Now that I'm getting in to the routine of going out to meet with potential buyers of 'plonk', and when I say buyers I mean store or restaurant owners, I'm reminded of a rule that I always had when I was buying wine for my restaurant/retail shop - no matter what I was doing or how busy I was, I always took the time to meet with those who came to see me and taste their wine.

To me, the main role of anyone closely associated with the wine program of a store or restaurant is to know every wine.  Don't rely on someone else's ratings or recommendations.  If you do that, there is nothing unique about your business and you will be shopped on price alone.

The other reason to always taste is an old school rule - to be courteous.  Wine distributors do an unbelievable service for restaurants and wine shops by continually showing them the latest wines from all over the world.  And when I say show, I mean bring open bottles of wine directly in to their place of business for the purpose of tasting.  All the owner has to do is sit, taste and decide if that wine will make it on to their list or shelf.  That is 1/20th of the work involved for the Distributor to have their employee there with open wines and, from time to time, someone like me who is associated with the winery.

Now I understand that Restaurant/Shop owners are busy people and wine reps can be like annoying insects always buzzing around looking for more business.  Try to think of them as honeybees helping you be the best at your business as opposed to mosquitos trying to suck the blood from your body.

One last HUGE pointer.  Just because you're buying wine today doesn't mean you won't be selling wine tomorrow and the wine world is very, very small and people always remember someone who was not nice.

Cheers

MW