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Most of us tend to enjoy a given wine through its aromas and tastes (although it pains me to admit that there are a few that simply go for the price and hell with the quality).  If the medley of scents and flavors are outstanding, chances are favorable that most of us will return.  After all, the enjoyment of wine is a sensory experience. The problem is that many retailers, distributors and even vintners themselves don’t share the better wines with the public at large.  The result is that much of what is offered in the commercial wine tastings is often average in quality, the consumer not allowed into the inner sanctum of top wines.  Remember now, I’m talking top in quality, not necessarily in price.  So why should the average Joe think about laying out extra monies if he’s not given the chance to taste the wine?  Kind of a catch 22, don’t you think?  Add to this that we now live in what I often refer to as a “new economic paradigm” where the consumer is strapped with debt and overly cautious with his discretionary monies and you have an equation for a wine glut!  That being the case, I have a not so novel suggestion to make……….pop the corks, unscrew the caps and lure the consumer.

Listen to me, distributors, retailers and vintners.  In times such as these, you need to give the buyer a reason to buy.  Unlike so many other commodities that depend upon sight and touch, wine has only one place to go…..to your nose and palate.  If you don’t tease the consumer with fragrance and taste, it will be a challenge to reel them in.  If that means that you actually have to open up several $40, $50 or even $75 bottles, them by gosh do it!  How are you going to convince your customer that the wine is worth the purchase if you don’t let them taste it?  Let’s say that you open a dozen bottles of these wines with an average price of $60……that’s $720.  Now let’s imagine that you chose those particular wines because you know that they have an amazing profile.  That day, after tasting and some appetizers to pair, you sell a case of the $40, a half case of the $50 and two of the $75’s.  That adds up to $930 or a 22.5% profit.  It’s also reasonable to assume that at least a few guests will be return customers and perhaps even new regulars not to mention impressed that you took the risk to share these wines.  So comm’on all of you in the winemaking industry………as the actors and actresses bellowed out in the Broadway play Mama Mia…………take a chance on me.

I will have no reservation about kissing the year 2009 goodbye and greeting 2010 when that ball drops in New York City on New Year’s Eve.  This year has been one for the record books.  First the awful climax of the financial crises followed by an equally historic meteoric rebound in world equity markets once investors were secure that the second Great Depression would be averted.

As the end of year closes in, I’ve been thinking about where we might go from here in 2010?  For a change, I thought that it might be refreshing to start with some positive notes.  These are not predictions, per se, but rather visions of how I think the year will unfold.  We’ll revisit this piece at the end of next year.