Consultants help customers uncork the secrets of fine wine

The mother of three has a background as Certified Public Accountant.  She developed her own knowledge of wines by taking classes, visiting wineries and going to tastings.

After spending time staying home taking care of her family, Cicconi said the new job at Kroger was a perfect fit for her.

"I'm really enjoying this," she said. "This is going to be a lot of fun."

Terry Creaturo, wine coordinator for Kroger's Mid Atlantic region, has assisted in the setup of the new wine shop. Kroger sold 65 million bottles of wine last year in West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina. 

"In the Mid Atlantic area we have 126 stores that sell wine," Creaturo said. "Only 43 have wine consultants. I train them and work with the suppliers.

"The customer wants selection," Creaturo said. "They want to be able to get everyday wines and buy gifts, plus what they saw written up in a magazine. And to be able to do it all in one place."

 "There are a lot of outlets for wine," she admitted. "So we try to focus on who we are - service, selection and one-stop shopping.

"We have a lot of knowledge we can share with customers," Creaturo said. "At the same time, we don't hit them hard over the head with winespeak." 

Cicconi is happy to give shoppers a quick, or even a leisurely, tour through her new realm. And as they browse through the reds, the whites, the sparkling wines, the domestics, the French, the German wines, etc.

She hopes something will catch their fancy, whether it is a bottle of Fish Eye or Bad Cat, a more traditional white zinfandel or a newer Spanish or New Zealand wine.

"We're getting good feedback from customers so far," she said. "The cashiers are glad we've done this, too. Because customers are always asking them about wine and they don't know."