The wine business has become more competitive, more complex, and more demanding. Buyers have less time, portfolios are crowded, margins are under pressure, and simply presenting a good bottle is no longer enough.

For wine sales representatives, success requires a deeper understanding of the customer, the account, and the commercial role each wine is expected to play.

Speaking with Sid Patel at the Sommeliers Choice Awards, Matthew Citriglia MS, Director of Education at Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, shared his perspective on what separates the strongest wine sales professionals from the rest.

Matthew Citriglia MS is also a judge at Sommeliers Choice Awards.

His central message is clear: the best representatives do not arrive simply to sell a wine. They arrive prepared to understand the buyer’s business and help that buyer make a better decision.

Successful Wine Sales Begin With Listening

One of the biggest mistakes a sales representative can make is beginning a meeting by immediately presenting products.

Before recommending a wine, the representative needs to understand the buyer, the account, and the problem that needs to be solved.

That means asking meaningful questions:

- What type of guests does the account serve?
- What are its strongest wine categories?
- Where are the gaps on the current list?
- Which price points perform best?
- Is the buyer looking for a by-the-glass or by-the-bottle placement?
- Does the account need a familiar style or something distinctive?
- What margins does the business need to achieve?
- What has—or has not—worked in the past?

A buyer does not necessarily need another wine presentation. The buyer needs a relevant solution.

Listening gives the sales representative the information required to recommend wines that genuinely fit the account.

Know the Account Before Walking Through the Door

Preparation is one of the clearest differences between an average sales call and a productive one.

A representative should understand the business before meeting the buyer. For an on-premise account, that means studying its menu, current wine list, pricing, cuisine, service style, and overall positioning.

Useful preparation may include:

- Reviewing the restaurant’s website and menu
- Studying its existing wine list
- Identifying missing regions, varieties, or styles
- Understanding the average food price and likely wine spend
- Looking at current by-the-glass selections
- Considering potential food pairings
- Researching the restaurant group and its other locations
- Understanding the buyer’s professional background

This preparation allows the representative to present a smaller and more relevant selection.

Bringing ten unrelated wines and hoping that one works places the burden on the buyer. Bringing two or three wines selected for a clear reason demonstrates that the representative understands the account.

Sell the Wine’s Role, Not Just Its Story

Origin, vineyards, winemaking, and family history all matter. However, sales representatives must connect that story to a practical commercial opportunity.

The buyer needs to understand what the wine will do for the business.

A strong presentation should explain:

- Where the wine fits on the list
- Which dishes it complements
- Whether it should be offered by the glass or bottle
- Which guests are most likely to order it
- How the sommelier or server can describe it
- What makes it different from existing selections
- Whether the price supports the account’s margin requirements
- Why it deserves space in a competitive beverage program

The producer story becomes more valuable when it gives the restaurant team something useful to communicate to guests.

A sales representative should therefore be able to move comfortably between the emotional story of the wine and its commercial purpose.

Product Knowledge Still Matters

Relationships may open doors, but knowledge builds credibility.

Sales representatives need to understand the wines they are presenting beyond the basic information found on the technical sheet.

They should be prepared to discuss:

- Grape variety and blend
- Region and appellation
- Vintage conditions
- Vineyard practices
- Winemaking and maturation
- Style and flavour profile
- Food-pairing opportunities
- Serving temperature
- Decanting requirements
- Comparable wines
- Price positioning
- Availability and supply consistency

A representative does not need to overwhelm the buyer with every technical detail. The skill lies in selecting the information most relevant to that particular account.

For one buyer, production method may be important. Another may be more interested in price, margin, and availability. A sommelier may want to discuss terroir and food pairing, while a restaurant-group beverage director may prioritize consistency across multiple locations.

The strongest representatives adapt the depth and direction of their presentation without losing command of the product.

Respect the Buyer’s Time

Wine buyers frequently manage large portfolios while also handling staffing, service, purchasing, training, inventory, and financial responsibilities.

A successful sales representative respects that reality.

Appointments should be focused. Wines should be presented in a logical order, pricing should be clear, and the representative should know what outcome they are seeking from the meeting.

That does not mean rushing the conversation. It means arriving with purpose.

A professional presentation answers the buyer’s most important questions efficiently:

- What is the wine?
- Why is it relevant to this account?
- What will it cost?
- At what price can it be sold?
- Is it available?
- How will it be supported?
- Why should the buyer act now?

Representatives who consistently make meetings useful become more valuable to buyers over time.

Understand the Commercial Side of the Account

A wine can be excellent and still be wrong for a particular buyer.

Sales representatives must understand that buyers are responsible for the financial performance of their programs. Quality matters, but so do price, margin, movement, inventory, and ease of sale.

Before presenting a wine, the representative should consider:

- The wholesale cost
- The expected menu price
- The account’s required margin
- Whether the wine can move at that price
- Whether it suits the account’s guests
- Whether supply will remain consistent
- Whether staff will be comfortable recommending it
- Whether the producer or distributor can support the placement

This is particularly important for by-the-glass programs. The wine must deliver quality and guest satisfaction, but it must also work within the restaurant’s cost structure.

Helping buyers understand how a wine can perform commercially makes the sales conversation more relevant and credible.

Do Not Force a Wine Into the Wrong Account

Strong sales professionals understand that not every wine belongs in every restaurant.

Trying to force an unsuitable product into an account may create an initial order, but it rarely creates a lasting placement.

