We're playing a trick on you this month. We originally posed the question of the perfect product mix to our Retailer Advisory Board members who quickly responded by saying, "If you are asking this question, you shouldn't be in business."

So while we went back to better define what our inquisitive retailer wanted to know, we were called on to respond to this new timely question:

"We are wine merchants in Trinidad and Tobago. We distribute wine to hotels, restaurants and supermarkets, but also have two very cute retail wine shops. I would love some ideas for going green in our wine shops -- any suggestions would be greatly appreciated."


My first suggestion would be for this merchant to stock up on organic and biodynamic wines. These are wines produced from vines that are not exposed to pesticides, industrial fertilizers or any other chemicals. They also use yeast from the local environment. Biodynamic wine production takes organic to another level which includes treating the vineyard as a self-sustaining living organism. Biodynamic production also goes by "lunar and cosmic rhythms." Organic does not mean better ... but it means meticulous winemaking that does produce very good wines ... and keeps the environment safe.

Another way to "go green" is to get on board the buying carbon offset bandwagon. There are companies available that help you determine the store's carbon footprint in order to suggest alternatives to save energy or buy carbon offsets. There's an online wine store that will add $1.00 to your online purchase and they will contribute this dollar to buying carbon offsets or to implementing energy alternatives. They use Terrapass to process these green options. More information can be found using the following link: www.terrapass.com

If you really want to be creative in the drive to go green, Franzia wines has come out with wines that come in an edible box. This is quite the creative idea. As Franzia states, "Whoever squeezes off the last glass has the first dibs on digging into the delectable box."
Osmin Rodriguez, 55 Degrees, Fort Myers, FL

Creating an environmentally responsible shopping experience for customers in a wine store can be accomplished in the following ways:

1. Identify wines or products in your store that are eco-friendly with tags, stickers, ladybugs, etc. Draw attention to them. There are so many more wineries going organic or biodynamic today. Learn who they are, recognize them and point them out to your customers.
2. Promote reusable wine bags. Give incentives for the customer to bring their own bag. This incentive can be a product, a pin or a discount where allowed.
3. Educate your customers. Spread the word about the importance of going green. Do this during wine tastings, if you have them, or simply at the register when checking out.
4. Switch over to products you use to maintain your store that are earth-friendly such as lighting, cleaning products, etc. This sets a great example and sparks conversation that you believe in going green!
Evelyn Ignatow, Hyde Park Gourmet Food & Wine, Cincinnati, OH

If you would like to pose a question or send us your feedback, please send e-mail to mmoran@gourmetretailer.com.