Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/646485
w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m M a r - A p r 2 016 | V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T 2 1 w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m M a r - A p r 2 016 | V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T 2 1 has Passage de la Fleur and The Natural Wine Co., and Boston has Wine Bottega. MULTIPLYING QUICKLY If you've ever had the pleasure of meeting Darrell Corti or, for that matter, Kermit Lynch, you know that opinionated retailers aren't an entirely new invention. But it does seem that this new style of highly opinionated stores has multiplied and is more forceful than ever when it comes to laying out the rules of engagement. While Corti railed against high- alcohol wines, even refusing to sell wines that exceeded his hardline alcohol standards, these new ven- dors have different agendas, even if the standards they're setting are a little vague at times. Winer- ies might do well to at least read the writing on the wall, as I think Bonny Doon and Ridge have done by listing their ingredients on the label. If a winery or sales rep can't here's a new breed of retail wine shop on the rise, and it's not a model that will be equally receptive to all wine producers. More and more, opin- ionated young entrepreneurs are opening aggressively curated wine shops that focus on wines that fall into certain buzzword categories. I'm talking about so-called natural wines, wines from small produc- ers, minimal intervention wines, biodynamic and organic wines, and even wines with no added sulfites. Some of these shops even have manifestos. Apparently, it isn't just about turning a buck anymore. It has to be done in just the right way. These retailers are actively pro- moting certain sorts of wines over others, and the ownership has a strong point of view. In the past few years, Oakland alone has seen the opening of three of these arti- san wine shops with mission state- ments: Ordinaire, Bay Grape and Oakland Crush. San Francisco has Terroir and Little Vine, Brooklyn MARKET WATCH TIM TEICHGRAEBER Interior view of Oakland Crush, which offers a carefully curated selection of wines from small, sustainable producers worldwide + New boutique retailers across the country are championing natural, mini- mal intervention, sustainably produced, organic, biody- namic and sulfite-free wines. + Many of these stores have strictly edited product lists that will stop many wines at the front door. + In most cases, they envision a business in which they're actively sharing the story behind each wine and build- ing relationships with like- minded customers. + Wineries that don't or can't learn to express their prod- ucts' relevance to these new wave wine shops, either through their marketing materials or sales represen- tatives, risk being shut out. AT A GLANCE The new faces of retail wine sales come with strong opinions. Missionary Shopkeepers