Using the axiom that ‘knowledge is power’ I thought it might be interesting to explore wine purchasing strategies. Over the next few months, I’ll be publishing a series on tips for buying wine in various retail settings including grocery stores, Total Wine, Costco and online. The one caveat that remains operative during any conversation on purchasing wine is that no one should tell you what to buy. While I encourage people to occasionally venture out of their comfort zone, it’s not my role to tell anyone how much they should spend or what wine they should be drinking.
Tucson’s wine goliath is indisputably the corporate retailer: Total Wine and More. The company is the largest family-owned wine retailer in the United States and got its start in 1991 when brothers David and Robert Trone opened a small store in Delaware. Today, they operate 219 superstores across 27 states, including eleven in Arizona, with two here in Tucson. The typical Total Wine store carries approximately 8,000 different wines from around the world as well as 2,500 beers and more than 3,000 different spirits. Their corporate culture has customer service as its focus and has developed specialized training programs to educate their employees on the products they carry. Due to the company’s size, they can leverage their buying power, as well as their ability to develop advantageous business relationships with producers and wholesalers to keep prices down.
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With a selection as large as Total Wine, it can be an intimidating experience for the occasional wine and spirits buyer. As you walk through the door you are greeted with numerous rows of shelves containing countless bottles. That being said, there are simple ‘rules of the road’ that once understood, can simplify your shopping.
The first and most basic is the store layout. Most Total Wine Stores have an easy-to-understand floor plan. Domestic wines are separated by varietal and sorted in alphabetical order. Imported wines are first grouped by country, then if the inventory requires it, by region. Domestic and imported Rosé are grouped together in one aisle and all sparkling wines are arranged in one or two aisles and sorted by type; Prosecco, Cava, Champagne, etc. The prestige level ($$$) wines are stored together in a cooler in the front of the store. There are always some exceptions to this layout, but if you’re looking for a specific wine, the company’s website will not only show you if it is in stock in a given store, but the aisle in which the product is located. Once in the store, a sales associate can easily direct you to the location of a wine type or specific bottle.
The next shopping principle is somewhat less evident and involves the three tiers in which all wines will fall. The first is the ‘Winery Direct’ wines. This classification comprises well over 50 percent of the store’s wine inventory. These wines are made by mid-sized producers and purchased through special contracts with national wholesalers/distributors. Additionally, Winery Direct products include Total Wine’s private Label wines (see November’s article) and wines brought into the US via the company’s exclusive importer; Alfio Moriconi. These contracts reduce the cost of the wines, and a portion of the savings is passed on to the consumer. That said, the profit margin for Winery Direct wines is greater than the other tiers. Winery Direct Wines will be featured prominently in the stores, occupying most of the end caps, as well as stores liberal use of “shelf talkers”: small, printed advertisements under the bottles that usually include wine descriptions, recommendations from store employees and other marketing inducements.
The second tier wines are known as ‘Preferred Partner Wines’. This category is not mentioned in the store or in their advertisements. Basically, these are products in which Total Wine has negotiated a special wholesale pricing for a limited time, thereby increasing their profit margin.
The final tier wines are known as “National Brands”. These wines often come from larger producers and while Total Wine may receive a volume discount on their wholesale purchases of these wines, they bring the smallest profit to the corporation and are often excluded from sales and special promotions.
How these tiers come into play for the consumer involves ‘limited time specials’, ‘mix six’ discounts and recommendations received from the wine associates in the store. Typically, ‘national brand’ wines will be excluded from the ever-revolving series of discounts as well as the ‘mix six’ promotions. ‘Winery Direct’ wines receive the lion share of special pricing, since the profit margin is greater the company has more leeway in lowering retail prices.
A significant aspect, well worth bearing in mind when shopping, is that when asking for advice or recommendations from a store employee they will almost always point you to their Winery Direct products. This is a standard company practice and often times is done to increase the sales volume on certain wines, stores will run employee incentive programs encouraging associates to recommend particular products. Because associates focus only on Winery Direct products, customers may miss out on some wonderful bottles that populate the store’s shelves. And while there are a number of well-made Winery Direct wines that have high quality to price ratios, conducting your own research independent of Total Wine’s website and in-store assistance prior to selecting wines is often your best bet.
Total Wine & More has reasonable prices and a huge selection. By signing up for their ‘& More Rewards’ program customers receive emails and print mailings on the frequent promotions run by the company. Two other opportunities presented by the company are wine education classes, often offered on site, and for the discerning consumer; the Concierge Sales Department offers special discounts on limited availability, high end and collector’s grade bottles. For Bordeaux fans the ‘En Primeur’ program, run through this department is a great way to reserve Bordeaux futures. Again, with these programs I encourage you to do your own research first.
It is a rare SaddleBrooke wine consumer that has never set foot in the Total Wine & More store on Oracle Road. The store offers a great selection and very competitive prices. That said, it’s best to do a little homework prior to your visit so you can consider all of the wines that the store offers.
