Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/898117
80 / the tasting panel / november 2017 IN THE BIZ A s doomsayers continue to throw dirt on the grave of brick-and- mortar wine merchants, one business in New Jersey is going all-in on the basics: education and discussion. The result is an unlikely alliance of a restaurant sommelier and a retail magnate. Gary Fisch, Founder and CEO of Gary's Wine & Marketplace—which has multiple locations around New Jersey—has always taught his staff that they're not salespeople; they're conversationalists. He encourages them to ask questions and gather information before pairing the appropriate wine with the customer's palate. However, Fisch recently elevated his sales game in the area of consumer and staff education when he hired the highly-pedigreed sommelier Brooke Sabel as his Wine Director for all four (and soon to be five) locations. Sabel cut her teeth in New York City at Morrell & Company before holding the lead sommelier position at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, New Jersey. She then brought her talents and reputation to central New Jersey, where she developed the wine program at Natirar A MERCHANT AND SOMM JOIN FORCES TO BOLSTER NEW JERSEY'S MOST RELIABLE RETAILER by Albert Letizia PHOTOS COURTESY OF GARY'S WINE & MARKETPLACE Brooke Sabel (left), the newly-hired Wine Director for Gary's Wine & Marketplace, trains staff at one of its New Jersey locations. A Wine Alliance