Louis Roederer 'Brut Premier', a #WINELOVERS Dream by Philip S. Kampe

You never know where you will end up next. Such is the case for me, an aspiring wine journalist, wine lover and a man who has devoted an eighth of my short, well not so short, life to wine.
My background is varied--but thrives best on stage. Whether I was pushing my 'Fabulous Phil's' ice cream at the Taste of Newport (Rhode Island) or pushing Sansuena cheese at Sickles Market (New Jersey)--whoever the audience--whatever the size, I want to be there.
As fate has knocked on my door, again, I am now 'moonlighting' as a wine and spirits spokesman for various companies. I set-up shop for three hours, more or less, prime time, at wine and spirits shops located throughout Manhattan. I  attempt to educate the consumer (some know more than me) about specific wines or spirits. A sale of that product is my reward--at least one that can be counted.
My new career has just started.
I am building my confidence, like the old days when Justin Novello and I could sell ten thousand dollars worth of cheese in an afternoon at The Wine Library.
That was seven years ago.
Since then, I have taken a hiatus.
I have become a writer.
It is easy to work on your computer all day.
It is a bit more difficult to try to seduce consumers into buying a product you are promoting.
Competition is fierce.
Price and quality are the new indicators for many wine consumers.

Take last night for example.

I was at Ninth Avenue Vintners on 47th street and Ninth Avenue in Manhattan to promote Louis Roederer 'Brut Premier' Champagne.
92 points from the Wine Enthusiast.
Roederer makes Cristal, so, you know 'Brut Premier' must be an exceptional product.
And it is.
It is toasty and smoky with hints of grapefruit, lemon and black currant followed by notes of vanilla and almond. 'Brut Premier' is aged three years on the lees and six more months in the bottle.
All the grapes come from Grand and Premier Cru sites.
Louis Roderer has five hundred acres of vineyards and sources only a quarter of its grapes from other locations near or in Reims.
The 'Brut Premier' is made from 56% Pinot Noir grapes, 33% Chardonnay and 11% Petite Meunier.
At $49.99 it is a steal.

To sell it is another issue.
The price may be too high for many.
Often consumers only buy Champagne for 'Special Occasions'.
Or where you are trying to promote the product is a bad location in the store.
Those are the usual problems.
But the adventurous customer with an open mind will buy the product--both for the quality and for the person promoting the product.
Believe it or not, respect, plays a major role in one-on-one sales.
At least that has been the case for me.
The sampling at Ninth Avenue Vintners was a challenge.
I had to coax as many customers as possible to sample the 'Brut Premier'.
In  three and a half hours, sixty samples were given out.
For every ten customers who sampled the product, one bottle was sold.
Six bottles to be exact.
Not bad, since none of the customers had heard of  Louis Roederer 'Brut Premier' before.

I am up for my next challenge!

Philip S. Kampe
Philip.Kampe@TheWineHub.com