When attending as a buyer, I like to arrive early and blast through the wines I have singled out ahead of time as interesting, taking brief notes as I go. Afterward, if time permits, I will do some networking with colleagues and friends in the trade.
When playing the host of a trade tasting, I have another focus entirely. Will the serious account buyers show up? Or will there be 2:1 entry-level staff who do not make the buying decisions? And will those staff bring their girlfriend who has never attended a tasting, does not use spit-buckets and is red-faced and too chatty just 30 minutes into the show? Will I be held hostage by the ever-present cheese and cracker spitter, who insists on talking to me even with his mouth full? (strangely there is one of these at every tasting).
And of course, what will be the return on my investment and cost for the show? Will I actually make sales that day or is it just an exercise in marketing? In my experience it is usually more the latter but there are exceptions, especially if a wine is limited and buyers are encouraged via a discount to place orders that day.
I am interested in differing perspectives/stories on trade tastings so I reached out to some other wine professionals for their feedback. I asked them what they dreaded or enjoyed about trade tastings, as well as whether they made purchasing decisions at tastings. Here is what they had to say:
"Of course, you are never 100% happy, you always want to do something different next time. Tastings do not lead to immediate sales but you hope the buyer remembers you later."
Luis Moya
Owner, VinosUnicos Importer & Distributor
"- I dislike being surrounded by droves of people who tend to set up camp in front of a table and make it extremely frustrating for others to get in, taste and then out.
- The best trade tasting I ever attended was the Vie Vinum in Vienna, Austria. By far the most well organized tasting I've been to.
- I typically walk away from a trade tasting with a rough idea of a future game plan or strategy. I have, of course, found some "must have" wines that I found there way into our inventory."
Eric A. Story
Buyer: Alsace|Austria|
Croatia|Georgia|Germany|
Greece|Hungary|Loire Valley
K&L Wine Merchants
"While I wouldn't qualify the emotion as "dread", I'll say that I don't enjoy when there are 200 wines I've got to taste in 2 hours, nor missing work to do so. Man - And I don't always like running into some of the folks I exclusively see at trade tastings. It can be kind of a shit show of insecure wine buyers, trying desperately to understand what is in front of them & make a good impression on their peers. To me, I just want to taste a bunch of wines, not take super detailed notes, figure out what I really want, high-five a little with my friends, eat a little cheese, then get back to work.....
Yeah, I use trade tastings to know what to purchase. It's super helpful to have that kind of access. And when you get to taste comparatively, it's radical."
Collin Casey
GM/Wine Director
Baker & Banker restaurant
"trade tastings... I really don't think they are the best ways / conditions to taste wines (too many wines, too many people, most of the time with bad glassware, in a warm room, noisy...) And for most of them, they can easily be more a "network/connection" party than a wine tasting....
but i think they are necessary, because of they can allow you to compare in a very short amount of time many different wines you usually taste individually, and specifically for me, they allow me to discover or to have a kind of an intuition for a wine i will taste later in better condition"
Pascaline Lepeltier
Sommelier, Rouge Tomate NYC
6 comments:
Trade Tastings: I host trade tastings for a living, and am very interested in this topic and would like to weigh-in.
I think trade tastings can be well done and when they are, they assist the wineries and the industry. When a trade tasting is not well orchestrated, it is a terrible waste of time and ruins it for all of us.
In a competitive wine world, its important for the leaders in the industry to stay on the cutting edge and current - trade tastings allow you to do so... knowledge is power and part of the show we are all suppose to produce.
New/small/start up producers may not have a distributor, may seek a distributor, may seek a first account... can be found and discovered at a trade tasting.
Classic brands can be revisited and compared in a competitive set... and see 100's of accounts in a single day - efficient!
Top producers can stand toe to toe with the others and remind buyers why they are important... and see new contacts - putting more eggs in more baskets is a key to success.
Buyers reconnect and share ideas - and relationships.... and we share the common threads that hold us to this hard working low pay industry.
If the negative chatter and continued declines in trade tasting support continues, the trade tastings can go away.... leaving the small, the new, and the undiscovered to find another way to break ground and leaving wine buyers to deal with the huge lines of brokers/distributors that blur the story and don't allow you to see the trees in the forest.
Attention Wine Buyers - Don't rest, don't stop learning - don't stop producing the show... you will get passed up by those that want it more... this is work, and we are blessed to work with something we love.
When we invite trade to a tasting, we work hard and hold a standard and I suggest other trade associations do the same... make sure that the attendees are the types that should be in the room... and uninvited those that are not qualified.
Wineries - figure out ways to make the trade tasting impact your business - don't just stand behind your table - make friends, offer deals, invite visits, and close... that is what you need to do better.
Trade - don't be jaded - we evolve and we have the right to choice what we support... support those that make your life better, your wine list better, and support tastings that value your time.
TRADE TASTINGS I HAVE COMING UP:
6.9.2010 - STARS of Santa Barbara at Scotts Restaurant in Costa Mesa - 40 producers from So Cals best local growing region.
7.14.2010 STARS of PASO ROBLES at the PENINSULA BEVERLY HILLS and 7.15.2010 at the St. REGIS MONARCH BEACH - top wines - top venue - Professionally attended.
We welcome your interest at info@learnaboutwine.com
Thank you.
I have a big trade tasting coming up tomorrow, so this is a very timely post. A question to attendees & buyers: What makes an event like this successful from your side of the table?
Thanks for the feedback Ian. Interesting that you referred to declining support of trade tasting? Would love to hear the hows and whys of that.
Cheers, Amy
Trade tastings are very important for me as a producer. They offer exposure to potential new accounts, an opportunity to promote existing accounts, the chance to ask existing accounts how sales are going, and a fresh perspective on where people are gravitating.
Lisa
@boukewines
I really enjoyed this post, as it brings up so many valid points.
Attending tastings as a Wine Director and buyer, I find the opportunity to connect with a group of dedicated wineries invaluable.
Unfortunately at many tastings, you end up with individuals who do not represent the wine industry in a professional way and can discourage committed, passionate professionals from attending. I've seen the invites that try to deter the unprofessional or non-decision maker from attending, by requiring proper attire, a business card, or an actual RSVP. But time and time again those that don't "follow the rules" written or unwritten are allowed access to these tastings.
I believe if we held the RSVP standard to a higher level it would help a great deal in keeping the professionalism at these events. It would also help both the wineries and hosts know more information about the attendees, which can help in connections, relationships, and sales. But this will not happen, unless those that are running the events hold the RSVP to a higher standard.
Great topic that I think more professionals in the wine business should be paying attention to. Always great writing!
The greatest benefit of the trade tasting is the opportunity to meet and connect - with other sommeliers, with producers, with sale reps. Rarely can one get good impressions on wines because there are so many factors - noise, smells, temperature (too cold, or too hot- the room and the wine), lousy glasses, etc. I am known for my "power tasting" and it is a good way to get quick "snapshot" impressions of a wine. I sometimes take notes, but not with much detail. The bigger the tasting, the more difficult it is to really be able to taste seriously. But there are some big tastings that I do enjoy attending simply because it IS a great opportunity to speak with peers and producers about wine.
Pet peeves - when the temp. is not right for the wine, when the wine has not been tasted and is served faulty, and the biggest: when the people pouring have no idea about the wine that they are pouring.
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