Walking into a wine and spirits store can feel daunting. Unless you’re a wine connoisseur, it can be overwhelming to be faced with so many options- from whether to choose red or white wine to which region to look for. Here at Legacy in a Glass, we aim to make the wine buying experience easy and accessible for the average person.
If you’ve been keeping up with us for a while, you may have noticed a trend with our blog posts in that we love to educate our followers about all things wine. One of the most common topics people seem to be interested in is how wines are selected for retail. Our National Sales Director Steve Pollack and our Director of Operations Rick Kornfeld took the time to address that question, as well as how to go into a wine and spirits store as a more confident consumer. Enjoy!
“The process of how wines are selected to be sold starts with me reaching out to the owner or buyer for a specific retailer,” says Steve. “If they’re interested, they’ll ask for a sample. Once they taste it, then the negotiation begins and they’ll tell me how much wine they’re interested in buying.” While so far this may sound like a relatively simple exchange, Steve says the process is actually much more complicated. “Today, everybody is interested in the cheapest wine that they can make the most money on,” he says. “A lot of retailers don’t care about quality, they look at the price. Whenever I reach out to someone who asks “What’s the FOB (Freight On Board)?”, I know I’m talking to a numbers cruncher, a bean counter. The true passionate wine buyer looking to carry quality always tastes before negotiating price point- at least that’s how I did it for over 20 years. Getting to a retailer is the hardest part.”
Once an agreement has been reached, the wine makes its way to the store to be sold! “It typically takes a few weeks for the wine to be shipped,” Steve says, “but once it gets there it’s put on the shelves!” When the average consumer is walking up and down the aisles at a wine and spirits store and browsing the shelves, there are a few things they will typically look for. “A lot of people are intimidated by wine, and they have no idea what to pick,” Rick shares. “Oftentimes their eyes are attracted to the label. Reality TV, what the celebrities are drinking, what the Kardashians are drinking, what’s in a movie…people are driven by celebrities.” Something that both Rick and Steve have noticed with the typical consumer is that people are less likely to care about the quality of a wine, but instead choose something with a flashy label that seems like a safe choice. “The typical wine shopper doesn’t really know what they’re looking for,” Rick says. “People go with what feels comfortable, even if it’s not necessarily the best wine.” Steve also shares this sentiment, saying “I think the average consumer today is buying on price, like a boxed wine. Boxed wine isn’t doing anything good for you.”
If this feels like a lot of information at once, don’t stress. “People shouldn’t be intimidated by wine,” Rick says. “If a shopper has questions, they can always go to the retail wine specialist in the store. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and learn about it.” Steve feels that the power of today’s technology, particularly smartphones, makes it easier than ever for consumers to find the right wine and feel confident when making a purchase, saying “We have so much at the tips of our fingers with our phones. When shopping for wine, there should be no intimidation at all.”
If you’re looking for a high quality, straightforward range of wines, check out Legacy’s Moon Tree line. From deep reds to refreshing whites, Moon Tree truly has something for everyone. Visit https://legacyinaglass.com/moon-tree/ to view the full range.