Tips To Get The Best Return On Your Investment
By Roger Morris
Here are some things that should be considered, keeping in mind that each state has its own rules governing tastings.
Evaluate your clientele. Who are they, and have their demographics changed in recent years? Are they bargain shoppers, or drinkers who like to experiment? Are they willing to move up the quality chain at a price? ABC Fine Wine & Spirits in Orlando, FL, likes to cast a wide net with as many as 50 wines on a Saturday. By contrast, Stacey Jones of McCarthy & Schiering in Seattle prefers a more intimate scale. “We use our tastings to see what every person likes,” she says.
Choose the best times. If you run a city shop and many of your customers commute, the best time to catch them may be right after work. By contrast, those whose customers primarily live nearby may want to stage programmed evening and/or weekend pours. In addition to a Saturday tastings, Valerie Pimpinelli of Flatiron Wine & Spirits in Manhattan says her store holds Thursday and Friday tastings from 5pm-7pm to catch customers in transit. “We have a large table in the back room with three to four selections, all very casual,” she says.
Blend in education. Most people aren’t looking for a lecture, but having a good, quick background story can help justify the wines’ price points.
Create an air of anticipation. Schedule well in advance and publicize creatively, especially if you have a guest speaker. Social media reminders and e-mailings always help. To encourage commitment, State Line Liquors in Elkton, MD, requires reservations for sit-down tastings but when there is a charge, it can be applied to a post-tasting purchase.
Differentiate yourself. Wine Market in Memphis, TN, has wine tastings “any time we are open,” providing eight wines on tap via a preservation system. For its Friday-evening tastings, Liner & Elsen in Portland, OR, offers five wines for a flat fee, but also features an optional “super pour” of a highly rated wine for an additional charge. Renée Saunier Brewer, who owns Wine + Market in Lexington, KY, has weekly tastings of three wines—“we’re limited by law to six ounces total”—but has larger wine classes with five or six wines and paired cheese or charcuterie plate from the store’s deli.
Consider co-sponsoring opportunities. Usually distributors are eager to participate, and sometimes wineries will have a winemaker or ambassador in town and available. Local restaurants may also be interested in cooperating with your tastings.
Sweat the details. Give hard thought to how many people you can comfortably accommodate, and how many wines fit the occasion? Can the speaker in charge entertain customers with information and anecdotes? Do the wine glasses suit the occasion? (Small glasses help keep costs down and customers sober.) Are simple nibbles required/sufficient?
Close the sale. When a customer enjoys a wine just tasted, don’t let her leave the store without a bottle—or case! A customer who leaves a tasting empty-handed will seldom decide to return to buy later. Pimpinelli says Flatiron offers a standard 15% discount to encourage tasting purchases. ABC in Orlando provides purchase coupons.
In short, a successful tasting is one that draws the maximum number of customers who leave with the maximum number of purchases. With some strategic planning in advance, that is an attainable goal.
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