Posting reviews on wine retail sites, part 2
As a follow up to last week’s poll, which was met with overwhelming apathy, we thought we’d pose our question about reviewing wines on web retail sites in a slightly different manner. If it were really easy to do so, do you think you’d post more reviews on domaine547, or other retailer websites for that matter (like, if you didn’t have to sign in, if you could click a few stars like you do on Netflix, or something of that nature)
Please pipe in with your response to this poll!
Loading …We’re not sure what the impediment to posting reviews is. There was overwhelming response to our poll on what you use to guide your wine purchases, with Cellartracker coming in a strong 3rd with 12% of the vote. That leads us to believe that many of you probably enter notes into Cellartracker (see the article in Good Wine Under $20 from just yesterday), in addition to reading notes posted by other Cellatracker users — so we know you’re willing to write notes in a community context.
We think it probably comes down to a couple of things: the lack of ease of use, and perhaps lack of critical mass on retail sites. We’re going to try and work on a way to remedy this…someday!
20 Responses to “Posting reviews on wine retail sites, part 2”
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get your wine on
2008 “Bebame” Red, El Dorado County, California
Cabernet Franc (65%) and Gamay (35%) from - gasp - California! And only 13% ABV, pretty modest by California standards. If I tasted this blind I would probably have said it’s from the Loire Valley. It has pretty much nothing in common with the full bodied iterations of Cab Franc coming out of Napa. Juicy, light, delicious quaffing wine.$18 a bottle
2006 Telegramme Chateauneuf-du-Pape Rouge
Really balanced and smooth, this is a bargain of a Chateauneuf. Yeah, the 07s are lauded but what would I prefer to drink? This! It’s the second label of Vieux Telegraphe, from the same property but from younger vines. And it’s a deal at $33 a bottle.2006 or bust!
NV Barcino Cava: LA Times Wine of the Week!
Delicious and just in time for New Year’s Eve…this is the LA Times Wine of the Week, and we have plenty in stock. Order online, pick-up in-store!$14 a bottle!
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freshly pressed
The Business of Saying No:
No, I am not a natural wine merchant.
And no, I am also not not a natural wine merchant.
So what exactly is my store, Domaine LA? This is a tricky question that I try to answer here.
________
A couple of months back, I participated in the first annual Los Angeles Natural Wine Week, spearheaded by Lou Amdur of Lou Wine Bar. At that time, I took some heat from a few folks around the Internet who felt I might have been merely capitalizing on a trend and didn’t see me as a true natural wine merchant.
The thing is, I’ve never claimed to be a natural wine merchant. When I started my business online a few years ago, I stated plainly that I wanted to sell wines I loved. I was an enthusiast with a fairly receptive, wide-ranging palate, and I considered learning about wine a journey I would be going on alongside my customers. While I’ve since expanded my business to include a brick and mortar space, my self-conception and mission statement haven’t really changed. But my palate has.
To be absolutely blunt about it, I used to love wines that I simply can’t stomach anymore. There are blog posts archived on my website that in retrospect make me cringe, paragraphs singing the praises of some of the most blatantly manipulated wines in the world. I once criticized a wine bar for not having any Southern Hemisphere selections; it’s now my favorite spot in Los Angeles. And today I carry barely a dozen Southern Hemisphere SKUs myself.
By and large, my palate-shift is reflected in what I bring into the store. Chris Ringland and Mollydooker have been replaced by Eric Texier and Thierry Puzelat; the California fruit- and alcohol-bombs, for the most part, have given way to wines from La Clarine Farm, Donkey and Goat and LIOCO.
As a result of my largely obscure inventory, almost every day I’m faced with customers asking for items that I don’t stock. On a regular basis, I hear:
“Do you have Rombauer Chardonnay?”
No, I answer.
“Do you have Caymus?”
Afraid not, I reply.
“What about Blackstone Merlot?”
So sorry, but no.
“Where’s the Veuve Clicquot? This is a gift. I need the recipient to know it’s nice!”
Sigh.
Saying no to people sets up a potentially risky relationship that may start and end with that one exchange—many customers want what they want and aren’t open to alternative suggestions. In other cases, however, that simple “no” can be the beginning of something beautiful, a dialogue that winds up with a customer who came in looking for the Prisoner instead going home with something like Morgan Twain-Peterson’s Bedrock Heirloom Red, a wine which, while perhaps not 100% natural, is a more honest “made in the vineyard” (yes, I know this is also a cliché) version of what the Prisoner purports to be.
Of course, sometimes that customer really just wants the Prisoner. Which leads me to my major confession here: despite more than a bit of ambivalence, I continue to sell the Prisoner, along with other wines that are by no means natural, wines that are quite frankly manufactured. The Prisoner sits on the shelf right next to the Bedrock Heirloom Red, and for the time being, it will stay there. At least twice a week people come in asking specifically for this wine, and, for several reasons, it’s a request I’m not—yet—willing to deny.
