Cheers

T:2.25" www.cheersonline.com SIX QUESTION TO ASK YOUR WINE SALES REP There's nothing worse than buying wines and then finding them stacked like cordwood at the store for not much more than you paid for your bottle. It's hard to sell wine for $6.99 a glass if it costs $9.99 a bottle at the local grocery, liquor, or Big Box store. Here are a few questions to ask your sales rep to ensure you're getting a unique wine and a good price. LET IT BREATHE. Capacity 48-1/4 oz. Is this a restaurant-only brand? Which other restaurants (or stores) are carrying this wine in my neighborhood? Is there better pricing for a by-thewine program? Height: 19-7/8" What type of sales support do you or the winery offer? Are there trade tools such as table tents, corkscrews, dummy bottles, posters, etc. available? The most important item is maintaining the freshness of the opened wine for as long as you can. Once you pull that cork, or twist that cap, the clock starts ticking. Nothing will kill the best program in the world more than the customer getting oxidized wine. Your basic rule of thumb on how long an opened wine lasts is one to two days with the cork put back in, and six to seven days with a vac-u-vin type device. Invest in one of these or something similar, and maintain a log on usage/date as a quick reference. This is a great low-tech tool to help track fast and slow movers and analyze to success of the program. Tom Geoghegan is a 30+ year industry veteran, with extensive experience in the on and off-premise trade segment, and on the wholesaler side of the distribution network. Eve Decanter Will you do a staff training session for my waitstaff? 750 ccm 26-1/2 oz It's unique, it's functional, it's exquisitely handmade for young reds and whites. And yes, it's a decanter. Available online at riedelop.com. T:10" 4) Price it right. Speaking of pricing, the goal is to try to hit the perfect balance of the price/value relationship. Again, your rep can help with special seasonal pricing, vintage changes—they sometimes offer better pricing to move the last of the previous vintage out. And if a deal on closeout items seems too good to be true, ask for a sample bottle to try. The accepted norm in pricing seems to be to pay for the bottle with the first glass of wine you sell, but you should tailor your pricing to your market. It's generally important to stay competitive on price—a few points shaved on your mark-up can pay huge dividends in the long run. 5) Invest in staff training. All your due diligence will be wasted if your employees aren't motivated to sell your wines by the glass. Information is king, so make sure your waitstaff is armed with facts and details to effectively and confidently market the product. Wine industry publications and the wineries' websites are good sources for information. And don't forget staff seminars with your distributor rep—get them as invested as they should be in your program's success. 6) Preserve your investment. Make sure you have adequate, cool, and logically organized storage space. Your storage goal temperature-wise should be about 59 degrees or less for the red, and 39 degrees or less for the whites. The key is avoiding huge spikes in temperature. Metro shelving that is specific to wine storage (laying bottles on their side, not upright) is usually readily available from your local restaurant supply house. I've also had success with scratch-anddent wine cooler units from stores such as Home Depot. As your program progresses, check with the wine accessory companies on larger units. Inspect your wine deliveries as they come into your operation, especially during the warmer months. Open a case if you're concerned—a white wine that is warm to the touch is not a good thing, same thing for a red wine that has bled thru the cork or capsule.

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