Sam's Wine-Sold

[budrichard]

Sam's Wine http://www.samswine.com/ has been sold. A while ago there was a possible deal with Binney's that fell thru. An era has passed.

I remember being greeted by Fred at 8am on Saturday mornings when I would do my Sam's run from Wisconsin as you can't purchase alcohol on Sunday until Noon!-On our way to the Lyric's Sunday matinee we would often stop at Sam's on the way. I remember a few cold days where I crossed my fingers that the wine would not freeze until the Opera was over. -Dick

[tim]

Hi,

I will never forget my first visit to Sam's Wine and Liquor. We parked under the ell tracks just East of the store in total darkness. Our friends, from St. Louis, were more than slightly frightened.

We walked West past some seedy storefronts and entered the store. There were lots of liquor bottles and a neighborhood customer was purchasing a half-pint of their finest and tucking it into his topcoat. The store was empty and a cardboard sign alerted us to the WINE DEPARTMENT with a downward facing arrow. It was obvious that the street level store included many wines but most of these had a 20% alcohol content.

We walked past the wooden checkout counter with the large display of half pints ready to be inserted into brown paper bags. At the entrance to the WINE DEPARTMENT, there was a long metal wheel conveyor ramp which ran down the stairs to the WINE DEPARTMENT. The stairwell was narrow due to the conveyor ramp which had some whole cases of wine at the bottom.

The WINE DEPARTMENT was a catacomb of small cellar rooms that must have extended past the boundaries of the wino emporium on the first floor. Each room was dedicated to one genre of offerings. While the rooms were not labeled, each stack of cases was topped with a paperboard sign denoting the provenance of the wine.

There was a roomful of French Burgandy, a roomful of Bordeaux, a room of California whites, a room of Italy, Spain, Germany, New World. It was heaven and the prices matched the decor - PERFECTLY!

Our friends did not appropriately understand Sam's cleaning crew which worked each room's corners as we perused the fine wines. These cockroaches were kind enough to let us search the cases without interfering.

We carried our wonderful catches (at prices 30% less than expected) to the street level checkout. The staff was sparse, well informed, helpful and sold wonderful wines at bargain prices. We carried the wine to the darkness under the ell tracks and drove off toward a high-end Northern Italian restaurant.

ALAS, WE WERE STOPPED BY A CHICAGO POLICE OFFICER WITH HIS WHOOPERS AT FULL SONG! He announced through his LOUD-speaker, "Mr. Granzeau, are you lost?" We pulled over and he explained that we were in an undesirable neighborhood for a resident of Springfield, IL. (High tech police equipment at its best.)

We explained our visit and stole off into the night. I have visited Sam's dozens of times since that first time in 1982. As you can guess, they moved to their fancy quarters in the mid-1980's. I always find something wonderful, mostly wines but also calvados, limoncello, framboise, rainwater maderia, pastis, and just two weeks ago their VERY last case of Argiolas Costamolino Vermentino for my son's wedding rehearsal dinner.

It is a treasure and will never approach the wonderful atmosphere of cockroaches and cabernet.

A fond farewell,

Tim

Edited May 23, 2007 by tim (log)

[JohnL]

Sad!

I bought via phone from NYC several times.

I always looked forward to the catalog.

The people I dealt with were always very nice and very professional and knowledgeable.

[Brad Ballinger]

Moderator Note: Below, I've pasted some text of an article that appeared in the Chicago Tribune on May 12. For some reason, the article is not archived on the Tribune's web site. The following is from the text of the article that Chicago Tribune reporter, Bill Daley, e-mailed to me upon my request.

Family control of Sam's Wines and Spirits has ended with a deal announced Friday to sell 80 percent of the third-generation business to a Chicago private-equity firm.

The transaction provides Sam's with access to capital that would allow it to expand at a time when Internet sales are putting pressure on wine-and-spirits chain stores.Gregory Purcell, managing partner and founder of Arbor Investments, the private-equity firm, is "evaluating" how to take advantage of Sam's brand name, but said it won't take any big steps for three to six months. Adding stores and expanding the Web business are both possibilities, he said.

Brian Rosen, grandson of founder Sam Rosen, retains a 20 percent stake and becomes president. Sam's is now poised to grow, he said.

A disagreement in the Rosen family over the future direction of Sam's led to the sale. Darryl Rosen, who ran the business for the past decade and had been Sam's president until recently, said Friday he wasn't interested in working for an outside owner while his brother, Brian, wanted to expand.

The family tried at least once before, unsuccessfully, to sell the business in the late 1990s to California liquor store chain Beverages & More.

[Vaughan]

I'm late on this, but have a great memory of my one visit there, Chicago, in 2005. I was so long my wife got on a first name basis with all the staff, I ran up a $50 cel bill talking to my friend Bob back in Vancouver, toyed with buying a 1990 Clos de Mesnil for $300, and in the end bought an Oregon Pinot and 2 bottles of tequilas we had the night before at Topalobompos, great Mexican resturant owned by Rick Bayless.

