As I reflect back to Monday evening, I began to think of why I wanted to get in to this industry in the first place ... the people. It's the people who make this job so challenging and so much fun at the same time.
Take our Monday night event with famed winemaker & consultant Daniel Schuster. The man has done it all from advising Antinori to Stag's Leap to Cheval Blanc. Not to mention making some pretty amazing wines of his own (See tasting notes below).
The evening started off a bit frantic (as Monday's typically do). Most of my day is tasting wine from distributor after distributor (I know, most of you think I have it pretty rough but it is more difficult than you would imagine - I have to run the store after all).
We do see some guests throughout the day. Monday being the last day of the South African promotion we sold a bit of the SA wine (at 15% off any bottle and 20% off the cases) so I was kept busy in between inventory, ordering, tasting and set up for the DS event.
6 pm arrives and Daniel Schuster arrives as well. Like I said before ... the people make the industry fun. I have a chance to chat with Robert Noecker (amazingly knowledgeable wine guru who works at Garco Wines) and then I get to chat with Daniel Schuster.
What a man and what a mind for wine. We discuss the intricacies of each of his wines presented at our tasting as well as wines and the industry in general. Anecdote after anecdote we continue through the evening with great wine tales and descriptions of his Pinot Noir that would make some of our guests blush (fortunately, none of them were in attendance).
So, on with the people ... the crowd of guests was small (heck, I am always amazed when we see anyone but on a Monday night you never know). This time I had an idea of who might show up based on previous conversations.
Couple #1 - They had been to NZ before and amazingly enough had barrel tasted with Daniel Schuster ... so their attendance was most appreciated. They made the trek in from a bit of a distance and I certainly appreciate it. Some of our customers come from outside of KC and continue to return ... for that we are very thankful.
Couple #2 - They had also been to NZ before and were big fans of all wines from there (Fortunate for us we have a great selection for them to choose from). They are regulars in the shop and we were thrilled they got to stop by, taste, purchase and get their bottles signed by DS.
Couple #3 - The husband had stopped by earlier in the day to look around and we quickly promoted the fact that we had a world-famous winemaker and consultant coming to taste with us. I guess having DS at his only retail appearance in KC was enough for the husband to grab his wife and stop by to sample as well. Great conversation and great wine always make for a fun night!
Couple #4 - Another husband and wife who frequent the shop on Friday nights when we switch our wine tasting themes. Again, we try some wines, we chat with the master and more bottles are signed and more bottles are sold.
The night continues with various guests stopping by to sample and chat with DS throughout the evening and even though the numbers in attendance were not massive, we sold a great deal of wine (All DS wines were 10% off last night) and had a wonderful evening of friends, conversation and great wines.
The evening concluded with Bob Dylan on the sound system (DS is a huge fan), a great discussion on wine and glass of Waipara Pinot Noir to appreciate. What a whirlwind of a day at a little wine shop in South KC.
All in all, the day was made special by the people we met (and the wine we tasted). As I said in the opening it's the people that make me so proud of what we do and excited to bring you the best wines we can day after day and week after week.
I hope we get to see more of our guests at our next event ... lots of great opportunities through the end of the year (especially with our Bordeaux promo) after all it's why we are here!
Have a great week ...
Michael
