Tom Schmeisser
TOM
SCHEISSER •
Chief Wine Buyer • Marty’s Liquors • Newton &
Allston, MA
Tom
Schmeisser is a front-running candidate for best-known and
best-liked wine professional in Massachusetts. Tom has been
the chief wine buyer at Marty’s (Newton and Allston) for 35
years, and has been a strong factor in making Marty’s one of
our most successful and trusted beverage retailers. Having
talked about getting together for two years or longer, we
finally settled in for a leisurely lunch at Jacky Robert’s
bustling new bistro in Kenmore Square and had a
straightforward chat focused on wine retailing. We ran the
tape for about an hour, and I transcribed it with very few
edits. Candor, wisdom, humor, and humility were, as always,
hallmarks of Tom Schmeisser’s conversation.
TOM SCHMEISSER
In any business, you should be ready and able to do any task
that’s needed.
FRED BOUCHARD
Let’s start with that.
TS In my
business, that means everything from cleaning the roof
gutters and drains to ordering the Romanee Conti.
FB Your wine
chops (and shops!) are pretty much admired in these parts,
Tom, but what gives you the edge on the gutters?
TS I’ve been
working for the Siegal family for 35 years; I know the ins
and outs of the physical plant.
FB So you’ve
known Marty personally all these years?
TS Well, I met
Marty in 197O when I started working at his father Bernie’s
store. Now Marty’s son Sean is involved, so I’m working for
the third generation.
FB That’s quite
a devoted franchise career. You’re as rare as Carl
Yastrzemski!
TS Yes, as the
youngsters move up the ranks, I’m now regarded as one of
“the old guard” along with people like Roger Ormon
(Brookline Liquor Mart), Doug Shaw (MS Walker), Carmine
Martignetti (Martignetti Liquors/Carolina Wine), Dellie Rex
(formerly an educator at Boston University, now New England
Culinary Institute).
FB Yes, you go
back to Myron Norman, who, in his wineshop by Justin Freed’s
Coolidge Corner Cinema, weaned me as a BC student, off
Ballantine Ale and onto Cler Blanc.
TS Myron Norman
was one of the greats. He was one of the most interesting
people in the business. He inspired a lot of us, as did
people like Leo Sulkin (Branded Wines), Richie Hogue
(Charles Gilman), Bert Miller (Brookline Liquor Mart). They
have all left their mark.
FB So much has
changed in beverage retail and wholesale since the
‘7Os.
TS It’s
certainly nice to see Boston figuring out that you can enjoy
a nice, true bistro like this (Jacky Robert’s Petit Robert)
and not have to pay (or charge) $6O for an average bottle of
wine. There’s much to be said for wines without intimidating
prices, and honest French cuisine.
FB Amen. What
qualities have made you a success in this line?
TS Patience.
Midwest sensibility. I hate to use those terms. I’m a
regular guy who got thrown into a lot more glamorous job
than I deserve. And timing. I was in the right place at the
right time. The fact that the Siegals have never put a cap
on spending has allowed me to taste some amazing wines over
the years. And I may hold the record for tasting bad wines,
too. I try to have a sense of humor about things. I try to
respect everyone: bosses, colleagues, customers.
FB What country
have you been impressed with lately?
TS I was
recently in South Africa, and it’s become a very exciting
area. It’s a wonderful country, the attitude is upbeat, and
the winemaking has improved the quality dramatically over
the last few years. People’s stigma for South Africa has
completely gone by the wayside. The South Africans see they
have a more serious and tolerant market to sell their wines
to, and their young, energetic winemakers are trying to show
the world what they can do. I think we’re going to see some
breakthrough advances, and still at very good value. The
rand may not be the huge value it was two years ago, but
everyone can still make a good margin. And the wineries are
more progressive politically than elsewhere.
FB Charles Back
(of Fairview Winery) is giving his black workers shares in
the business, underwriting their housing.
TS Yes, and he’s
giving them the means to have their own winery and
vineyards, and giving them advice. He’s trying to integrate
the whole system. It’s going to do well for
everyone.
FB What do you
have to say about this wine you’ve chosen for lunch,
Tom?
TS I’ve never
tried Sipp-Mack, so I was curious about this Pinot Blanc.
It’s typical of the intense ripeness of the very hot 2OO3
vintage; it’s very big and rich, showing a little heat and
sweetness. Delicious!
