Wine Shop Shelf-talkers: Do they influence your purchase?
March 11, 2008 by michael
A “shelf-talker” is a written or pictoral descriptor designed to describe a wine which is placed on the wine rack near the wine it describes. The content on shelf-talkers range from a few words describing flavors in the wine or specific numerical ratings, all the way to details about the producer and in depth tasting notes made by a wine critic, the shop owner or staff. I’ve even seen images of a brain inside of a prohibited circle (such as the no smoking sign) - these wine purchases are a “no-brainer!” However they hang, shelf-talkers are meant to be helpful to us consumers by giving us information about wines we are going to spend $10-$100 on so we know what we’re getting ourselves into. Nothing spells letdown more than buying a $40 bottle of wine and finding it unpalatable!
As I’ve stressed many times before, the only opinion on a wine that matters is yours. Regardless of what Robert Parker, James Suckling, the sommelier at your favorite restaurant or I have to say about a wine if you don’t like it, don’t drink it. That said, it’s impossible to taste every wine before you buy it, so these sources of information on wines are quite helpful if you understand their wine preferences and experiences.
In my opinion, the best wine shelf talkers are written by shop owners of small to medium sized shops. The reason being two-fold. First, from my experience these are the types of shops that only carry wines that the owner has tasted and feels are going to be well received by his or her customers. Second, you can calibrate your palate to theirs with a little legwork. To do this, simply find wines on the shelves that you’ve had before and see what tasting notes are written about the wine. How do they compare with what you thought about the wine?
Still, there is no better substitute to talking to people in the shop that has tried the wine. Find out what they liked or didn’t like. Ask questions about fruit profile, acidity, tannins, what foods the wine would go with. The people working in the shops are likely there because they have a passion for wine and love to share it with people. They have most likely tasted all the wines on the shelves making them an ideal person to go to for advice. Be sure to ask them their tastes, so you have an idea where their recommendations are coming from.
For me, shelf-talkers have been helpful from time to time, but I rarely use them. If you are going to put stake into how they describe a wine, keep these things in mind:
- Be weary of shelf talkers that give numerical ratings without a reference to who rated it.
- It’s far too common to see shelf-talkers that use ratings by professional critics but are describing wines of previous vintages. Often, one vintage will score a 92, while the next will be a bad year and score an 80. It’s important to know which wine that score represents. This vintage misrepresentation is far too common of a practice and is very misleading and immoral.
- Shelf-talkers printed out by the winery or distributor may be a huge conflict of interest. Tasting notes are OK, but a rating by either of these sources on their own wines just isn’t right! How can one be completely objective when they have a direct financial commitment to the product?
Do wine shelf-talkers influence your purchase? If so, to what extent? If not, what other resources do you use when in the wine shop and looking for something new to try?
Hmmm, when I was a novice wine drinker I relied on what others told me, like shelf-talkers to influence my decision. As I came into understanding wine I no longer use them. I use experience with that winery and what others who have “tasted” the wine influence me. Overall, tasting wine is so subjective, you have to have someone who’s palate you trust help you in your decision making. And I lot of times I am willing to give the wine a chance based on the label alone.
Good points. In addition, there was a piece in the Post a while back that some meaningful percentage of shelf talkers are wrong, either having the wrong vintage or sometimes quoting the review on the wrong wine.
funny you should mention the “no brainers!” on our last trip to wine source aubrey and i were discussing if we should trust the “no brainer” sign when deciding on which bottle to choose from the non-champagne French sparkling section.
When we saw the “no brainer” sign next to a cava we know we don’t like, we questioned whose brain exactly this decision is so simple for. certainly it would be best if the signs were “no (donna) brainers” or “no (aubrey) brainers”, but perhaps the best we can do is become more familiar, as noble pig suggests, with producers we enjoy and judge for ourselves what to trust.
in the end i left the “no brainer” label behind and picked up a bottle aubrey suggested. knowing we have similar tastes, this seemed like the “no brainer.”
Donna: that’s where I saw the “no brainer” as well! We’ve tried two this way so far: one was a hit, the other one a BIG miss! And Aubrey is a great resource as she does have good taste in wine…but what if she’s not around?
Mo: That article in the Post is very good and the point I was getting at. It really is a big problem, especially at the bigger shops where a lot of this goes unnoticed.
