Picking a Wine Shop: How to Separate the Wheat from the Chaff

Today, I canvased the city of Atlanta to promote the launch of my in-home wine tasting and wine education business. I visited nearly 20 wine shops, dropping off marketing materials and pressing the flesh. This little journey (which was successful -- thanks for your support, wine peeps of the ATL!) got me thinking about wine shops and how people pick their faves. Given that the holiday season is upon us, and that we're all going be frequenting the till more often than usual, I thought it may be helpful to talk about what to look for in good shop.

A local shop or grocery store can have great employees who can help get you the best versions of what you like, and lead you to take chances on things that will open up the world of wine for you. Unfortunately, there are also many stores that suck. I'm no guru, but here are some things you may want to consider as you're picking a store:

1. Do they have enough wine? If the walls are bare or there isn't a good selection, I feel uncomfortable in a store. It's like I'm pigeonholed into getting something, even if it's not what I wanted. Who wants to be guilted into buying something? I like stores that have a lot of selection at a lot of price points.

2. Do they have too much wine? Ok, not to be Goldielocks, but if there is too much wine, it's hard to narrow down what you went to the store for in the first place. It's like babies and shiny objects -- it's too easy to be distracted. The best shops are those that have bottles across all major wine producing countries, and who carry a range of price and quality within that selection. If they lack a good French, German, or Spanish section, I'm out.

3. Is the store clean? If the bottles are dusty or the floor is dirty, what does that say about the wine? Could mean the wine is corked or heated or nasty. Leave.

4. Is the store organized well? There are two ways that stores organize wine -- either by country, or by wine type/grape. Either is fine, as long as there is a rhyme or reason to the organization and it's consistent. I prefer the organization by grape because I may want a certain style of wine -- let's say Riesling -- but forget that the Clare Valley in Australia makes wonderful Riesling that I love, so I buy a German instead. Because the world does not bend to my will (dammit!), most stores are organized by country. Regardless of my preference, a must is that things are easy to find. If the wine is all over the place -- some on the shelf, some in a box behind me, some on a table somewhere, it's too hard to sort through it all.

5. Are the people all over you or are they no where to be found?
Either is irritating. I like to scope out a place, be given some breathing room and then have someone ask if I need help. If I don't need help, I don't want to feel like I just told the person I have Swine Flu. I also don't like being followed around like I'm about to shoplift. On the flip side, I HATE when I need help and there is no one around. The goal of building a relationship with a wine shop is that they get to know you and what you like. Then they can recommend other stuff that expands your wine world into new and different things. If people are no where to be found, you don't get to build that trust or be exposed to new stuff. At that point the store really has very little value to you and it's time to find a new one.

6. Are the people dumb or snobby? I'm astonished sometimes at how little people that work in wine shops know about wine. Especially in grocery and chain wine stores, sometimes they don't even hold basic wine knowledge (like saying Pommard is a grape, when it's a region that makes Pinot Noir in Burgundy -- horrible). Either that or they know too much and try their best to make you feel small and dumb. I've got no patience for either.

7. What are the prices like? Even if you have a lot of cash, there's no reason to pay more than the fair price for wine. Go to a few shops and price out some standard brands (a few good ones to try with are things like Sterling Cabernet Sauvignon, Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio, Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc). Make sure they are all within range -- don't get gouged. Most of my favorite shops have great prices and even better ones if you pay with cash or debit. Look for deals -- they are out there.

8. Speaking of money, do you feel like someone is always trying to upsell you? Turn around, walk out. If you tell someone your price range and they exceed it by more than a dollar or two, I find that disrespectful. You shouldn't feel pressured to buy something expensive because someone recommended it to you. Fake a call on your cell, walk out, and don't go back!


So that's the list. Hope it helps you narrow down where to go and what stores to cut off. Go out and get 'em!