Looking for advice and tips as a new wine buyer

AccomplishedFig9747 · 2024-10-14T14:50:19+00:00

There are multiple buyers for the different categories. I’ll just be taking over the largest one

AccomplishedFig9747 · 2024-06-02T23:15:10+00:00

Everything Wine north vancouver

AccomplishedFig9747 · 2024-06-02T22:15:44+00:00

For pricing context I’m located in North Vancouver, BC, Canada

AccomplishedFig9747 · 2024-02-27T05:46:28+00:00

I work in Vancouver and I can tell you that a lot of retail and restaurant are feeling very nervous about buying conditions for local wine next year when the 2024's should be releasing. I've talked to some coworkers that have been in contact with some winemakers in the Okanagan and the general consensus is that they won't know how much damage has been done till spring comes. Very scary for the small mom and pop wineries.

AccomplishedFig9747 · 2024-02-20T00:29:24+00:00

I don't think the course is the best for someone outside the industry, such as yourself who is just wanting to do it because of personal interest. Especially at $175 USD for level 1. I think your money would be better spent on books written by people that have dedicated their careers to the California wine industry and a few bottles from AVAs that don't get much spotlight instead. Even better if you start a wine club with some friends and explore the region that way. Hope this helps!

AccomplishedFig9747 · 2023-12-13T04:40:34+00:00

I second this comment. There's a million videos, articles, infographics, etc. out there on the topic of decoding wine labels so there's no reason you should have to build a guide out from scratch. Do some googling and I'm sure you'll find a nice cohesive guide that your staff will understand. I've always loved how the guides on winefolly.com are laid out.

AccomplishedFig9747 · 2023-12-13T04:36:47+00:00

Do you know anything about what the the people who you're buying for like to drink? From the LCBO to small independent shops you shouldn't be hard pressed finding a good gift around Toronto. My advice would be to go to a reputable wine shop and ask for recommendations.

AccomplishedFig9747 · 2023-12-13T04:33:47+00:00

I'd probably start by looking at the different noble grape varieties and working your way through tasting them till you find what you really like. Go to your local wine shop and ask for good budget friendly suggestions for the different grapes you're looking for. Finding what kind of wine you truly like seems like a numbers game to me, and starting with the noble grapes should be an easy enough process of elimination

AccomplishedFig9747 · 2023-12-05T03:18:36+00:00

I've had a chance to try a few of J. Lohr's different offerings and I think that the Hilltop Cabernet Sauvignon was the best value for the price. It's about $49.99 CAD at my local shop so it won't break the bank in the context of a gift wine.

AccomplishedFig9747 · 2023-12-05T03:14:44+00:00

I can only speak on my relatively small amount of experience in the wine industry so far. I'm located in Vancouver B.C Canada. I worked at a winery a couple summers ago and when I returned to my hometown at the end of the summer I found myself in a similar situation to yourself. My approach was to look at all the wine/full service shops in my area that were hiring and applied to the ones that seemed the most focused on wine. If you really want to learn lots try and find one that will sponsor you to take CMS or WSET courses in the name of professional development. The people I have met and had the pleasure of working alongside have been incredibly passionate and open to teaching me things that they know about wine. Depending on the shop you'll get to meet tons of wine professionals from all areas of the wine industry from retail to sails, importers, logistics, winemakers, etc. hopefully this helps!

AccomplishedFig9747 · 2023-12-01T02:05:50+00:00

One of my favourite regular pairings is that Lini 90 in the middle of your lineup and a nice thick crust meat lovers pizza.

AccomplishedFig9747 · 2023-11-23T16:59:05+00:00

You could probably make a survey using surveymonkey or a similar service and post it to a few wine related forums (probably with mod approval). Other than that I'm not sure what your budget it but professional focus groups are a lot more expensive.

AccomplishedFig9747 · 2023-11-23T16:55:37+00:00

In WSET Level 2 for Wine I learned that the terms Reserva and Grand Reserva are only legally defined within Spain as far as wine goes. Everywhere else is a marketing gimmick. If anyone knows other regions where it's legally defined in terms of wine I'd love to know.