FB It is perfect
with these mussels. Speaking of cool climate whites, you’ve
gone a long way in championing German and Austrian wines in
this market.
TS I think that
Riesling and Gruner Veltiner are very interesting, subtle
wines. They go beautifully with fresh spring vegetables. I
love them with vegetables! They’re great with seafood,
shellfish (if we ever get it back after this red tide
thing). They’re absolutely marvelous with lots of
foods.
FB Not to
mention low in alcohol and cellar friendly.
TS And Austria
makes dry Rieslings that rival anything from Alsace; I hope
my friends in Alsace will forgive me for saying that. A
little more lift to them, not as austere. Austria has
tremendous potential in the restaurant market. With
consumers, it’s just a matter of giving it a
chance.
FB They both
work splendidly with the explosion of Asian and fusion
cuisines.
TS We’ve been
mentioning parallels between music and wine: in both worlds,
individuality gets lost in the mass marketing. I wonder
whether the proliferation of supermarket wines is going to
annihilate the chances for people to discover fine wines,
esoteric wines? I think that’s the job of the conscientious
retailer, and the restaurateur. We have to rise above those
things, and promote quality esoterica. That’s true in music
as well. On the other hand, there are more things available
than there have ever been, if you’re just willing to search
them out.
FB
Commercialization will always marginalize the unusual, the
unique, those square pegs that don’t fit round holes.
Nevertheless, look what’s happened to the music industry,
getting whacked big-time by the I-podding of America. What’s
a parallel to that in the wine world?
TS We see the
large corporations – no names – having to make big numbers
to justify their worldwide purchases. To show a return,
they’re going to promote, at any and all cost, the products
they’ve purchased, (which is) not for the general good of
all wine consumers. Don’t get me wrong: there are great
values in every price and category. But there are too many
copycat, me-too kinds of wines coming out on a daily
basis.
FB And from
every continent. Why are German wines such a hard (and hand)
sell?
TS Image. The
German image engineering-wise is great; on other scales it’s
not quite as positive. That’s always worked a little bit
against German wines.
FB The labeling,
the formality, the Gothic script?
TS Exactly. It’s
been difficult for the Germans to convey the sense of style
and elegance that you get with French or Italian wines. It’s
hard to overcome – until people taste the wines. Then we see
the Mercedes screaming out of the bottle.
FB Dr. Loosen,
pardon the pun, has loosened up with cool, relaxed, artsy
labels. I bet their Eroica collaboration with Chateau
Saint-Michelle in Washington doesn’t hurt their American
image.
TS No, that’s
helped amplify the quality of Riesling. It’s all about
Riesling. That’s not to say Germany doesn’t have some other
varieties, but Riesling reigns. It’s just the king. It’s one
of the most food-worthy wines, one of the most pleasing
wines that one can serve at table. I’ve yet to have someone
say, when I’ve served a German wine, “I don’t like this
wine.” They say: “What is this? It’s really
good.”
FB And the low
alcohol – often only 8-1O% – is in keeping with everyone’s
dietary concerns these days.
TS It’s the
perfect luncheon wine, it’s great for opening more than one
bottle, in the summer heat it goes very well with lighter
foods. It keeps you in check, so to speak, and it’s very,
very refreshing.
FB And how
terrific it is with Asian dishes! Tom, why don’t Americans
drink bubbly? Europeans lap it up.
TS I think
Bostonians tend to be a little more frugal, and they have a
perception that maybe Champagne is a little frivolous. I
think it’s the perfect aperitif. If I’m out in the early
evening, there’s nothing I’d rather have. Generally all you
see on the list is something for $2O a glass. There have to
be affordable alternatives: Cava, Prosecco, Sekt. And they
should be offered the minute people arrive at the
table.
FB Catch them
off guard.
TS Who could say
no? It’d be amazing how much you could sell. Prosecco is the
perfect example; it has taken the world by storm. Prosecco
and Cava are perfect with a little dab of any fruit-based
liqueur you can pull off your shelf: HpnotiQ, Intrigue, of
course cassis. Just pour teaspoon in the glass and pour the
bubbly over it to make an absolutely delicious starter
wine.
FB It’s
practically a signature cocktail – an inexpensive,
instantaneous crowd-pleaser. What’s your take on freeing the
wine trade over our state line?
TS I can’t order
everything customers want to buy. I don’t want to. I think
it’s a good thing. If it doesn’t happen this year, it will
soon open up all across the country. So many of these small
wineries are getting squeezed in the noose of narrowing
distribution channels. I think people should be able to buy
what they want.
