It was a cold and rainy day, so business was slow. I worked the shop by myself, and the first two hours after opening, I did bookkeeping, with no customers stopping in. But then one of our wine distributor reps stopped in with a delivery for me, and we discussed my ideas for wine classes. I was encouraged by his level of enthusiasm for the classes. My plan is to offer a Blind Tasting group on Tuesday nights, which will be aimed at folks who work at the wineries in our area, as well as locals who just want to improve their tasting skills. The rep was able to think of several people, including himself, who would be excited about this idea. In addition, I’ll pull together a weekly wine class to talk about different topics and help those who are wine enthusiasts, learn just a bit more. I haven’t decided which night I’ll host this class. but I’m leaning towards Sunday or Thursday. If you’re in the area and interested in the class, let me know your thoughts. While the rep was listening to my brainstorming, my favorite rep from one of our local wineries stopped in to deliver a case, and he jumped in on the conversation. I’m so excited and will have the plan put together and will start it up in February.
As the day continued, I met two lovely gals who have been friends since college and met up in Fredericksburg to catch up for the weekend. They were so sweet and enjoyed their wine flights while they shared stories. I hope they will stop back by while they are in town! Then, three ladies came in – a mother and her daughters, who were celebrating the youngest’s 40th birthday. I talked about their flight, but I don’t think they really wanted the information, and They listened patiently. And they listened more as I talked about the history of the building. After suggesting some great dinner locations, they left happy and I felt I had helped. Just when I was ready to close for the evening, a cute couple from Houston stopped in. They had spent the morning as volunteers bottling whiskey at Garrison Brothers and were having a great day. I was so pleased to suggest a Cotes de Rhone, which they had never had, and that he loved. While they were sipping their wines, and I was washing wine glasses, we got to talking. We discussed how I came up with the idea for the shop, and what I did before. They told me about their family, and we talked about parenting philosophies – even though my philosophy includes not having kids. Of course, we talked about wine, and the wine classes I’m planning. But truly, it was more fun just talking with two nice people who I’ve met for the first time. While today wasn’t profitable, it was a fantastic day, and a reminder of why opening this business was important to me!
On my drive home, I finished the audiobook Cork Dork: A Wine-Fueled Adventure Among the Obsessive Sommeliers, Big Bottle Hunters, and Rogue Scientists Who Taught Me to Live for Taste by Biance Bosker. If you want to learn more about wine, with a well-written and entertaining book, this is one you’ll enjoy. Check out https://www.amazon.com/Cork-Dork-Wine-Fueled-Sommeliers-Scientists/dp/0143128094/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1547262885&sr=8-1&keywords=cork+dork
