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School me on Wine.
Lucky Cynic
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I work at a local Grocery store and one of my many responsibilities is taking care of the Liquor department, which I like very much. Not for the beer though or hard liquor, but for the wines. So many varieties, different moods, flavors, colors, etc. I like it all. I am only 18 so I have only had small amounts of liquor and I really dislike beer, and some other hard liquors do not appeal to me either. OTOH, wine was something special. I have only had sips of it, but it was something to appreciate, as opposed to chug down straight from the bottle. The reason I want to do this is because there is going to be a position opening up for just the liquor department and I only have to be 18 to work there. And if there is one thing I want to take away from this job, it is to really know my liquor.
Thing is, my many experiences with wine has been very limited, and I just have to go bye what people say. Someone may consider one brand of wine a great value and well worth it while some other snob comes in and says it's liquid shit. Now I know price is not the best way to govern what brand of wine to look for, but it does help. I know many of the brands and where they are on the shelf or can find them in a minute or two, but I do have issues when customers say something like, "Oh I am having a dinner party, I want something light and sweet..." I have to use my best guesses, and apparently White Zin was perfect for that lady, but I do not know really Merlots from Cabernets or from Pino Noir.
AFAIK, The red wines go well with a heartier meal, and the lighter clearer wines go well with fish and chicken or otherwise lighter meals. But what other things should I know for this job? I am reading stuff on Wiki but why not also make an H/A thread to get some opinions from you good folks.
TL;DR. I sell wines, and I want to get to know them better and know how to better sell them by knowing what wines are good for what occasion/meals/etc.
EDIT: Bonus Points if you know what were good years for which wines from which parts of the world. Anything at all can help at this because I sometimes get guys who want a "good year" while others coming in and ask for "anything but 2005".
Thing is, my many experiences with wine has been very limited, and I just have to go bye what people say. Someone may consider one brand of wine a great value and well worth it while some other snob comes in and says it's liquid shit. Now I know price is not the best way to govern what brand of wine to look for, but it does help. I know many of the brands and where they are on the shelf or can find them in a minute or two, but I do have issues when customers say something like, "Oh I am having a dinner party, I want something light and sweet..." I have to use my best guesses, and apparently White Zin was perfect for that lady, but I do not know really Merlots from Cabernets or from Pino Noir.
AFAIK, The red wines go well with a heartier meal, and the lighter clearer wines go well with fish and chicken or otherwise lighter meals. But what other things should I know for this job? I am reading stuff on Wiki but why not also make an H/A thread to get some opinions from you good folks.
TL;DR. I sell wines, and I want to get to know them better and know how to better sell them by knowing what wines are good for what occasion/meals/etc.
EDIT: Bonus Points if you know what were good years for which wines from which parts of the world. Anything at all can help at this because I sometimes get guys who want a "good year" while others coming in and ask for "anything but 2005".
Lucky Cynic on
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I'm sorry, I just felt that your post didn't have much help or advice in it. >_>
Direct link: The Wine Bible.
Also, I suggest starting with Wine Spectator's Essentials of Wine by Harvey Steiman. You can burn through it pretty quickly, and then you can move on to the Wine Bible. Harvey Steiman's book is a lot more beginner-oriented, and more realistic about the wine options most people have available to them (because not everybody is lucky enough to live in Marin County).
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
As metioned, vintage (year) doesn't really matter unless you're collecting or buying a $50+ bottle.
For some interesting wine reading, look up "noble rot."
Basic Wine/Grape Varieties (biased to Reds because I like 'em)
Merlot (Red)
Chardonnay (W)
Syrah/Shiraz (R)
Cabernet Sauvignon (R)
You could be the store's wine expert. Add value to the shopping experience, shift more units etc. All good for business.
It also seems these folks who want specific years in the more simpler wines are either probably being picky or superstitious, right? I mean, sometimes it just is a pain when they ask for 2004's when the shelf is full of 05's and 06's but are asking when we will get some more in. =/
Also; Sorry for criticizing Peeking Duck for his post, but it felt really stale to explain something like this, like why I want to learn wines, and then have someone come in and throw a big book on the table and say "Start Reading."
For instance, my wife and I came across a cheap red that's delicious -- a $7 grenache, 2005. But the 2006 just came out and it just tastes cheap. We only know that because we had the 2005, though -- and, more importantly, wine stores aren't going to keep and age cheap wines.
We go to a place that recommends things because it buys what it feels are good wines. So if we suddenly can't find a bottle, inevitably it's because they came out with a new year and the wine just isn't as good. Or it's good, but they upped the price making it not worthwhile. You probably don't have that advantage, but who does the wine buying at your store? You may have a lot more luck talking to them about why they're buying what they're buying, and use that as a springboard for recommendations.
As you've noted, there's TONS of wine out there. It ends up in a store somehow, and I'd suggest talking to the guy who buys it.
If I could, I would be doing big things to the Liquor department at my grocery store, but I have no authority in my current position to make up displays or put up proxy bottles or even some additional security measures. Whenever I bring up some of this stuff, I look paranoid or anal about details. And then the next day I get yelled at for letting some liquor vendor put up 20 bottles of Grey Goose which most of them have been stolen since then.
I suppose I could be a Liquor vendor, but those guys hardly do anything with customers or really even the store. They just come in on their own time, and fill up the shelf with their products and then leave. I can also look around for maybe a true liquor or wine store to work at, but I doubt any of them will really want an 18 year old working there... but who knows.
to keep costs down try the U.S. pacific northwest (merlots, pinots, cabs)
also check out chilean, argentine, and australian wines (syrahs, malbecs, merlots)
these are all reds, i don't know from whites at all, except for the bubbly.
try out a few wines side by side, get a few friends/family together, and pick up a few different bottles and try flights. if you're going to have more than about half a bottle each you'll want to spit, as a beginner if you get drunk your ability to discern flavors is going to go to shit (or you won't care). if you're having a tasting get together, have a a few plates of different cheeses, fruits, and meats, having something to eat to contrast with the wine may help your notice things. suggest to one another what flavours you detect when you sip, as you taste, and on the finish. write that down in a wine diary.