Netscape Forum Poll: How helpful is your wine shop?

[Robin Garr]

Thinking specifically of the local, bricks-and-mortar wine shop you use most often, we're curious how helpful you consider its management and staff. This week's only poll invites you to choose among a range of options from "poor" to "excellent," and follow up with a comment if you wish.

<b>Click here to vote</b>

[James Roscoe]

My shop, a BAWS, used to be excellent. The wine advisors steered you towards good buys and would talk to you all day about what you should have with what foods. Now they are going very corporate and the original advisors are mostly gone. The help is still decent, but it's just not on the same level as it was.

All I want from my shops is to stock the right wines at the right price and not cook the hell out of them.

It's amazing how few get the last part right.

The three I frequent are all excellent, Beekman in Glen Rock, Endless Vine in Franklin Lakes and Chambers Street in NYC.

Why would you deal with anyone else? At least, assuming you live near enough to great retailers?

Regards, Bob

Robin,
In my case (and, I suspect, those of some other WLDGers) the terms "local" and "use most often" are at odds with one another. Nonetheless, regarding the one local store I do business with: the manager is a very helpful and well-meaning individual who will special order things for me if she can. Her helpers are generally clueless about wine. I do business with them because the do have some decent wines and good storage and, even though they charge more than Sam's or some of the Indy stores, the higher prices can be easily offset by the time/gas savings of shopping in more distant stores, or the shipping charges from Internet sales.

Mark Lipton

I frequent several shops in my permabulations around Northern California. Some favorites:

The local WineStyles actually carries some nice European wines, and I appreciate the distributors and wine makers they birng in for tastings.

Back Room Wines in Napa-awesome selection of Rhone reds. The owner, Dan, really tries to stock interesting wines, with a focus on California, but a lot of interesting French reds and whites and Rieslings. He holds very informative tasting events on Friday evenings. Outstanding shop, and he tries to learn and steer his customers to the right wines. I loved the Andre Brunel Cotes du Rhone Villages that he carries.

Arlington Wines in Kensington (Berkeley)-These gentlemen turned me onto Bordeaux. Not necessarily classed growths, but they have recommended several very nice examples of lesser Bordeaux.

St Helena Wine Company-awesome California-focused wine shop. I just like bothering these guys with questions.

A.G. Ferrari-a chain of Italian grocers and delis, they also have a nice range of not all that common Italian wines, and there is always someone there who knows something about it! The Regret Nebbiolo was an amazing steal foir less than $20.

I will use both Schneider's in DC and Table & Vine in MA. Both are a haul for me to get to. There is not much here in the Shenandoah Valley.

[Robin Garr]

In my case (and, I suspect, those of some other WLDGers) the terms "local" and "use most often" are at odds with one another.

Analyzed by pure logic, Mark, the local shop you use most often and the Internet/mail-order shop you use most often are separate and distinct, even if you don't shop locally very much.

But yes, I thought about that in framing this particular question and thought it would be good to get a snapshot of what people think of their LOCAL wine shop, which is why I asked the question that way. If discussion reveals that a lot of people are turning to the 'net out of dissatisfaction with local bricks and mortar, that would be an interesting finding, even if these polls aren't rigorous science.

Service in general is on a sharply declining slope. In wine stores, unless it is a Mom & Pop Op, the trend continues. Things are a point that when we picked up shakes at Micky Ds last night, the coutesy shown by the kid at the mike almost made me stall the car. I couldn't thank him enough.

Service is generaly declining and the staff's knowledge is weak at best.
We had one local independent shop that I counted among my favorites which was gobbled up by one of our liquor chains. They cleaned the place up with spiffy new racks, but I miss poking around on the bottom shelves for some long forgotten treasures. Plus, the number of labels is greatly reduced and there are more facings reserved for Gallo products and their ilk.
We have another locally owned operation that I can only describe as arrongant.
Some choices, heh?
Wm.

In my Liitle Land O'Enchantment we don't have what one might call a local wine shop, per se. The only "brick and mortar" style shop is a liquor store with a goodly amount of fine wines in a separate room in the back. To be perfectly frank [which also happens to be the name of the shop], I can't get into wine buying when one must first walk past the half-naked Bud Girl and the guy in the dirty jeans with three days growth at the counter buying his lottery tickets.

Rather, the chain stores in my area have an extensive wine selection and at a reasonable price....most the time.

The down side is you have to know what you're looking for and they stack the wine in an upright position.

Problem here is that "use most often" is a tough call. It would be tiny plurality varying widely year to year. That's because there are several good shops in a busy competitive market. Small shops focused on specialties (Rahsaan just reported from one of those, which also imports); modest to very strong local independents ("very strong" means thousands of wine types in inventory), I've dealt with four or so; a specialized wine chain with warehouse-type stores, two outlets in my area; a larger more general chain (Beverages and More) with sometimes excellent local wine buyers; a big-box club grocery chain with excellent "premium wine pallets" in its mix; even a three-location high-end supermarket chain with stronger wine inventory than most wine shops. All are helpful; exceptional wine experts are scattered throughout. Very hard to call what's typical or most used...

[Robin Garr]

Problem here is that "use most often" is a tough call. ... Very hard to call what's typical or most used...

Tsk, Max, you're over-analyzing.

These little polls aren't rigorous or scientific, and don't purport to be. The icea behind them is to get a casual snapshot of a random group of wine geeks on a wine-related issue large or small, and mostly, just to get people thinking and maybe inspire a conversation. If that happens, then the poll's work is done. We're not dealing with "Dewey Defeats Truman" over here ...

Tsk, Max, you're over-analyzing.

Probably; but I also genuinely can't answer the question -- that's why I posted!

The wine shop that we frequent knows us, and they are very helpful. I do get surprised in wine shops that we visit for the first time when they ask questions such as, "Do you like red, or white?". Or they will try to point my wife to the white Zinfandel, and me to California Merlot. It seems they would be money ahead if the spent a view seconds asking more open ended questions to find out how knowledgable the customer is and what sort of help they may require.

Easy answer for me. My “local” is excellent. Vintage Wines of San Diego. I’ve written elsewhere about Vintage. Not only do they have excellent service, pricing, knowledge but I don’t know of any other place where you can get the same value for money in terms wine tasting. A Pot Luck they had about a year ago is a good example.

Mike

Hmmm. Chambers is local for me. Am I disqualified if I shop from them over the web? Sorry, couldn't resist.

I guess the Westchester shops I use most often now are probably Zachys in Scarsdale and Grapes in Rye. Both have staff that are very knowledgeable. But I seldom ask them anything!

I guess the Westchester shops I use most often now are probably Zachys in Scarsdale and Grapes in Rye. Both have staff that are very knowledgeable. But I seldom ask them anything!

What about Rochambeau? I recall a lot of posts from you mentioning them.

Mark Lipton