ᴍʏ ᴀʟᴘʜᴀ & ᴏᴍᴇɢᴀ ᴡᴀɪᴛᴇʀ’ꜱ ꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅ: ɪ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴛʜɪɴɢ.
𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐆𝐎-𝐓𝐎 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐤𝐞𝐩𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬? Or 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐜𝐤 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 ‘𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬’ 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐚 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞?
Not only has this been a solid tool to help open hundreds of bottles over the years, it is a physical reminder of how good service and acts of kindness can have lasting effects.
I was given this opener by a wine room attendant at the Alpha and Omega Cellar Door when visiting the Napa Valley back in 2013.
After a long day of ‘speed visits’ to my list of must-sees, closing in on 5pm we realised that we didn’t have an opener for that night. I hadn’t even planned Alpha and Omega, but we were driving past and thought let’s at least see if they sell openers.
Firstly: what a beautiful place to visit, and the three we speed tasted were stunning wines with obviously no expense spared in the winemaking.
But when it came to purchasing my opener they profusely apologised that they didn’t have any for sale at that time, but then said: “you know what: take one of our staff ones, we want you to go back to Australia with a good impression of the Napa”
It was a lifesaver and truly a great keepsake, and a good lesson on why high quality merchandise is essential.
They knew that I worked in the wine industry in Australia. Because of that act of kindness, and the fact I see their brand name every time I open any bottle, has kept the Alpha and Omega name front of mind.
They don’t even sell wine in Australia, but you bet that I have recommended them as a winery to every single high end customer either from the US, or going to the US, as a place to look up when in the Napa.
Cellar door service matters.
How people are treated at those cellar doors makes a lasting impression of a brand that can be just as important as how good the wine is in the bottle. The fact it is a quality tool has also made an association of quality, long after the last sip.
- WINEDUCATION - 