Comments on: Top ten list of things gatekeepers could do a better job of explaining to consumers

By: JP

JP — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 19:28:27 +0000

I work for one of those big distributors… and i know, we do hire a lot of fresh college students with ZERO wine knowledge. On the flip side, there a lot more retail outlets where the experienced knowledgable buyer no longer exists. in my experience, after many year of seeking wine knowledge on my own time, it’s frustrating to explain your product to a 20 year old clerk, or a middle aged clerk with a limited use of the english language. or talk to a restaurant “manager” who now picks the wine list because he’s the only server in the place who has not quit yet and knows the difference between chard, cab and merlot. but they cannot talk to you right now because the patron rep just brought him a new surfboard…. Grrrr

By: steve

steve — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 20:51:08 +0000

merlotman, couldn’t agree more. It was that way when I first got into wine writing and it’s that way now.

By: merlotman

merlotman — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 17:58:46 +0000

I concur with winesalesman, these big distributors are sending in dumb as a box of synthetic corks sales reps! Only wanting to sell cardboard and lots of it! Very little wine knowledge. No street smarts, no food pairing education, fresh out of college and Frat parties with coors light! But hey they have higher education! There was a time when a wine rep would train waitstaff or give tech/tasting notes to a buyer, now we have Cupcake wines….is there a Cupcake winery to visit?….thanks for a little venting…now on to a coors light?

By: Eric Van Drunen

Eric Van Drunen — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 22:45:04 +0000

Oh no, I certainly want it to stay, just like California Cab, but it is grossly overrepresented by gatekeepers (at least around here in San Diego, maybe that varies). The fad isn’t the varietal, it’s the heavy pushing of it by gatekeepers. New wine drinkers aren’t expanding their world by introducing Pinot to them – for some it is all they know!

By: steve

steve — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 00:34:42 +0000

Eric, you have got to be kidding!! Pinot Noir just got here, and now you want to denounce it as a fad? No, my friend, California Pinot Noir is here to stay.