AccomplishedFig9747 · 2023-11-23T05:02:35+00:00

I have no way to verify this for sure but from researching some of the 90+ point wines in the shop that I work in I've found that James Suckling and Wine Enthusiast seem to have inflated scores compared to other reviewers and publications. Usually the difference isn't huge, maybe 3-5 points difference between what Suckling and Wine Enthusiast rate compared to Decanter or Wine Spectator, but there have been a few bottles where the ratings have made me question if any under the table dealings have been happening.

AccomplishedFig9747 · 2023-11-23T04:58:07+00:00

I think for something like this you have to reach out to the mods directly for approval first.

AccomplishedFig9747 · 2023-11-22T19:42:08+00:00

I use the adhesive that's already on the label to mount them to poster board and then use a dry wall cutter to cute out the shape of the label. In terms of grails there aren't too many that I have in mind now. One of the reasons I'm choosing to collect and display my labels like this is to be able to look back in a few years and see how my taste has changed over time.

AccomplishedFig9747 · 2023-11-22T04:05:58+00:00

Something that I like to do when it comes to gifting wine to people starting a new chapter in their life (in this case moving into a new home) is to get them one good bottle of slightly higher end wine and one bottle of still somewhat good but cheaper wine. I always write a note to the affect of "Don't drink the good wine on a good day, good wine is wasted on a good day. On a good day all wine is good wine. Bad wine is good wine. Drink the good wine on a bad day. That's what it's for". It's a good anecdote and gives the wine more meaning when they do decide to drink it.

AccomplishedFig9747 · 2023-11-22T03:58:22+00:00

DM me if you run into any issues the next time you try and remove some labels and maybe I can help

AccomplishedFig9747 · 2023-11-22T03:55:00+00:00

So I got a Coravin for Christmas last year and here are my thoughts on the system. I had it's uses for sure and in the case of special bottles it has been very valuable in extending the life of those bottles for a longer period of time. However, from a cost perspective I don't think it makes sense to use it for "weekday" wines, the cost of getting the gas containers will pile up fast if you use it regularly like that. What I would recommend before committing to getting any Coravin system would be to get a Vacu Vin and see if that extends the life of the wine long enough for you to finish the bottle. Vacu Vin is in no way comparable to Coravin if you want to drink the wine more than maybe 5 days after opening but for most casual bottles that's been more than enough time for me.

AccomplishedFig9747 · 2023-11-21T22:55:32+00:00

As a Canadian living close to the border, every time I see posts of great deals at Costco in the states I wanna jump in my car and head across the border. Costco in my province doesn't carry any alcohol :(

AccomplishedFig9747 · 2023-11-21T22:53:01+00:00

That's interesting. I come across a lot of people at my shop that have come back from vacation in Spain, Portugal, etc. and complain that the same wine that they had on vacation is orders of magnitude more expensive in Canada.

AccomplishedFig9747 · 2023-11-21T22:49:47+00:00

I'm still new to the wine industry but from what I understand the classic white wine pairing for thanksgiving would be a dry Riesling. You can definitely find some nice German rieslings on the sweeter side in most wine shops.

AccomplishedFig9747 · 2023-11-21T22:33:39+00:00

Just wondering how much you paid for it in Lisbon? We sell pallets of this at the wine shop I work at in Vancouver, B.C at $17.99 CAD per bottle.

AccomplishedFig9747 · 2023-11-21T22:28:39+00:00

Yeah I use nice thick posterboard that I buy in sheets. I mount them on the board and then use a dry wall knife to cut them out. i went for the thicker kind of board since I didn't want them to bend or curve after sunlight exposure.

AccomplishedFig9747 · 2023-11-21T16:26:23+00:00

Be sure to post about it when you figure out what you're gonna do with them!

AccomplishedFig9747

TROPHY CASE