Training Your Staff to Sell Wine

Where to start? Your Wine List

​Let’s keep things really simple. The extent of knowledge that your staff need, as a bare minimum, should correlate directly with what’s on your wine list. Now that might sound obvious but believe me, it’s very easy to get sucked down a rabbit hole and head off on tangents.

When I say ‘the extent of knowledge, it doesn’t necessarily require knowing the ins and outs of how the wine’s made, who made it, which vineyard it came from etc. It’s more a question of being equipped to deal with the kinds of questions that your staff are likely to be asked, and how they can answer them confidently. Many of these will be purely subjective too.

Want to learn more about creating the perfect wine list in 2022. Head over to our recent blog on that exact subject!

Let’s say, for example, you carry a prosecco and a champagne. The kind of questions your staff are most likely to be asked are “what’s your prosecco like?”, “is your prosecco sweet?” or “what’s the difference between your prosecco and champagne?”. The answers might look something like this, “it’s got broad appeal and it comes from a really good producer”, “no not sweet, I’d describe it as off-dry” and “the champagne is drier and has more complex flavours while the prosecco is lighter”. The answers are simple yet should be enough to satisfy the customer’s needs.

The other thing worth focusing on is your food menu and, more specifically, what kinds of wines on your list will pair with which kinds of dishes. You don’t want to be recommending an Argentinean Malbec with a light seafood starter or a Pinot Grigio with the steak. The general rule of thumb when it comes to food and wine pairing is to make sure the food doesn’t overpower the wine.

Dealing with typical customer questions

No matter your wine knowledge there will always be that 'one customer' who wants to enforce their knowledge on you and thinks they are a master sommelier, and if we are being honest they can cripple anyone's confidence. Some would argue that, to some extent are partly to blame for the snobbery around wine. But, they are becoming a very rare beast. Thankfully!

One of the most common questions your staff members are likely to be asked by customers are “what do you recommend?”. This is the one that often prompts a ‘rabbit in the headlights’ expression from an inexperienced member of staff!

To someone who knows what they’re talking about, this is a gift because it’s inviting you to not only sell them something, but potentially to upsell.

When I’ve been confronted with this question at consumer wine tastings, I usually answer with my own question “what kind of wine do you normally like?”. This will help you narrow down the potential options of what to put forward.

Let’s say, like many, they answer with “a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc” for a white, or “a nice Malbec” for a red, then you either offer the ones you have or you can try recommending an alternative crisp dry white wine like a Picpoul de Pinet or another Sauvignon from elsewhere, or a fuller bodied red like a Cabernet Sauvignon or a good Rioja. See our earlier article on alternative grape varieties to explore this further.

It’s also possible that your customer may ask what the difference is between your prosecco and the one sold by your competitor around the corner for a couple of quid less. Unless you know your competitor’s wine and can offer a reasoned explanation, it’s easier not to get sucked into a discussion about it.

Just make sure you have two or three USPs (Unique Selling Points) up your sleeve about your product that you can reel off for reassurance, like “ours comes from a family-owned estate, it’s made exclusively from estate-grown fruit and it’s vegan-friendly”. If that still doesn’t satisfy them, you could always offer to let them taste it, especially if you sell it by the glass.

Essentially, your staff members need little sound bites for each product that will enable them to answer more or less any question with confidence. If they happen to be asked something more challenging or technical, the simple response for them to say is “let me try and find out for you” and then ask a colleague, or as a last resort, Google it!

The Wine & Spirit Education Trust is the UK based, globally-recognised, education body that offers the best wine, spirit and saké training courses for the drinks and hospitality industry. From the Level 1 Award in Wines through to the prestigious Master of Wine exams, these guys offer a range of courses to suit every level of expertise that modern businesses require.

This is a good investment if you want to tie in young talent and have an in-house ‘wine champion’ who can help curate your list and inspire and train the rest of the team. Check out www.wsetglobal.com to find your nearest provider and for more info on their courses.

Alternatively, we have a wealth of knowledge within the business and are happy to come and discuss any specific wine training needs, so please do get in touch if you’d like any more info.