A better approach is to recognize when a wine is not the right fit and return later with something more appropriate.

This builds trust. It shows the buyer that the representative is interested in the long-term health of the account, not only the immediate sale.

When buyers believe that a representative will filter the portfolio honestly, they are more likely to listen when that representative says, “This wine is right for you.”

Adapt the Presentation to the Person in Front of You

No two buyers are exactly alike.

Some want detailed technical information. Others want a concise explanation of price, placement and consumer appeal. Some want to taste quietly before discussing the wine, while others prefer an active conversation throughout the tasting.

The representative must be able to read the room.

That means noticing:

- How much time the buyer has
- Which questions the buyer asks
- Whether the buyer prefers technical or commercial information
- How familiar the buyer is with the region or category
- Which wines generate interest
- When to provide more information
- When to stop talking and allow the buyer to taste

The best presentation is not necessarily the most detailed. It is the one that delivers the information the buyer needs in the way they prefer to receive it.

Follow-Up Must Add Value

The sales process does not end when the tasting finishes.

Professional follow-up should be prompt, clear, and relevant. It may include:

- Pricing and availability
- Technical sheets
- Vintage information
- Suggested food pairings
- Staff-training support
- Producer stories and sales materials
- Samples for another decision-maker
- A clear summary of the wines discussed
- Agreed next steps

However, follow-up should not become repetitive pressure.

Instead of repeatedly asking whether the buyer has made a decision, the representative should provide something useful that helps move the conversation forward.

This could be additional information, a relevant sales idea, a proposed staff tasting, or clarification about how the wine could fit into the program.

The Sale Begins After the Placement

Winning a listing is only the first stage.

Once a wine has been placed, the representative should help the account sell it. Without support, even an excellent wine can remain unnoticed on the list.

Post-placement support may include:

- Educating sommeliers and service teams
- Organizing staff tastings
- Providing concise selling points
- Developing food-pairing language
- Helping the team explain the producer story
- Supporting wine dinners or consumer events
- Checking inventory and depletion
- Ensuring the wine remains available
- Responding quickly when problems arise

The long-term objective is not simply to place a case. It is to create repeat sales.

When the restaurant staff understands and believes in the wine, they are more likely to recommend it confidently. That creates movement for the account, distributor, and producer.

Relationships Are Built Through Consistency

Strong buyer relationships do not come from one impressive meeting. They develop through repeated, dependable actions.

Representatives build trust when they:

- Arrive prepared
- Keep their commitments
- Communicate clearly
- Respond quickly
- Provide accurate information
- Resolve problems
- Respect the buyer’s decisions
- Return with relevant opportunities
- Continue supporting wines after they are listed

Buyers remember representatives who make their jobs easier.

A long-term relationship is created when the buyer knows that the representative understands the account and can be relied upon to provide honest, useful recommendations.

Technology Can Help, but It Cannot Replace Human Judgment

Sales representatives now have access to more information and digital tools than ever before. They can research accounts, manage customer relationships, track follow-ups, and communicate more efficiently.

These tools can improve preparation and organization. However, they cannot replace the ability to listen, taste, interpret the buyer’s needs, and build trust.

Wine remains a personal and highly contextual business.

The representative still needs to understand why a wine makes sense for a particular restaurant, menu, guest, and price point. Technology can support that decision, but human judgment remains central to the sale.

What Wine Brands Can Learn From Matthew Citriglia MS

Citriglia’s advice is equally relevant to wineries, importers and sales managers.

Brands should equip their representatives with more than tasting notes and producer biographies. Sales teams need the commercial tools required to connect each wine with the right account.

That includes:

- Clear pricing and margin information
- Defined on-premise positioning
- Recommended channel fit
- Food-pairing guidance
- By-the-glass and by-the-bottle recommendations
- Concise selling points
- Staff-training materials
- Reliable inventory information
- A clear explanation of the wine’s competitive difference

The easier a brand makes it for a representative to explain, position, and support the wine, the more likely that wine is to earn—and retain—a place on the list.

Winning Means Becoming More Useful to the Buyer

The strongest wine sales representatives are not simply persuasive presenters. They are prepared, knowledgeable, and commercially aware partners.

They research the account before the meeting. They ask questions before offering solutions. They connect the wine’s story with a practical role on the list. They understand price and margin, respect the buyer’s time, and remain involved after the placement.

Most importantly, they build trust through consistency.

In a crowded market, buyers may not remember every wine they taste. They will remember the representatives who understood their business, brought them relevant opportunities, and helped their programs succeed.

Put Your Wines in Front of America’s Leading Sommeliers and Wine Buyers

The Sommeliers Choice Awards evaluate wines for the U.S. on-premise market through the perspectives of Master Sommeliers, sommeliers, wine directors, beverage directors, and active hospitality buyers.

Every entry receives a detailed score breakdown, constructive feedback, guidance on how to market and sell the wine, Channel Fit, a by-the-glass, by-the-bottle, or single-serve recommendation, the names of the judges who tasted the wine, and access to the On-Premise Buyer Intelligence Report.

The 2027 judging will take place on May 23–24, 2027, in Chicago.

Enter Your Wines in the 2027 Sommeliers Choice Awards

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Sommeliers Choice Awards Introduces New Single-Serve Wine Awards for 2027
Sommeliers Choice Awards Launches Exclusive On-Premise Buyer Intelligence Report For Entrants
More Feedback and Transparency For Entrants At The Sommeliers Choice Awards