Chianti Classico has a New What?

My days off to me from the retail world are very precious.  So, what did I do on my last one?  Volunteer to work a wine tasting!

This one paid me, gave me free lunch and let me taste the wines.  It should have been a way to give me a few extra dollars in my pocket if not for the train ticket and the parking ticket I received at the train station.  The day was a-wash money-wise, but I had a lot of fun.

This tasting was extra special.  The Chianti Classico Consortium, the 600 members who make the wine laws,  decided for the first time in history to introduce a new type of wine, the Chianti Classico Gran Selezione.  The wine is made exclusively from a winery's own grapes from its best vineyards.  The grapes must be aged for 30 months and also have 3 months of bottle ageing.  The Gran Selezione is comprised of 9 communes and 30 wineries debuted their new wines in New York this past week.

I was more excited by the guest list.  It comprised some of the wine world's best of the best from distributors, importers, winery owners, restaurant owners, wine publications, wine authors, wine educators and so on.  

There is a woman I have always held in high regard....that is until the tasting.  This wine author and well decorated educator with a lot of initials after her name, was a complainer.  When she checked in and saw her name tag she sighed and said, my name was spelled wrong and you have the wrong company name.  I told her it was no problem and that I would make her a new badge.  The tasting booklet was highly organized by commune, so that if you followed the tables, you could taste from north to south and the pages were exactly in order.  Except, this author couldn't figure it out.  She couldn't find one winery.  I told her where it was.  She complained.  I got the organizer because I could not leave my station.  Later, when I did the tasting, I wondered what her problem was since I had absolutely no problem tasting in order of the book and the room layout.  So, my view of her is now, not in such high regard.

One poor winery owner was getting a lot of flack from tasters.  His wine was oxidized.  When I approached the table, a taster was asking the owner to smell his glass.  He did and shrugged.  I smelled my wine, looked at the other taster and said that is was oxidized.  He agreed and said that was what he was trying to tell the owner.  Later on, I saw the winery owner with bottles in one hand and luggage in the other, storm out of the room before the tasting was over.  Hey, if your wine is not showing well, don't serve it!

Out of 30 wines, the ones to watch are 

1) Fotodi

2) Gabbiano

3) Fattoria Viticcio

These wines from the Chianti Classico Gran Selezione are not yet available for purchase, but they will change your mind on how you view Chianti's.  Keep your eyes out for them!

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My First Wine Gift at Work

 

Over the years, I have watched my colleagues be rewarded by customers with gifts.  The beer guys always received items like cigars, growler glasses, beers you can't get locally, etc.  The liquor guys received bourbon, ties, scotches, etc.  

The wine people?  We get shafted.  I can't say I've received nothing.  I have received cash tips from a few customers in my early years in the wine business, but it was mostly from hosting their dinner or event.  I had one customer who gave  me a really nice cash gift for Christmas years ago and I had a customer who gave me a bracelet off her wrist after I gave her some top-notch customer service and I remarked how pretty he bracelets were.  It was like a $2 hand-made beaded bracelet, but I wear it frequently and cherish it.  But, no customer had ever walked into the store with a gift specifically for me.  

Until yesterday.  It's weird how much high-end wines I deal with.  I've always imagined that after I delivered one of my guy his wine wroth $120,000 that he wold reach down and grab a bottle worth $200 and say, "Thanks.  This is for you."  But, that's never happened except in my delusions.

Yesterday a customer came in to pick-up a special order.  He wanted  a Cabernet about $12 that I ordered just for him that he had at a local wine bar.  His wife told him before he got there, to give me a bottle to try.  Appreciated?  Elated!  He purposely came in with an agenda to do something nice for me.  And, he will go down in history as the first customer to ever give me a bottle of wine from his personal stash.

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