Wine sellers let customers sample merchandise first

By Elaine Rose, Published Feb 12 2012

In the last few years, several southern New Jersey liquor stores have begun allowing people to try wine before they buy. And that goes for beer and whiskey as well.

Anthony and Erin Foursha, of Marlton, sipped wine poured by the Enomatic dispenser at the Vintage Wine Boutique in the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa.

"You don't have to drink the house wine in the casino," Anthony Foursha said. "You can come in and drink your favorite here."

That was a kind of test drive for the wine, Foursha said, before the couple purchased a couple of bottles to accompany their dinner.

Trevor Dunn, of Glenolden, Pa., manager of Vintage Wine, demonstrated how the system works. It has been in the shop since it opened in July.

Customers purchase a prepaid card and are given a glass, Dunn said. They can then swipe the card in the machines - one at room temperature for red wines and a chilled unit for whites - and order a 1-, 3- or 5-ounce pour of one of about 30 wines. The machine dispenses the wine and deducts from the card the cost, which ranges from $2 to $38.

Some customers like to sample wines before they commit to buying a bottle, and others pour themselves a glass and enjoy it at a table set up for that purpose, Dunn said.

"We want people to sip before they shop," said Anjoleena Griffin-Holst, wine director for the Borgata. "We want to help them develop their preferences."

The shop tries to keep the machine stocked with a mix of familiar wines, those sold in the hotel's restaurants and new varieties, Griffin-Holst said.

Kathy and Mike McCaffery, of Philadelphia, got 1-ounce samples. They said they would take another taste, and might come back after dinner to buy a bottle to take home.

"As long as the card spits it out, we're in," Mike McCaffery said.

Canal's Discount Liquors in Hamilton Township also has an Enomatic system, said general manager Marty Maglio. Store owners bought the system about a decade ago after seeing it on a wine tour in Italy.

"Our clientele loves it, because it's a way for them to try a bottle without having to spend money for the whole thing," Maglio said. "Especially today, people don't want to spend money for something they're not going to like."

Small tastes cost as little as $1, and the store rotates at least eight new selections through the machine each week, Maglio said.

Canal's also hosts tastings Friday evenings and Saturday afternoons, and they are free, Maglio said. Managers look through the inventory for what customers might want to sample, or sometimes choose a new product to get reaction from the public before stocking it on the shelves. Occasionally vendors come in to discuss their products with the public.

But not all tastings are poured by machine.

Passion Vines Wine Bar & Spirits, in Somers Point, has a wooden bar surrounded by shelves full of bottles. Complimentary cheese and crackers sit on one corner.

People can buy "flights" of three 2-ounce glasses of wine for $5 to $8 to decide what to take home, owner Michael Bray said. They can do the same for the eight craft beers on tap. The bartender will give a free sip for those who want just a taste.

The store has been doing tasting for seven years, Bray said. Some customers come in for a quick taste to decide on a bottle of wine to bring to dinner, and others order a flight or a glass and stay a while. Many of the latter leave with a bottle or two.

"It has become what we're known for, and it's part of the educational component," Bray said.

Bray said he is serious about wine, especially organic and sustainably grown varieties.

The Egg Harbor Township branch has a different type of liquor license, but also allows tastings, Bray said.

"Most people come in to Somers Point and say, 'Oh my God, I've never seen a place like this,'" Bray said.

Gourmet Liquors in Galloway Township does microbrew beer sampling on Wednesday nights, wines on Thursday nights, and sometimes hosts distributors on Fridays, said manager Mike Warriner. They set up a table and a cheese tray and allow people to try the featured product. The store began doing the tastings last year.

The idea is to give people a chance to try "something they wouldn't walk into the store and buy on a whim," Warriner said.

The tastings help with sales, especially if the product is good, Warriner said.

The store recently did a tasting of a blended wine, something that's becoming more popular, "and that ended up doing really well for us," Warriner said.

Contact Elaine Rose:

609-272-7217

ERose@pressofac.com