Health, Safety & the Environment

It used to be that a wine store attracted business by having a friendly and knowledgeable sales staff, an attractive store in which to shop, and a good selection of reasonably priced wine. Some of the larger wine establishments have morphed into something more. In addition to a comprehensive internet search engine, replete with wine glossary and monthly wine club subscriptions, Astor Wines & Spirits  in Manhattan has branched out to provide additional services including formal wine tastings, cooking classes, and even a “Hands-On Pizza Workshop & Walking Tour of Little Italy“, which you can join in on for a mere $175 per person. The workshop and walking tour advertisement promises that soon after participating in the event your friends will begin calling you “pizzaiolo” …..Italiano for pizza chef)!  Astor even boasts several attractive rooms on its premises which can be rented to conduct classes or private events.  Smaller wine retailers are attracting customers by offering informal wine tastings and discounts on wine tasted.  From a marketing perspective, the brick and mortar wine businesses do not want to lose business to internet wine merchants with little nor no overhead, who can offer wines at a steep discount.  Our shop, these merchants seem to be saying, should become a community or neighborhood resource, which an internet site cannot become, no matter how successful.  Buy a book, learn to cook, taste some wine and…..just maybe…..while you are here, buy a bottle of wine!