Have you ever wondered how a wine steward goes about picking out wines for display? I certainly have! Whenever I get a chance I go through a store’s wine department to check out what it is that they are featuring. There are literally millions of wines out there and I will be the first to admit that I cannot keep up with all of them. So the question is; What criteria do the stewards use to determine what it is that should take up space in the display area? I believe that there are several approaches to this question. First and foremost is sales. Every store wants something out there that will turn and burn. Sometimes this comes with compromise. For example... Two Buck Chuck or Three Buck Chuck if you live in Washington. To be honest, the driving force behind the sale of this wine is the price, plain and simple. Let’s face it. For thirty- six bucks plus tax you are walking out the store with a case of wine. There is not a cheaper way to entertain your wine drinking friends then that. The compromise in this is that the wine is fair to poor in quality. I know, because I have purchased it just to see what all the hype was about. Out of the seven wines I tried, the only one that I felt was worth drinking was the Chardonnay. Now is Trader Joes worried about what Stan thinks of their wine? Absolutely not. They sale a ton of this juice to all those folks out there looking for a bargain... more power to them. In this case, it is not quality but quantity that is the determining factor for the huge displays. Friday Harbor has now been blessed with a store that is following this philosophy and folks, it is not my shop.
A turn and burn wine does not always mean that you have to settle for an inferior product. There are many good wines out there that go for a fraction of what you might expect. You might have to pay just a couple of dollars more then the “Chuck” wine but for those looking for quality rather then quantity, the search is worth it. I would look like to add that I do not hold it against anyone if they do the Trader Joe’s thing. If I were having a party and wanted to provide a crap-load of wine, I would be walking out the door with cases.
There is another factor that determines what will go on display and this can be a risky approach. I call this the score factor. Another words, some stewards will put a wine out on the floor simply because it received a high score in a wine magazine such as the Wine Spectator or the Wine Advocate. I say this is risky because there are times the critics in these periodicals can be off base when it comes to finding wines that appeal to a wide range of folks. Take as an example The Wine Advocate. When Robert Parker Jr. and his fellow writers critique wine they are tasting  from the perspective of what they consider to be good or bad wine. They obviously have trained palates for what they like and like all of us can use correct verbiage to describe the attributes of the wine so that the reader can make an informed decision. Here in lies the problem; their approach is not directed to a broad audience. There have been a number of times I have fallen into the trap of buying a wine because it scored well and have sat on it for quite awhile because it did not live up to the hype or was a parochial choice.
Here is where the 60% rule comes into play. As a wine steward it is my responsibility to understand what kind of wine will appeal to at least 60% of my customers. This takes experience and a keen desire to understand the needs of those who walk into the wine department. Without this desire we could easily fall into the aforementioned habits of buying. It is a continual learning process since the mood of the customer changes from time to time and there is a need for adjustment. Today the trend is towards quality red blends under fifteen bucks. If you can find one for around ten, even better. Gruner Veltliner is also seeing a surge in popularity; especially the 1 liter bottle for around twelve bucks! All of these fall into the 60% rule and find great success as display items.
Bottom line: figure out the philosophy of the wine buyer in your local wine shop. Pick her or his brain and see how they think. By doing so you will be at an advantage when you look at their recommendations. Cheap wines and good scores have their place, but always keep in mind that life is too short to for bad wine. Just trying to keep it real.    Stan