Cathy: The question is, what would you pair with that delicious Filo Tomato Tart recipe you have on your site today? I’m thinking Barbaresco
when she’s not there with me, i either stick to my favorites, or i consult my handy dandy, “mike-likes” list in my wallet. i generally try to stick to those, since there are so many you have raved about that i haven’t tried yet!
Donna: I should also mention that you have outstanding taste in wines! I still have to try that ‘06 Orleans Hills Viognier you recommended a while back.
Which begs the question- when are we scheduled to drink wine again? My fault last week…but it’s a new week
aww gee, you are too kind! thursday evening? im guilty too, until i get that futon together (waiting on parts) im not going to be so pushy about inviting you guys to come see the new place. why don’t i meander up the road to see you guys and the dogs, if thurs works for you n kim.
I like the signs when they are written by the owners of a wine shop. They aren’t always right on in my opinion, but I find they can lead me in the right direction - which is very helpful if I’m looking for a certain style (or more commonly, trying to avoid a certain style). I also appreciate the ones that are obviously placed there by distributors - but purely for entertainment purposes. They really are often describing a bottle from a different year and not the bottle sitting in front of the flattering little card. They don’t lie, it is very clear which year the rating comes from, but that bottle is not in the store. If it is there, it will be located a short distance away with a different price tag.
They are always influential or they would not be used. Subjective as wine tasting is they are not effective unless you have a similar palate as the writer. I have always found it better to chart your own course by experience.
[...] michael wrote a fantastic post today on “Wine Shop Shelf-talkers: Do they influence your purchase?”Here’s ONLY a quick extractA “shelf-talker” is a written or pictoral descriptor designed to describe a wine which is placed on the wine rack near the wine it describes. The content on shelf-talkers range from a few words describing flavors in the wine or specific … [...]
All great comments everyone. I think in the end, we all agree that it comes down to knowing your palate and understanding the palate of the person writing the shelf-talker.
…I have to agree with all of the above. What works for me is attending wine tastings at local wine shops and building relationships with the staff. If I stop by and they are not having a tasting they can recommend something that is close to what I have tried and puchase before…
As a manager of a Pennsylvania State Liquor Store I find shelf talkers to be very helpful with assisting customers with their purchases. As many of you know,the sale of wine and spirits is still under government control here in the Keystone State. We are not permitted to open up a bottle and have a taste for any prospective customer or for the education of the store staff for that matter. It makes it tough then to make a sale or explain to the customer what most of the wines taste like or in what kind of style it has been crafted. In addition, the stores are understaffed as a general rule in order to save money which leaves little time to engage in dialogue with the customers and begin to develop positive retaler/customer relationships. The shelf talkers do help and the customers seem to find them valuable. I am a wine lover but I am unable try and sample everything of course. I would not be able to pay my telephone bill and purchase groceries if I spent my paycheck sampling all of the wines in stock. The information from the various magazines and internet sources are a help indeed. Please consider yourselves fortunate that at least you don`t have to put up Pennsylvania`s archaic liquor store system.
Hi Winerunr, thanks for the great comment.
I was aware that Pennsylvania state wine laws were absurd, but I didn’t know that you weren’t permitted to taste your own stock! Are wine sales reps even permitted to pour for you so you can base your stock on wines you feel will do well?
In your case, I definitely agree that shelf-talkers are beneficial for both the store, and the consumer. It’s pretty sad that as a shop owner, you can’t open a few bottles every now and then to have a tasting with your staff! Can you at least buy it wholesale for personal consumption?
The only way that I can taste anything in the store is if I purchase it myself and consume it at home on my own time. Sales reps are not permitted to bring in items for any store employees to taste. Recently, the LCB has allowed sales reps to pour samplings for only the customers and only at certain high profile stores where there is an established market for the lovers of better quality wine. High income areas where the samplings are more likely to spur sales of the items rather than the mediocre box and jug wines that most stores are required to stock. There are no discounts in Pennsylvania for the employess as well as customers! Years ago there was a 10% discount for retail customers who bought a six or twelve bottle case but even that was eliminated by the people in charge at the time. The bars, taverns and restaurants DO receive a discount on their purchases. Just to clear, I am not the owner of the shop. The government of Pennsylvania is the owner and operator of the 600+ stores in the state. I am merely a humble government employee who must suffer with a multitude of inane and antiquainted restrictions here in the twenty first century.