auction
  • Terres Dorees Beajolais Nouveau because I have about 6 bottles left in the store and want to drink some more before I run out
  • A Cerdon-Bugey because it’s just so yummy
  • Grosset Polish Hill 2006 because I’m sick of looking at the bottle which I’m supposed to take home…and it would just be a good match for the meal
  • Felton Road Calvert Pinot Nort because Yanai’s making a lamb to go with the turkey

I need to pick 3 – so maybe I’ll just flip a coin. But you can see, not all wine geeks have their Thanksgiving wine planned out to the nth degree.

Why Wednesdays Aren’t As Fun Anymore

Originally published on November 25, 2008.

I used to really look forward to Wednesday mornings. While the rugrats watched whatever video they were currently obsessing over, I would drink my first cup of coffee while logging on to the New York Times web site and checking out the Dining section, especially the wine column. It was always fun to see what region or grape was being highlighted. The real fun was checking to see if I carried any of the wines actually mentioned by name. Let’s face it, ratings or no ratings, most people still look for wine guidance somewhere, and Eric Asimov’s column in the New York Times is one of the places they look. So if a wine is mentioned, it’s sure to get a nice little bump.

But Wednesday mornings just haven’t been the same. Now, those weekly wine columns seem to get published earlier and earlier. I just read this week’s column…at 9.45pm on a Tuesday night. Guess I’ll just have something else to read while I sip my coffee.

Why I’m Not So Crazy About the Wine Spectator Top 100

Originally published on November 15, 2008

In no particular order:

  1. If you’re a retailer, it’s a lazy way to buy wine. We should be offering a more interesting point of view than “as many wines from someone else’s list that I can get my hands on before they sell through the distributor.”
  2. If you’re a consumer, it’s also kind of lazy. That said, I know the wine world is confusing, sometimes almost deliberately so. So I understand that any list anywhere is helpful. But here’s a little trick…if you want the Mollydooker 2007 which made this year’s Top 10, you might not want to immediately run away from prior vintages just because they wasn’t on this year’s list. If you’re prepared to like a producer this year, chances are very good you’ll like the producer any year. And the main difference may just be that you don’t have to pay the “Wine Spectator Top 100 Premium” that always seems to crop up around this time of the year. Better to use the list as a jumping off point than the end-all-be-all that a lot of people make it.
  3. Little undercover wines that I love sometimes crop up on the list. This sucks because then the big stores snatch all the wine and I can’t get it anymore. I hate that..I really hate that.
  4. A big ranking can be the kiss of death for new, up-and-coming wines. Here’s why…Not only can I not get the wine, but most smaller stores can’t. This is because the big stores beat the distributors over the head to get as much of the wine as they can. In some states, the distributors slap big case deals on these wines, like a 25% discount on 10 cases. Little shops can’t (and many don’t want) to tie up the cash needed to buy 10 cases of an $80 wine, even if it does mean a 25% discount. So these wines end up at big stores with big discounts. Now this isn’t a bad thing for the consumer – everyone likes good wine for less money. But then the next vintage comes around…without the big rating, so the big stores don’t want to touch the wine now. And the little stores are now reluctant to buy the wine as well – because this year the wine is probably more expensive (thank you ratings!) and consumers expect it to cost what it cost last year…in the big stores with the big discount. And people that buy off of the Top 100 list aren’t even interested anymore. So what was once a nice up-and-coming wine is now struggling with all this baggage.

I could probably come up with more, but I don’t want to spend any more time thinking about this list than I already have.

Next up, an obligatory Thanksgiving wine list. Yes, they’re sort of annoying, but I’m a retailer… I have to do this!

Things That Make You Go Ick: Wine Spectator Top 100

Originally published on November 15, 2008 .

It’s that time of the year…the Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of 2008 will be published on Monday (just in time for holiday buying!) I’m not a big fan of this list, for reasons I’ll put in another post (Top 100 Reasons Why I’m Not a Big Fan of This List coming up soon!!!) But everyone does “Top X of Y” lists at the end of the year (the better to help you with your holiday gift buying), so I wouldn’t expect the Spectator or the wine industry in general to really be any different.

This year, they did this daily reveal of the Top 10…Monday: 10 & 9…Tuesday: 8 & 7….with the #1 wine revealed on Friday (I’m not telling, did you really think I would tell???) The full list is released Monday at 10am.

The Spectator is filling the weekend gap with a Wine Challenge quiz. I like quizzes, so I happily clicked onto the quiz. Even if I’m not crazy about the publication, I always like to test my wine knowledge – I am at heart a wine geek.

Q1: In 2008, about how many wines did Wine Spectator review in blind tastings? A: ICK.

Q2: What are the criteria for selection in the Top 100? A: ICK!

Q3: How many countries (the largest number to date) are represented on the Top 100 of 2008 list? A: double ICK!!

I stopped after that, it was just too icky. I realize the Spectator is one of the most self-referential publications out there, but this really takes it to new heights. Does anyone aside from Marvin Shankin (the owner of the WS) actually know the answers? Does even Marvin know the answers?

Ick.

Put-In-Bay: Scenes from My Youth

A NOTE FROM THE FUTURE: I’m about to place an order for some catawba-based petnat. And it is indeed pink. And I have even made a plea to a friend (who in the words of Pat Dailey does indeed have a house on the island where I can probably stay if I ask) to track me down some organically grown catawba so I can attempt to make my own pink petnat. Oh hybrids, how far you’ve come!

Originally published on November 7, 2008 .

For reasons unknown, today’s The New York Times real estate section featured Put-in-Bay, Ohio in its “Havens” column. The title: “Key West of the Great Lakes”. My husband said that “Key West of the Midwest” would have been catchier, but apparently the Times knows that Ohio isn’t really the Midwest (especially after its blue showing in the most recent election.)

As the article notes, Put-in-Bay is a little village on South Bass Island in Lake Erie. People ride golf carts around the island and drink. A lot. Including wine from Lonz Winery, which is located a short boat ride away on Middle Bass Island. For those not willing to take the boat ride, there was the Heineman’s Winery Wine Garden were you could lounge at picnic tables and drink Pink Catawba, Concord Red, or Crystal Cave Champagne from little plastic cups. Sheer deliciousness!!

There is also the fabulous Chicken Patio Peanut Wagon where my friend Denise spent summers serving peanuts to drunkards on their way to the fabulous Round House. That dome is NOT part of the Peanut Wagon – it is the Round House.

For a taste of the Put-in-Bay music scene, have a listen to Pat Dailey’s “Put-in-Bay Gonna Have a Good Time“, not to be confused with his ever-popular “How Drunk Are We Gonna Get.” Both may revolve around drinking but they are completely different songs.

I Am Not A Meter Maid!!

Originally published on October 13, 2008 .

I ‘m thinking of changing the store’s name to “Frankly Wines & I Don’t Know If You Can Park There”. Why? Because “do you know if I can park here?” is probably the most frequently asked question at the store.

OK, I exaggerate… it’s probably 4th after the following:

  1. Is this the way to the World Trade Center?
  2. Is this wine any good?
  3. Are those corks?

It’s not the question that bothers me so much as the response I get when I respond that I don’t know. People get all huffy! I suppose I could figure out the rules, but I know what would happen – if I gave an explanation, people would hear what they want to hear, which is “yes, you can park there.” (And it’s never as simple as that.) And then they would wind up with a ticket and come in and get all huffy anyway and try to say that I told them they could park there. When it comes to NYC parking, it just doesn’t pay to be helpful.