FB That’s the
analogy we were searching for with the music business.
Legislation is making it easier for tiny, esoteric music
labels to find their niche audiences of kindred spirits
on-line.
TS Right. No
matter how large your local record shop is, it can’t carry
every tiny, oddball CD. The buzz fuels the interest in
diverse styles. Everyone gets a piece of the platform: let
the consumer decide. That’s very important.
FB How have the
internet and cell phone impacted the wine
business?
TS Very deeply,
Fred. It’s made everything move much more quickly. You have
to be on top of things. Customers learn about new products,
ratings, vintages before we do. We have to be able to react
immediately. Make an email offer on something released two
hours ago. Offer futures before the next guy can. People
have a deep interest in the procurement of certain wines,
rarities, collectibles, the next hottest thing. I’m calling
my salesmen on an hourly basis to pick up a case of this, a
case of that for valued customers.
FB But they’re
also hanging on your opinions. You’re like a personal
broker.
TS That’s
essentially what we are: not stocks, but wines. The gain can
be in pleasure, not capital. This is first and foremost a
service business; that’s how we prove to our customers that
we care. They can read our reactions, our emotions. Everyone
expects an immediate answer; they don’t want to wait until
tomorrow.
FB And the
narrowly allocated has much cachet.
TS It certainly
does. The harder it is to get, the more it costs, the more
they want it.
FB Even in
cheapskate Boston.
TS Even in
frugal Boston. That’s what keeps us pumping; that’s what
makes the day go by. You see challenges every day. That may
sound trite: it’s only wine. But pleasure is a very
important part of our lives.
FB When I
visited Sam’s Wine in Chicago, Sam’s elder son was devoting
himself fulltime to on-line sales. How are you coping at
Marty’s?
TS We’re still a
brick and mortar kind of business. We want to see people,
talk to them, build that one-on-one relationship. We may be
behind some other people in the country doing more online
marketing. It’s something we’re addressing at this moment,
and will be a bigger part of the business as time goes on.
But we are – thank God – very busy helping people in the
store, and we never want to give up that kind of business
for the sake of more business in another realm. We want to
take care of what we have in front of us first. The Siegal
family has always been very focused on customer service,
doing whatever is needed to make the customer happy.
Backflips – whatever, we’ll do it. I admire the family and
the company for that.
FB How have your
tastes evolved over the years?
TS When I got
started it was all French: Bordeaux, Burgundy, a few Rhones,
with some German Rhines and Mosels, some Spanish Rioja and
Sherry. When the California wine revolution of the ‘7Os took
place we were a big part of that, and obviously California
ruled for a number of years. Some of my favorites became
Cabernets, Zinfandels, Chardonnays. I couldn’t get enough of
them. As time has moved on, we’re back to square one. I
think there is no wine-producing country in the world like
France. It’s taken me 35 years to figure out that Pinot Noir
is one of my favorite grapes. There also has been a
discovery phase: I cannot believe how far Spain has
progressed. Spain now takes a big lead in value-oriented
wines, and is unequalled in high quality wines ($4O-6O a
bottle). We’ve seen Austria emerge in this market. Now South
America and South Africa. The gains Australia has made are
unbelievable; they’re not necessarily my favorite wines, a
little difficult to consume on a daily basis, but I
understand why people find them so personable – big,
opulent, obvious, in-your-face, hard to resist.
FB But France is
still numero un?
TS I’m back to
France. I’m proud to say I love French wine. I think I
always will. They’re the wines that give me the most
pleasure because of their complexity, their subtlety, their
finesse. Finesse is a hard term to describe, but they give
tremendous pleasure without being boisterous.
FB How about
filling us in on a little personal background?
TS I went to
University of Wisconsin, Madison. I came to Boston in 197O
to pursue a degree in oceanography. That summer there was
unrest on campus, and a few of us wanted a new start. We
weren’t too ambitious, ran out of money. I needed a job, so
I walked down the street to (then) Macy’s (renamed Marty’s).
They needed a part-time beer person to keep the beer box
filled with Budweiser. My friends went back to Wisconsin; I
stayed. I met the woman who became my wife; she lived in the
apartment next door. I discovered that I liked the retail
part of the trade, mostly discount liquor and
beer.
FB What was the
first wine you remember drinking?
