Help with a little survey?

Dear WLDGers, I'm a long time fan of this BB but have been out of the loop for quite some time now while I started to raise a family, and more recently, moved to Europe. My interest in wine never waned, however, and now that I am completing studies for an MBA I come to you with a survey. (for the record, I cleared this with Robin before posting.)

As part of my MBA I am writing a feasibility study for a US wine merchant and I wondered if I could trouble you to answer a few questions. These questions range from what people spend on wine to qualities people look for when selecting a merchant. I'm also interested in on-line buying habits. You may find the survey at the link below.



http://FreeOnlineSurveys.com/rendersurv ... oni6254555

Thank you for your time and cheers

Brian

Brian

its limiting only being able to choose one of following -- I'm sure we have many reasons that influence our choice

How do you shop for wine?



Buying based on recommendations of the professional critic(s)
Sticking with what you know
Advice from the wine merchant
Advice from friends you trust
Other (Please Specify):

Peter's right--there are all sorts of influences, not only that, none of them can necessarily be considered "primary" influences.

While I'm at it: My ideal wine store stocks international classics and boutique wines...and has a knowledgeable staff I can turn to for advice.

Hi Peter,

What I'm trying to learn from this question is if people prefer to shop and buy the things that they know and like, or if they tend to be influenced to look outside their comfort zone. Are they adventurous or are they conservative? Do they like staying with tried and true or do they like adventure of the new and unknown? I guess I should have added tose two choices.. People could add one of these to the "other" field if they like

Thanks for the comment

Best

brian

Hi Peter,

What I'm trying to learn from this question is if people prefer to shop and buy the things that they know and like, or if they tend to be influenced to look outside their comfort zone. Are they adventurous or are they conservative? Do they like staying with tried and true or do they like adventure of the new and unknown?

Well I do both at the same time -- i.e. I'll go and stock up on some regulars that I always buy and at the same time look for something new that I haven't had before. If there's a tasting counter I'll try those and buy if I like.

Even the wines that people " know and like" have to be bought a first time

Hi Peter,

What I'm trying to learn from this question is if people prefer to shop and buy the things that they know and like, or if they tend to be influenced to look outside their comfort zone. Are they adventurous or are they conservative? Do they like staying with tried and true or do they like adventure of the new and unknown? I guess I should have added tose two choices.. People could add one of these to the "other" field if they like

Thanks for the comment

Best

brian

As a constructive comment I agree with the others. The perfect wine merchant would have both classics and boutique wines, with mass produced wines of no interest. The real reason I shop on the internet is to get wines I cannot get locally.
Walt

The perfect wine merchant would have both classics and boutique wines, with mass produced wines of no interest.

Ah, but there's the rub, Walt: What is your definition of "mass produced" wines, and who do you trust to decide you don't want them cluttering up your perfect wine merchant's floor?

I assume it's not strictly price? I hope it's not strictly volume? So what is it?

I've heard various general and specific defintions of mass produced, and interesting declarations of purchasing parameters, said parameters having absolutely nothing to do with style or quality mind you.

These range from

"I buy only from family-owned wineries; I won't buy from corporations!"

to

"I'm sorry; I won't put anything on my list from a winery that makes more than ten thousand cases total." (Actual quote to me.)

to

"If it's widely available, I don't want it in my place."

and finally the always useful "It's *snif* pretty commercial, don't you think?"

Nope, my idea of the perfect wine merchant is actually a place big enough, with a wide enough scope, that the guy can make a healthy amount of money pushing the cases through to afford to indulge in choosing exceptional wines for the benefit of winegeeks with 'special tastes'.

I have one like that in my area. It's got booze and beer (but I like both of those things too, so that's cool), but mostly it's got aisle after aisle of wines wines wines. I know which sections I will end up in, and don't mind at all strolling past the jugs and boxes to get there. But even in the special areas that I like, there are wonderful varieties of wine, some surprisingly inexpensive, some breathtakingly expensive, and some just downright weird. But I like that: I like to see classics, boutiques, and What the hell is that? wines available for me to consider. I've found some damned good wines that way.

The perfect wine merchant would have both classics and boutique wines, with mass produced wines of no interest.

Ah, but there's the rub, Walt: What is your definition of "mass produced" wines, and who do you trust to decide you don't want them cluttering up your perfect wine merchant's floor?

