Page 20 of Kisses Sweeter than Wine

“The twins haven’t worked on this line yet, but I can certainly float the idea with them,” Merlot said. “If Talbot doesn’t mind us stealing it.”

She raised her free hand. “Not at all. But don’t you already mass sell your wines through distributors?”

Merlot let out a dry chuckle. “Remember the story I told you about how we all left the family business for a while?”

Talbot nodded.

“Well, besides almost destroying the family, it nearly killed the winery. My mom couldn’t handle it on her own and she didn’t hire people to do it for her, so things went downhill. These last couple of years we’ve been rebuilding.” Merlot leaned against the counter and finally took a generous gulp of his sister-in-law’s new blend. He’d tasted it before, but it had all been while they were in the process of finding the suitable blends. The moment the liquid hit his tongue, his taste buds went wild. “Damn, Eliza Jane. This shit is delicious. I almost feel bad lowering the price.”

“Don’t,” Malbec said. “The cost analysis is right on the mark. We won’t lose money doing it. Trust me.”

Merlot nodded. “You know, Nebbiolo and Pinot Noir’s biggest complaint is that they don’t have enough in our catalog to entice the bigger chains to buy from us. It’s all local or people who have been buying for years.”

“This wine we can mass produce,” Malbec said. “We’ve got the grapes. The harvest will be excellent. We’ve been able to expand. We’ll have two more whites this year and the reds ready next year. I bet we can get POs based on this collection.”

“When will your next white be ready?” Talbot set her glass on the counter. She pulled her hair over her shoulder and twirled it between her fingers.

Merlot desperately wanted to touch her silky hair. Feel it against his skin.

“We have a Sauvignon Blanc ready now in the same line. We’re just not revealing it yet,” Eliza Jane said. “We thought it would be best to give the public a taste of each one separately. Let them enjoy one and hopefully they will be excited about the next.”

“That sounds like a good plan.” Talbot nodded. “When is the big public reveal of this one?”

“During the three-legged race.” Malbec shook his head. “I hate that thing. Every year my mom makes a big deal about it. She has to win so she can host the Holiday Showcase. It’s so dumb and everyone cheats.”

“That’s a local thing, right?” Talbot asked.

“It is,” Eliza Jane said. “But it does draw some out-of-towners.”

“Are there booths? Do you sell your wine there?” Talbot asked.

“Of course,” Merlot said.

“Why not invite distributors or anyone interested in mass orders. Tell them you will have samples of a new wine that’s not on the market yet, but will be coming. They will already have this Pinot Grigio, but everyone likes free things.” She pointed to the small sample-size bottles. “Make a list of who you invited and personalize the labels. If they don’t show, relabel them and use them for other gifts.”

“Where are you currently employed?” Malbec asked. “Because if you want a job, we could use someone like you.”

“I appreciate the vote of confidence, but this isn’t in my wheelhouse,” Talbot said.

“I beg to differ.” Merlot smiled. “My twin brothers are great salesmen. They are good at closing big deals, but they have only worked for a major distributor. They are new to a family-owned business and they are young. They also suck at marketing and coming up with these ideas. We could really use someone who has fresh concepts like this one. Besides, didn’t you tell me that you were currently unemployed?”

“That’s only temporary. Once Claudia finishes this renovation, we’ll be leaving Candlewood Falls,” Talbot said.

“And going where?” Malbec asked.

“We’re not sure, but Claudia has a line on a job for us.” Talbot reached for her drink.

That’s when Merlot noticed her hand shook.

“You’re here for a month?” Merlot asked.

“Less than three weeks now,” Talbot said.

“Work for us while you’re here,” Eliza Jane suggested. “I’m sure we can come up with the funds to hire you as an independent contractor.”

“We’d have to get Mom to sign off on that one.” Malbec raised his glass. “But when we tell her all this, I’m sure she’ll go for it.”

“No. I’m sorry. I can’t.” Talbot lowered her gaze. She held on to the glass with both hands.

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