TS Annie Green
Springs. Really! Over the next year, Marty, who is my age,
started to get interested in wine, and was bringing products
in against his father’s wishes. I’ll never forget Bernie
picking up a bottle of nineteen-sixty something Lafite
Rothschild, eyeing the sediment in the bottom, and saying to
Marty, “See what you bought, Mister Smart Guy? A bunch of
bad wine. It’s all cloudy!” Marty had more faith in the wine
business than his father; we persevered together, and hired
a couple of wine guys who’d traveled East from California.
We’d spend our entire week’s salary after rent on wine. On
Sundays we would literally taste as much wine as we could
and remain standing. Luckily it didn’t cost a lot of money
back then to buy virtually anything you wanted, especially
shared four or five ways. Customers would join us in a
little apartment on Marlborough Street. Essentially, I just
stuck with it, and got more and more involved. I went to as
many tastings as possible. Some of the most memorable were
the Heublein tastings and auctions in the mid to late 7Os.
We tasted some of the greatest wines in the world. They’d
open everything! I was scribbling notes, though I didn’t
know what I was tasting, I knew that this was something
special. I’m embarrassed to say that one of the turning
point wines in my career was something I’d never even dream
of drinking again. It was a 1955 Chateau Petrus at one of
those amazing Heublein events. I just couldn’t believe a
wine from Bordeaux could taste so good.
FB Have you kept
all your notes?
TS Yes, I have.
I have reams and reams of them.
FB Do you
actually refer to them?
TS Not as much
as I used to.
FB Impressions
tend to fuse over the years.
TS They
certainly do. There are a lot of vintages imbedded in the
brain cells. They tend to meld together without the notes.
But that certainly was the time, the era to taste and
discover wine. I was fortunate to be there at the beginning,
when interest was more of a factor than cost. Today there
are far more collectibles than mere mortals can even taste,
never mind afford.
FB We can be
grateful for those who helped season us with public and
private tastings, like Pierre Seronde’s Serpette (club and
newsletter), Boston’s Sommelier Society, George Buehler, BSO
trombonist Ron Barron.
TS George
exposed many of us to the most amazing arrays of French
wines ever seen in Boston. I’m still involved with a group
we started 25 years ago out of Cambridge Center for Adult
Education with Chile Sullivan and his students. I’m the only
industry person left, the others being interested
collectors. In another group we take bottles to sympathetic
restaurants like Il Capriccio and Troquet; Jeannie Rogers
and Chris Campbell are very good to us. The last one was
tough to take: Bonnes Mares and Musigny. We’re contemplating
verticals of Leoville Barton, 1998 Chateauneuf du Papes, and
1984 California Cabernets. We’re trying to drink through our
cellars with appreciative friends.
FB What’s in
your own cellar?
TS My personal
cellar, admittedly eclectic, runs towards France. Bordeaux
are my blue-chip stocks: those that I cellared first and
most. I’ve actually sold them off to pursue my true love,
Burgundy, the Holy Grail of wine.
FB Who are your
favorite Burgundy producers, and who are the rising
stars?
TS Well,
Frederic Mugnier, Comte de Vogue, if we can afford them
Romanee Conti and Domaine Leroy, and newcomers like Michel
Magnien, Domaine Arlaud, Roger Caillot, Gros Freres.
Burgundy is hard to get to know because a few excellent new
properties/growers emerge every year. It’s an incredible
journey; I urge anyone to discover or rediscover Burgundy,
some of the most sensual wines in the world.
FB What makes
Burgundy so hard to get to know?
TS There are so
many producers of only two or three barrels, so many
vineyards, appellations, designations. It’s a real quest, a
challenge. The best path may be to find a producer you
really like and follow him vintage after vintage. Yet it can
become costly to find who you really like.
FB Have you been
able to buy and sell the wines you really love?
TS The Siegals
have always given me carte blanche to buy what I like, and
there have always been distributors who go to bat for you if
you show interest. I’m talking about MS Walker, Classic
Wines, and United.
FB What are the
most important things for retailers to keep in
mind?
TS Listen to
your customers. Hear their wants and needs. Don’t say, ‘We
don’t carry that.’ Find out what they like about it, where
you can get it. Customers are extremely valuable resources,
and I don’t just mean financially. On many levels, they know
more about the products than I do, because they may delve
into it fanatically. I learn more from customers than anyone
else in the business.
FB I could say
the same about my students in music journalism. They alert
me to trends, bands, and ideas that are way off my
radar.
