![]() ![]() Watson arranged the display as if following the progression of wines at a dinner party, starting with bubbly and moving through whites to reds, Old World to New World, subdivided by localities. ![]() It’s anticipating how people shop and what information they want. Hospitality is more than a warm greeting. “You don’t have to be Danny Meyer to understand how critical hospitality is to the experience.” “It’s all about hospitality, of course,” said Patrick Watson, who opened Back Label in May 2014. The sales clerk may engage you in conversation to determine your tastes and what you are seeking, or will recognize that you are browsing and don’t want a hovering presence. “It’s great when you can have a conversation it’s less transactual,” said Eliza Kinsolving, who had stopped in for the wine class.Īt Back Label Wine Merchants on West 20th Street in Manhattan, you won’t get very far into the handsome shop before you are greeted cheerfully and offered assistance. The approach has won Bay Grape an ardent clientele. It was a classic community gathering spot centered on wine, warm and inviting. A group of women at a small table in front shared a bottle, and a few lone souls took advantage of the free Wi-Fi and pecked away at laptops. At a rustic wood-plank communal table near the front of the store, Zach Beauchamp, an assistant manager, led a half-dozen visitors in a discussion and tasting of Austrian wines. It’s the difference between a sterile and a comfortable shopping experience.Īt Bay Grape, a wine shop that opened a year and a half ago in Oakland, Calif., upright shelves of bottles bear allusive messages like “She Sells Seashells” on a Muscadet. More important than the physical characteristics are a store’s atmosphere and point of view. But even better are sample cases that are assembled specifically for customers. Samplers, a half or whole case put together by the store, are useful. In-store tastings are welcome, but you should never feel obliged to buy. Big stores have to work harder to offer personal attention. Does it matter if stores are big or small? Not really, though as with restaurant wine lists, a smaller, more focused selection will be less intimidating. Many characteristics are matters of personal taste. Bargain crates near the door? They often contain less interesting mass-market wines that are rarely good values. Upright is a little friendlier and less formal. Lying down is more traditional and preferable for long-term aging, though that doesn’t apply to bottles with screw caps, with no corks to be kept moist. These are vastly preferable to preprinted “shelf-talkers,” with notes and scores from outside critics or periodicals they suggest a lack of confidence, laziness or abdication of critical responsibilities.Īre bottles displayed standing up or lying down? It doesn’t really matter. ![]() Are they written by the store’s staff? That’s a positive sign, indicating personal investment and a distinct point of view. Look at wine descriptions posted under bottles. Covered in dust? Also not good as it indicates a lax, possibly negligent, attitude toward the inventory. For example, what’s the temperature? Moore Brothers Wine Company near Gramercy Park keeps the store at cellar temperature, 56 degrees, which is great but not entirely necessary as long as a shop is not warm.Īre bottles bathed in sunlight? Not good. You can tell a lot about a shop simply by walking through the door, even if you don’t know much about wine. But customers who cannot confidently scan a website or who don’t buy in quantity must visit a store. Institutions like Chambers Street Wines, Flatiron Wines & Spirits and Crush Wine & Spirits in New York are great for expert and novice alike, and they serve a nationwide clientele. But that doesn’t help if examining a selection of wines is baffling rather than revealing. The answer seems equally obvious: Good wine shops offer a great assortment of distinctive bottles. I have been making this case for years without ever addressing the obvious question: How do you know if a wine shop is good? If you care about wine and want to drink better and more confidently, the best thing you can do is cultivate a close relationship with a good wine shop. ![]()
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