Friday, April 22, 2005
Saturday tastings
I decided recently that I need to start drinking more for free. I figure I know a bit about wine, how its made, the major varieties and what it should taste like but don't have a lot of experience actually drinking it. That is, I haven't had the money, time or resources to sit around sampling a wide variety of wines. This is a problem in that it limits my ability to detect the subtle differences that terroir, method and vintage create.
To counter this, I pledge to visit quality wine stores at least one saturday a month to take advantage of the free tastings. There are some good stores around that feature excellent wines at these things so it's truly a goldmine for someone like me. Vino di Vino, out in Newton Centre, does good work and often pair up with the whole foods across the street for wine and food specials. Brookline liquors, On Comm Ave, has been known to put some rare and pricey wines up on the tasting table. For example, back in February, they were offering a '68 burgundy. I missed it of course but you never know what else they might bring up from the cellar to just give away to people.
Why would they do this? Because people who walk into stores often buy things that they would have no intention of buying otherwise. Offer them a chance to sample that thing beforehand and they might buy more than one. The more contact with the customer, the greater the chance of making a sale.
That, and they like to drink.
To counter this, I pledge to visit quality wine stores at least one saturday a month to take advantage of the free tastings. There are some good stores around that feature excellent wines at these things so it's truly a goldmine for someone like me. Vino di Vino, out in Newton Centre, does good work and often pair up with the whole foods across the street for wine and food specials. Brookline liquors, On Comm Ave, has been known to put some rare and pricey wines up on the tasting table. For example, back in February, they were offering a '68 burgundy. I missed it of course but you never know what else they might bring up from the cellar to just give away to people.
Why would they do this? Because people who walk into stores often buy things that they would have no intention of buying otherwise. Offer them a chance to sample that thing beforehand and they might buy more than one. The more contact with the customer, the greater the chance of making a sale.
That, and they like to drink.
# posted by Yossie @ 2:00 PM 