TS If you’re
going to get involved in a category, develop some enthusiasm
for it. If you’re going to stock German Rieslings, don’t
just get two or three, but a dozen. Get your staff involved,
do the promotion, show customers you care. We have been
fortunate to have one of the best-informed staffs in the
city. The Siegals have always been cognizant that it takes
good staff to sell wine. It has always been a team effort. I
can’t thank my staff enough for helping out me and the
customers. They are great!
FB They sure
are. (Former salesmen) Chris Zoski and Brent Clayton were
always turning me on to great bottles.
TS Chris had a
terrific palate for high-end wines, and Brent was a
knowledgeable Australia enthusiast. Between them we caught
the wave on high-end Australians, which has now calmed down
considerably. We miss them! Today on the floor we have fine
folks like Peter Tryba, Rick Forian, Ian McFadden, Jonathan
Day, and others. There’s no room in this business for wine
snobbery. I am more comfortable selling a $7 bottle than a
$7O bottle. I’d rather show someone I can give them
wine-drinking pleasure for an affordable price. Everyone who
walks through the door deserves equal respect, whether
they’re after some 2 for $12’s or a $2OOO case.
FB Respect
travels far.
TS Also: build
up good relationships with your wholesalers and suppliers.
They will take as good care of you as your customers.
Working up a personal rapport with men with their nose to
the grindstone like Eric Solomon, Jorge Ordonez, Terry
Thiese, Fran Kysela, Leonardo Lo Cascio will pay rich
dividends, believe me. I worship those guys. Back in the old
days, you might have been able to keep up with some travels,
discover some wines in France. Today there’s a million
people looking, so you must rely on their expertise. In many
instances, they even help with the cepages, the blending,
the marketing. They know what kinds of labels sell in their
market. They are tremendous assets.
FB What’s the
difference between buying for Marty’s and buying for
Atlantic (Marty’s wholesale business)?
TS Good
question. Atlantic is a very successful wholesale operation
we opened up to supply the store. It has since come under
the direction of Sean Siegal. It has grown tremendously
selling not only wine but specialty liquors and beers. It’s
more of a mainstream operation, in that most of those
products are saleable in accounts throughout the state. Yet
Atlantic is exploring niche markets: wines from Brazil,
Croatia, Russia. There’s tremendous untapped potential that
lots of wholesalers won’t spend the time with.
FB How does
business differ between the Marty’s in suburban Newton
versus the Marty’s in collegiate Allston?
TS It’s very
surprising. You’d think that Newton, the higher volume,
larger store, would have all the high-end wine business,
whereas just the opposite is true. Allston’s very
knowledgeable wine customers may be more interested in wines
we can procure than those we sell. Newton has more consumers
than collectors. But visiting winemakers in for tastings
have been impressed with the wine knowledge savviness of
patrons at both stores. Boston is a great wine
market.
FB How do you
keep up with the trade publications, on-line or
hardcopy?
TS Whew! I
thought you were going to ask me what is the last book I
read! Nights and weekends I page through the mags – Stephen
Tanzer, The Burghound, Robert Parker, yes, The Wine
Spectator, Food and Wine, etc. – looking for trends. I wish
I were reading books!
FB What trends
are you observing and participating in right now?
TS South Africa
– very strong. Spain is showing tremendous potential not
just for wines but for cuisine, like tapas. Greece? They
have nice wines, but we have to learn to pronounce them.
Down the line this Chinese phenomenon will have big impact
because of its size and the fact that we rely on them so
much for trade. Within ten years, we’ll see impact on both
wine production and consumption. As soon as more capital is
crunched into Eastern Europe, their wines will have impact.
The vineyards and varieties are they, but need a lot of
nurturing. The question is: can the market absorb it all? I
wish I had a crystal ball.
FB How do you
reconcile your own tasting preferences with those of the
prominent critics?
TS Robert Parker
has done an incredible job for the wine trade, but you have
to handicap his ratings by his preference for bold,
powerful, expressive, over-the-top wines. I find that I much
prefer his 87-88-89 point wines to his 95-96-97 point wines,
and I really promote that fact. Steven Tanzer is the
unheralded great critic in the marketplace; he’s a little
more toned-down in his scoring system and a little more to
my taste. Aaron Meadows of The Burghound is the Burgundy
guru. The jury’s still out on the Wine Spectator, which has
improved greatly; they certainly influence the way people
buy, yet they’re more mainstream. People come in with
articles from The New York Times and Wall Street Journal.
Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher are more consumers than
critics; they get to taste and write about private cellar
wines that are not available or a vintage behind.
FB I’m sure they
get plenty of blue-chip invitations. I like reading your
newsletter.
TS We have not
missed one (monthly) issue in the 2O years we’ve been doing
it. If you don’t keep your newsletters coming regularly,
it’s a total waste of time. We know e-letters are big, but
we believe in hardcopy: sit on the throne and contemplate.
It reminds you that we’re there every single month, whether
you want to read it or not.
FB Are those
your juicy descriptions?
TS No, that’s
the work of Mark Leighton. I’m proud to have had Mark on
board for 15 years. Writing has never been my forte; I
struggle with it. I give Mark my notes, ideas, and concepts,
and he turns it all out. He has been invaluable to us. We
call him Leighton Enterprises: he plays classical guitar,
teaches at Colby College, and runs his own wine
tastings.
FB What about
your web site?
TS It’s just an
introduction page to the newsletter. What it is, Fred, is
that we haven’t taken that step to hire someone dedicated
full-time to do it right. I’ve seen too many half-assed web
sites, constantly ‘under construction.’ If I can’t do it
right, I don’t want to do it at all.
FB But your
email sales are pretty good?
TS Our weekly
emails can sell anywhere from 2 to 2OO cases. It works best
on limited allocation items. We email those we know are
interested, and tell them to act within a day or two,
otherwise it’s up for grabs. Nobody’s mad at us, because I
used to have to call a bunch of guys and leave messages.
It’s a very powerful tool that allows us to make our turn
more quickly, operate more efficiently. Sometimes we’ll put
a wine we know we can get plenty of out on email before
we’ve even purchased it, to get a feel for the reaction. Our
e-mail list is around 5,OOO and hardcopy around
8OOO.
FB It lets you
cut a wide swath.
TS People have
different needs, and we do want to be all things to all
people. After we put out DRC at $5OOO a case, we turn around
and offer that little Garnacha, Marco Real for $89 a
case.
FB What’s your
ideal dinner?
TS A plate of
pasta with butter, olive oil, and fresh sage leaves, served
with a bottle of Insolia. I like the simplicity of food and
wine. If I’m going to drink a trophy bottle, I’ll sit in my
easy chair, have the fire going, and drink it on its own.
When I eat food, I drink as simply as possible. I don’t
think I’ve ever spent more than $7O on a bottle of wine in a
restaurant, whether my money or somebody else’s. I call it
checking out the corners on a wine list: finding that little
Spanish or German wine everyone else ignores.
FB I like to do
the same thing.
TS We obviously
have a reason for it, not being multi-millionaires. But I
find more pleasure in that than springing for a great bottle
of Bordeaux. I hardly ever order Bordeaux, and Burgundy
mainly when I’m in France. Pinot Noir is the perfect
restaurant wine: it’s the great equalizer, it goes with
everything: your steak, her duck breast, his salmon. You
didn’t ask, but yes, the movie (Sideways) has made a
difference. I think Pinot Noir was on the rise before the
movie, but it has made Pinot Noir respectable, and an
everyday word.
FB Now it’s
become a cult classic and will be around for a while. Trade
secrets?
TS Mind the
details. Answer every question. Call them back with answers.
Call back everyone who phones you. Shop the corners. I go
for the oddballs, look for weird stuff.
FB I appreciate
that, and found some favorites in your twofers. Picpoul de
Pinet: it’s even fun to say!
TS The fun part
is finding these weirdos. I love to walk the warehouse with
distributors now and then, find lost boxes or pallets of
intriguing stuff, and make them offers. I’ve been doing that
for years. I’ll buy all your leftover Burgundies! You got
odds and ends? Let’s make a deal! Whatcha got for German
wines? 2OO1s? No problem! Bang – you got a sale! Yes, you
got to sift through them, but you always want to be able to
surprise your customer. He wants to do the same thing in
your store!
FB Have you
bought a few pigs in a poke?
TS Oh, yeah.
Some might land in the dumpster. Hey, we all make mistakes.
You just try to make fewer than everyone else. But, you may
remember that in the 7Os, Pierre Seronde’s articles in
Serpette were mainly advice about what not to buy. There was
so much bad wine around! That is not the case today; it’s
much easier to buy really fine wine at all price points.
That’s great for all of us.