Even though I no longer drink the Prisoner, there was a time–not too long ago–when I did so happily. When I first started getting interested in wine, it was a bottle that captured my imagination and helped launch me on the journey I remain committed to today. So maybe I keep the Prisoner around out of a sense of nostalgia. Or maybe I keep it around to remind me how far I’ve come. Maybe I keep it around hoping that for those who ask for it, it will simply be their starting place just as it was mine.
Or, more cynically, maybe I keep it around because people buy it. Maybe it’s a crutch to lean on when I’m too tired to hand-sell the less familiar items on my shelves. Seeing something recognizable is comforting to consumers, and that comfort somehow lends me credibility; credibility is a precedent to trust. Trust is what enables me to recommend something different to a customer who normally drinks the Prisoner.
In this sense, the Prisoner is of great value to me, not just as an easy sell, but even more so as a gateway to all the other wines I have available. I don’t know that I’d be able to move as much of the Bedrock, an unknown wine with a tiny case production, without the Prisoner right next to it.
______
Saying no is extremely hard. Right now, I’m willing to do so 90% of the time, maybe even 95%. Call me a coward or a fake if you want. But I know where I started out, and it’s been a logical evolution. And while I’m headed in a particular direction, guided by my palate, it’s safe to assume I won’t ever be a 100% “natural wine merchant.”
I like to think there’s room for somebody like me—somebody with confidence in her tastes, who also takes into account modes of production in buying decisions; someone who has a particular point of view, yet retains an inclusive attitude. I am strong in my opinions, and enthusiastic in my passions. I never judge my customers, and hope that they’ll be as open-minded and respectful of my offerings as I am of their preferences.
So far, it seems to be working out. In recent months, I’ve brought in only one case of the Prisoner (less than a thousandth of a percent of its total production) for every three cases of the Bedrock (1.3% of its total production).
So, what am I?
I’m not a natural wine merchant. And I’m not not a natural wine merchant.
I’m a work in progress. And I’m okay with that.
The Business of Saying No
Los Angeles Natural Wine Week: Taste California Terroir on 5/15/2010 at Heath Ceramics
Meet the Reps: Amy Atwood
wine jargon
Frizzante
From Wikipedia: Frizzante is an Italian wine term term for semi-sparkling wine (as opposed to Spumante, which is generally used for fully sparkling wines). Frizzante wines generally owe their bubbles to a partial secondary fermentation in tank. You might notice a light fizz or tingly sensation on the tongue with a Frizzante wine, compared to the more carbonated sensation that more fully sparkling wines yield.
Scorekage
Okay, so we made up this word yesterday after a great restaurant experience. We brought a bottle of wine with us, expecting to pay a corkage fee. But the restaurant either forgot to charge us the $15, or decided to be nice to us. We scored! Hence, “scorekage” has entered our lexicon. This can also refer to BYO friendly restaurants that don’t charge for corkage under any circumstances.
grapewise
DomaineLA Store Contact Info
If you’re looking for our brick and mortar shop, here’s where it can be found:
(323) 932-0280
Hours are 11AM to 8PM, Monday through Saturday and noon to 5PM on Sundays.
Read more…Fabulous & Frugal!
Our friends launched a new site and domaine547 is a featured wine columnist in their premiere edition! Go check out Fabulous & Frugal for some fantastic lifestyle tips for living the good life during what, for most of us, is an economically challenging time. There’s much more than wine there, and we’re thrilled to be a small part of the start of what will surely be a successful venture. Congrats to Brandi & Steph for their achievement!
DomaineLA Store Contact Info
Fabulous & Frugal!
domaine547 In the Blogosphere! Imbibe Magazine Unfiltered
May 14th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
I don’t know why, exactly, but I don’t ever trust reviews on retails sites. Take Amazon, for example. Half of the reviews are written by yahoos who can’t/don’t give a fair asessment. I don’t leave reviews either because, truthfully, I can’t be bothered. I have enough trouble finding time to write about wines for my blog. I have to say I’d feel the same about customer-given wine reviews on a wine retail site, though I guess if it were something I was really passionate about, one way or the other, I would consider writing about it.
May 21st, 2008 at 2:18 pm
The issue for me is not simplicity but bravery…I barely feel comfortable writing about art/design, about which I maintain a blog…writing about wine is daunting when you’re not a pro! Maybe some sort of prompt in the review process…suggested words/phrases, simple questions guiding me through the process…hmm.
May 23rd, 2008 at 11:22 am
Our site is, of course, built around the concept of a Netflix-like review system for wines in order to generate wine recommendations.
Our crude polling of users show that the more experienced a wine drinker they are, the somewhat less likely they are to return multiple times to rate wines on such a simple scale. Conversely, our less experienced users have commented that it is to intimidating to make written comments.
