Wine at Trader Joe's is usually a big deal. There are a number of different Trader Joe's reserve wines for sale and an aisle full of interesting (and cheap) wines was a key part of the grocery store chain's early marketing strategy. If you're just walking in to grab a bottle of something nice how do you choose? The most popular bottles are always placed toward the end but the employees are also specially trained to help you decide which wine to buy.
| Channel | Publish Date | Thumbnail & View Count | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|
 Wine On The Dime | 2018-01-22 17:30:00 |  649 Views |
Trader Joe's Reserve Brut Rose Sparkling Wine
Perhaps as part of its reputation as a "cool" grocery store Trader Joe's has a podcast called Inside Trader Joe's . In the episode "Trader Joe's Wine Wonderings" hosts Tara Miller and Matt Sloan explain the company's process for choosing wines. The selection seems to be somewhat unique for each store: The employees at each Trader Joe's personally taste each wine before deciding to stock it. They call them "tasting panels" and according to Miller "we taste every wine that's brought to our attention before we decide whether or not to stock it in stores."
If employees taste the wine to make sure it’s what they like how can you tell what customers are really interested in? According to podcast host Tara Miller the fastest-selling wines are always placed on the shelves at the end of the aisle where they’re more visible than the other wines. Employees make a point of contrasting this setup with other name-brand grocery chains where wine brands typically pay to have their products displayed. Think of the shelves as a bestseller list for the wines at Trader Joe’s.
If you still need help choosing a wine at Trader Joe's those tasting panels mean that the employees have some knowledge of the wines and are often trained to explain them in layman's terms. In the podcast guest Michael Cooney — a store manager in Santa Barbara California — says he tells employees to come prepared with simple explanations: "You don't have to describe it in great detail. You just have to say 'I like this wine.' And maybe you have two reasons why you like it. Maybe you just know it's well-balanced and goes well with whatever food you like."
