Total Wine & More Opens in Palm Desert

PALM DESERT, CA, June 09, 2013 (Press-News.org) Total Wine & More, America's largest independent retailer of fine wine, spirits, and beer, has announced the opening of its first Riverside County location in Palm Desert, Calif.

The new store, located in the Desert Crossing Shopping Center at 72339 California Highway 111 (a former Office Depot) opens at 9 a.m. on June 13, with a grand opening celebration at 6 p.m. featuring live music, free wine tastings and the presentation of a $10,000 check to the Barbara Sinatra Children's Center.

"Our new store in Palm Desert brings over forty new jobs to the community, and creates a thriving new business in a formerly empty retail space," explains David Trone, who co-owns Total Wine & More with his brother Robert. "The key to our success is contained in our mantra: 'we provide our customers with what they deserve: service, selection and price.'"

Total Wine & More in Palm Desert, which boasts 20,000 square feet of retail space, offers an unparalleled collection of more than 8,000 wines, 3,000 spirits and 2,500 beers, including hard-to-find labels and locally produced product.

The new Palm Desert Total Wine & More store features new, cutting-edge technologies that will allow customers to engage with various products and increase their knowledge of many different wines, beers and spirits unlike ever before.

"Today's customers are seeking easily accessible product knowledge from retailers," says Trone. "Our new, 'next-generation' Palm Desert store does just that, and positions Total Wine as a leader not only in price, selection, and service, but also in technology."

"Next-generation" features in the Palm Desert store include:

• A state-of-the-art tasting bar where customers may taste various wines and beers while learning about the background of each beverage.

• In-store iPads equipped with a proprietary app which provides recommendations on specific beverages to pair with various meals.

• Flat panel screens throughout the store that stream video content on vintners, their wineries and how various wines are made.

• An updated education center, which will be used to host classes on various types of wines, beers and spirits throughout each month. In addition, the education center is available to be booked at no cost for use by local non-profits, as well as other local businesses.

Education is a key component in the success of each Total Wine & More store, according to Trone.

"Our customers want to learn as much as they can about the products we offer. For that reason we ensure that each of our team members is equipped with expert knowledge on the wines, beers and spirits we offer," he says. "By focusing on customer relationships and unique staff training, we are able to deliver the feel of a neighborhood store with the selection and price of a superstore."

Each Total Wine & More sales team member is trained for 100 hours prior to working on the store floor, with specialized instruction on various regions, production methods, varietals, brew styles, and tasting analysis. In addition, Total Wine employees are provided with continuous training throughout their careers, including week-long trips to key wine regions in California and Europe.

Total Wine & More operates 94 wine superstores in 15 states. The company's vast selection of products, combined with low everyday prices and expertly trained wine associates, brings a unique shopping experience to the customer. Total Wine & More has the distinction of being Beverage Dynamic's 2008 Wine Retailer of the Year, Market Watch's 2006 Retailer of the Year, and Wine Enthusiast's 2004 Retailer of the Year. Since opening its first store in 1991, Total Wine & More has been committed to being the premier wine retailer in every community that it serves. More information and stores locations are available at http://www.totalwine.com