July 19th, 2008 at 9:38 am
[img]http://www.hairstylestop.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/lipstick0.jpg[/img]
Lindsay Price is seen here in between takes on the set of Lipstick Jungle on location in New York City. Lindsay plays the role of an up and coming, albeit struggling, fashion designer in New York City, and she always seems to have style and wardrobe that is iconic to the struggling designer quirky yet trendy. She is playing up this quirkiness with a look that is very reminiscent of Carrie Bradshaw s flower year in Sex and the City and Lindsay has had her hair styles in a mess of curls and festooned with a bright flower. The curls in this look are achieved with small sized rollers, and then finished with a very narrow curling iron. You will want to ensure that you have a healthy amount of mousse or curling serum in your hair before you attempt this look. Keep your rollers in for at least 30 minutes, and remember to use your smallest sizes if you want curls as tight as Lindsay. When you take your rollers out, create a side part, and finger comb out your curls. Clip a barette or pretty flower to the side f
or a fun and flirty summer look. If you need to neaten up your curls at all, do so with the narrow curling iron to freshen up your bouncy curls.
Welcome to the Hairstyles Top. Here you will find the latest top hair style pictures, and advice for new hairstyles: medium hairstyles, layered hairstyles, prom hairstyles, sedu hairstyles, etc. Lots of celebrity haircuts.
July 21st, 2008 at 1:54 pm
up
foto and video sex
December 10th, 2008 at 5:18 am
Thanks! gut text
February 5th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
I think the girl’s name is Cinderella, but i haven’t found any info about her.
She either might have changed her name or she is out of the biz.
This clip is worth the download.
If you like skinny girls…this is the one!
Enjoy……
link: http://depositfiles.com/en/files/0q1liua5f
February 6th, 2009 at 2:00 pm
Hello, it’s a job offer. (Sorry if I post it in wrong place)
Cyprus company is seeking a Campaign Executive to assist with fundraising, presentations, various administrative and sales management duties. If you have fundraising and sales experience, plus intermediate computer knowledge, this job is for you! Apply with us today!
All applicants applying for U.S. job openings must be authorized to work in the United States. All applicants applying for European job openings must be authorized to work in European Union.
We are growing advertising and consulting company offering job opportunities ranging from executive and administrative assistants to customer service representatives, receptionists and general support.
NOTICE: we do not provide relocation, this position is online based, we are using progressive online administrative system. You will have to use a special online training program for free.
Requirements and skills:
1. Higher Education/College
2. 1 + Sales/Management (desired but optional)
3. Strong communicative skills
4. Must have MS Office installed (MS Word)
5. Must have citizenship or Work Permit
6. Adult age
Education and Experience:
1. Internet/MS Office/Outlook
2. Sales/Management/Marketing courses (desired)
Hours:
Mon-Fri; 9:30am - 12:30pm
Apply for this job now or contact our online branch support for additional information:
CV to e-mail partner@mygogreens.com
March 4th, 2009 at 10:36 pm
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madafakerimpresarionte
March 10th, 2009 at 9:29 am
Never underestimate the power of the internet. An increasing number of people use the internet
to search for a business or service so having a web presence is an important media for promoting
your company. Web design is a real skill and if your website is to not only look good but work well,
it should be constructed by a professional web designer.
If you are interested, you can contact me: hqwebdesign (AT) gmail (DOT) com
April 3rd, 2009 at 11:47 pm
Mega Millions, Powerball, Lotto 6/49, Super 7, Euro million, New York Lotto - Be the Next Jackpot Winner With The Only Online Service That Enables You To Purchase Official Lottery Tickets From Around The World.
April 5th, 2009 at 3:25 am
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April 13th, 2009 at 11:22 am
Hi friends,
Please share which computer you used for the very first time…
Mine was compaq presario 2230… the black one…
April 14th, 2009 at 10:11 am
Hi friends,
Please share which mobile you used for the very first time…
Mine was Nokia 2130… the black one…
June 5th, 2009 at 4:08 am
I found the best thing to my sister’s birthday… It’s really hard to find cool and still unique.
So today I saw this thing from ZTARLET on facebook where you can name a real star in the sky and have the certificate and a teddy bear sent to you and pay it by a single SMS. So awesome
June 11th, 2009 at 8:59 am
Hi,
What are the best dedicated server web hosting company?
I’m want to build a web site for my boss.
Thank you,
-Jen
June 21st, 2009 at 10:27 am
I saw that Casey Fronczek is offering fishing trips now down in south Florida. Does anybody have any input on these trips or has anyone been on one of these trips before?
July 7th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
http://extjs.com/forum/member.php?u=79374 guitar lessons
STEFWALSWOOFE
October 14th, 2009 at 4:36 pm
Скучновато становится в мире блогов, даже полгода назад все было намного интереснее, интригующе что-ли : То ли дело сейчас, все тихо и спокойной, даже как-то не интересно становится тасоваться среди своих же. Может после нового года попустит? Как думаете?
March 9th, 2010 at 10:27 am
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