[Craig Camp]

While owner Fred Rosen possessed the energy and work ethic that built Sam's to what it is today, it should not be forgotten that it was the late Leo Silverman, followed by his son Howard, that built Sam's into a fine wine institution. In the early 80's Leo introduced many wine names that no one knew at that time that have become industry standards. Besides being one of the first to champion Spanish wines, Leo also led the retail charge on the 1982 Bordeaux futures campaign, before Americans ever thought of futures. Leo was a true fine wine pioneer and without his efforts I doubt Sam's would have become the wine powerhouse it is today.

I remember the original Sam's that sold half pints to derelicts upstairs while the seedy and dangerous basement contained vinous treasures unheard of in those days. Today's Sam's has little in common with the adventurous and pioneering spirit of that dumpy old store, but the juggernaut that it became would not have happened without the vision and passion for fine wine of Leo and Howard Silverman.

[budrichard]

While owner Fred Rosen possessed the energy and work ethic that built Sam's to what it is today, it should not be forgotten that it was the late Leo Silverman, followed by his son Howard, that built Sam's into a fine wine institution.  In the early 80's Leo introduced many wine names that no one knew at that time that have become industry standards. Besides being one of the first to champion Spanish wines, Leo also led the retail charge on the 1982 Bordeaux futures campaign, before Americans ever thought of futures. Leo was a true fine wine pioneer and without his efforts I doubt Sam's would have become the wine powerhouse it is today.

I remember the original Sam's that sold half pints to derelicts upstairs while the seedy and dangerous basement contained vinous treasures unheard of in those days. Today's Sam's has little in common with the adventurous and pioneering spirit of that dumpy old store, but the juggernaut that it became would not have happened without the vision and passion for fine wine of Leo and Howard Silverman.

←

I was purchasing Bordeaux futures for the 1970 vintage in 1971 while living in Palatine, Illinois from a now defunct retailer in Palatine so I don't agree with your statement "Leo also led the retail charge on the 1982 Bordeaux futures campaign, before Americans ever thought of futures." I alternated between that store, Zimmerman's, Gold Standard and Sam's. Between all those stores I acquired some mighty fine wines over the years. -Dick

[Rebel Rose]

I was purchasing Bordeaux futures for the 1970 vintage in 1971 while living in Palatine, Illinois from a now defunct retailer in Palatine . . .

That's interesting. I know Bx futures have been available in New York for many decades, but I had also heard that Sam's was responsible for creating a surge of interest in futures. Maybe they were just better at marketing the opportunity?

[Craig Camp]

While owner Fred Rosen possessed the energy and work ethic that built Sam's to what it is today, it should not be forgotten that it was the late Leo Silverman, followed by his son Howard, that built Sam's into a fine wine institution.  In the early 80's Leo introduced many wine names that no one knew at that time that have become industry standards. Besides being one of the first to champion Spanish wines, Leo also led the retail charge on the 1982 Bordeaux futures campaign, before Americans ever thought of futures. Leo was a true fine wine pioneer and without his efforts I doubt Sam's would have become the wine powerhouse it is today.

I remember the original Sam's that sold half pints to derelicts upstairs while the seedy and dangerous basement contained vinous treasures unheard of in those days. Today's Sam's has little in common with the adventurous and pioneering spirit of that dumpy old store, but the juggernaut that it became would not have happened without the vision and passion for fine wine of Leo and Howard Silverman.

←

I was purchasing Bordeaux futures for the 1970 vintage in 1971 while living in Palatine, Illinois from a now defunct retailer in Palatine so I don't agree with your statement "Leo also led the retail charge on the 1982 Bordeaux futures campaign, before Americans ever thought of futures." I alternated between that store, Zimmerman's, Gold Standard and Sam's. Between all those stores I acquired some mighty fine wines over the years. -Dick

←

Obviously futures were sold before the 82 vintage, but it was the 82 vintage (also fueled by a new writer by the name of Robert Parker) that turned the Bordeaux futures market into a big deal in the USA. Leo was a leader in that movement. This is a fact that was well recognized in the trade. I also bought plenty of 70 and 71 Bordeaux, but not on futures. What was the point? The wines were cheap and any Chateau you wanted was easy to find and that included Petrus and the 1st Growths of the Medoc. You could still buy those vintages at reasonable prices in the late 70's. The Bordeaux market today little resembles the market of the 70's and 82 was the turning point that not only led to a change in the market, but in the way the wines were made.

[budrichard]

As an update.

Yesterday stopped at the Former Sam's Wine on Marcy St, now Binney's and there was Fred Rosen greeting customers as he has for decades past. The display and layout of the store is changed to provide shelving to about the 5 foot level and a clear view of the store from one end to the other. There were many wines and wine sizes that are still available that one doesn't readily find at other stores such as many Magnums and double Magnum of various Champagnes. But if I had to make an educated guess from just the display changes alone, the wine selection is not what it once was but certainly just about the best i know of in the Mid West. It was pleasure to talk with Fred again and reminisce about old times. Fred of course was wearing a Binney's shirt!-Dick

BTW the Sam's store in Highland park opened a few years ago is now defunct as with a Binney's store already about two miles away, it was not needed.

I'm not sure what Binney's exactly got out of the deal other than the Marcy St location and elimination of the competition?

Edited November 21, 2010 by budrichard (log)