The National Wine
UnClub
Newsletter
July/August 2005
Wine Consulting
Salesperson versus Wine Buyer
Here's the scenario: you walk into your favorite upscale grocery and are scouting the wine aisle for something that strikes your interest. The wine guy ambles over and, in the most glowing terms, expresses his delight over the latest Central Coast Cabernet the store buyer bought on his most recent trip to wine country. You succumb to the enthusiastic recommendation, pay a higher than average price, and get the bottle home only to realize upon opening that this isn't so special after all.
Thus it becomes clear that when purchasing wine in a serious retail store or a restaurant it is imperative that good help be consulted so that you can learn more about the myriad of available new labels without spending exhorbitant amounts of hard-earned cash. This article addresses the rather less-than-obvious difference between the help offered by a wine salesperson versus a true wine buyer.
Simply stated, a wine salesperson - be they a restaurant server, liquor store clerk, or grocery store wine department 'consultant' - are typically minimally-trained staff who at best may be genuinely enthused about wine as a subject of personal interest. Most have not sold wine for a living for any substantial period of time previous to their current position. In this case, you're better off sticking with 'safe' labels you know well.
But how to get forward with your wine education? Who can you trust in this regard? Internet sites, TV and radio wine shows, as well as wine books and magazines, are a general guide that can come in handy because their wine reviews aren't typically an attempt to sell specific wines. Many sales staff in stores and restaurants have incentive programs offered by large liquor/wine corporations for increased sales of their particular labels.
However, when it comes to the ideal for your local wine consultant, you can't do better than to deal directly with the wine buyer of the operation in question. Each of the above-mentioned businesses (restaurant, retail shop, or grocery store) has a wine buyer if they are actually a serious wine player in your market. If, upon inquiry, you find there isn't a resident wine buyer for the operation, leave as soon as you've purchased the first 'safe' label you find.
The reason for this is not all that apparent to the average wine enthusiast but it makes perfect sense when fully considered. The wine buyer is the person who must understand the mechanics of the wine industry from the supply side. They will be savvy about dollar versus euro rates, or which vintage should be avoided from particular wine regions year to year. They will have direct relationships with producers, importers, and top wholesale/brokerage houses. They will get deals only offered through these warm, knowing relationships.
Beyond this, the level of passion for the subject of wine won't be higher than what you'll find with the wine buyer of a serious wine operation. This person seeks to get the best wine at the lowest price to please his clientele first and foremost. Profitability isn't the primary issue for the top wine buyer who knows that his customers will pay a fair price for decent wine. How much more profitable is it then when the customer gets a rock bottom price on an excellent wine?
The wine professional is also aware that just because he/she personally likes the wine doesn't mean that everyone will also like it (as the salesperson assumes in the scene described in our first paragraph above). Time is taken to listen for the customer's preference in wine (or what the menu for evening requires) and careful suggestions are then offered. If the wine needs decanting or extra aging, the buyer will also have that information well in hand.
In summary, a wine buyer is all about relationship, not sales - relationship at every level of the wine business, beginning to end, from following the production of each vintage to the satisfaction a bottle of recommended wine might provide at dinner for a trusting client.
Cheers!
Donald W. White