I assume it's not strictly price? I hope it's not strictly volume? So what is it?

I've heard various general and specific defintions of mass produced, and interesting declarations of purchasing parameters, said parameters having absolutely nothing to do with style or quality mind you.

These range from

"I buy only from family-owned wineries; I won't buy from corporations!"

to

"I'm sorry; I won't put anything on my list from a winery that makes more than ten thousand cases total." (Actual quote to me.)

to

"If it's widely available, I don't want it in my place."

and finally the always useful "It's *snif* pretty commercial, don't you think?"

Nope, my idea of the perfect wine merchant is actually a place big enough, with a wide enough scope, that the guy can make a healthy amount of money pushing the cases through to afford to indulge in choosing exceptional wines for the benefit of winegeeks with 'special tastes'.

I have one like that in my area. It's got booze and beer (but I like both of those things too, so that's cool), but mostly it's got aisle after aisle of wines wines wines. I know which sections I will end up in, and don't mind at all strolling past the jugs and boxes to get there. But even in the special areas that I like, there are wonderful varieties of wine, some surprisingly inexpensive, some breathtakingly expensive, and some just downright weird. But I like that: I like to see classics, boutiques, and What the hell is that? wines available for me to consider. I've found some damned good wines that way.

Man, you old retail guys are really sensitive. I will give you my response but am prepared to be drawn and quartered. First it has nothing to do with price, absolutely. Secondly it is not necessarily volume but many of the wines I am refering to are high volume. A better word than mass produced would probably be "market wines". Some characteristics will be goofy labels, sometimes even goofier names, simple non descript and dumbed down flavors, multiple offerings from the same location and on and on. I could mention of few names but that would subject me to too much pain. Rather than say what they are it is easier to say what wines they are not. They are not Kysella, Dressner or KL imports. They are not classified growths, top producers in the Loire, Rhone, CC, Piedmont or Fruili. That's it, about the best I can do.

Now, having said this. if I owned a retail store they would definitely be on my shelf. Hell, I have to eat as well as just sell wine. The question was what do you want from you wine retailer, not what do they have to carry.

Walt

Nah, no drawing or quartering...just a little drawing out, thassall. Trying to add a little detail to the picture.

I understand what you mean, of course, even if we all have trouble specifically defining the category. ["I can't define it, but I know it when I see it." ]

My problem is that as soon as a list of defining characteristics gets laid down----I find the exception to it.

Critter/cutesy labels? Yep, I'm with you ther. But then I have to mention the Warthog Chenin Blanc SA that I found in a local store last year. Cheap (like $5!), horrendous label (ugly bright yellow and red label with a supernally hideous warthog on it in excruciating detail), and no doubt mass produced from mediocre grapes. But boy oh boy was it tastygood! Went back and got more.

And then there's our perennial fave, the Hofer Gruner Veltliner in cheapo liter jugs with a crown cap, for around $9. (Okay, not mass production by our lights, but it's pretty mass for an Austrian wine.)

Plus, this past year I played a somewhat cruel trick on my wife, who was insisting I re-stock the "wine whenever I want it" larder (as opposed to "please ask me before you gulp this down, dear" collection). I got a bottle, poured it out for her, and when she mmmd and ahhd I revealed it as a fairly common and mass produced SB at an astonishingly low price. She confessed that she wouldn't mind if I stocked up on that for a nice house white.

I guess the point of all this is it's important to keep your options (and mind, and palate, and pocket book) open to all the delights of wine out there, no matter where they are.

I know you approach your wine purchases (or at least the ones we are talking about here) with a more focused approach, i.e., going out and looking for the ones you already know you like and want, rather than just shopping around the marketplace for whatever catches your fancy, Walt. But I also know you're a sucker for a bargain, and like finding the discovery wines too. And you can do that only with a retailer that carries as wide a range as possible (but also focuses on the stuff you like the most, sure; otherwise you wouldn't be there in the first place.)

Thanks Walt and Hoke, and everyone else who took the time to fill out the survey. I will leave it open for another day or so, for others who still would like to add to my data. Thanks for the conversation about the "perfect" wine shop. Of course there will always be exceptions, and it's rare to find a shop that isn't a mix of all listed, but I think it's worthwhile forcing people to make a choice with this question. Non-geeks would answer differently, I'm sure.

Thanks again and cheers

Brian

ps. I'll be happy to share with you the results with anyone who is interested