Thoughts 03 - Treasure Hunts

Have you ever noticed how you shop for wines and spirits? Have you tried defining what type of wines and spirits consumer you are?

Over the years, I have had the opportunity to interact with interesting behaviours in class and in the shops. Entering a liquor store can be an emotion-filled experience. While we do not encourage nor condone buying liquor just to get drunk, there are a considerable amount of annual sales volume contributed by that very reason. Much of it is due to the absent, and sometimes avoidance, of education opportunity. There is nothing wrong with occasional indulgence, we just feel that, with education, that experience can be so much better!

Started out as a whisky drinker, wine labels were gibberish to me until having trained with WSET. During much of my study, I frequented many liquor stores, not to buy, but to validate my learning. I would be going through the isles, picking up a bottle, and quizzing myself what I know about the regions, the style and the grape variety. It was like visiting a museum to me!

Now I look at visiting a liquor store sort of like a treasure hunt of sorts. Finding interesting brands, styles, regions, grape varieties, or the combination of the above can give me more pleasure than be. As it is an endless journey, I still have much to learn and enjoy!

There are, however, many shops with a heart-breaking amount of missed opportunities because of the inventory selection and, a lot of times, under-educated staffs. Perhaps it works with other shoppers, but it is somewhat of a torture to me when sales reps constantly quoting scores on bottles they have never tasted before. Restaurants are very much the same way, the kind of dishes, liquor offerings, and staff’s knowledge level directly influence the kind of clientele they can attract.

There’s a trend happening to become more sophisticated consumers - or connoisseurs if you will. There’s something about appreciating finer details of an art form, be it painting, music, dance, or architecture, why not for wines and spirits? Some of us believe wine and spirits are ultimate art forms that encompasses nature, science, and human emotions. Then in order to appreciate it, it shouldn’t be hard to believe that some of us devote our whole life to pursue it.