The "Hidden" Maestros of the Wine Merchant of Marlton

MARLTON, N.J., March 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Have you ever stood in a liquor store aisle staring at row after row of wine, wondering which bottle to buy, then play it safe and choose the most expensive one?  Robert Peirce and Chris Zanzarella of the award-winning Canal's BottleStop are all too familiar with this situation.

"Wine selection is almost as complicated an art as winemaking itself and takes years of dedicated training," says Zanzarella.  "That's why our customers are so loyal. They see we have the same passion for wine as they do."

Zanzarella backs up his passion with knowledge. He is a certified specialist in wine and is very close to receiving his diploma with distinction of Wine & Spirits from England's Wine & Spirit Education Trust. He has also traveled extensively to California, Italy and France to gain hands on knowledge of the wines of those regions.

In a business where 60 percent of sales derive from wine, BottleStop offers a wide selection of more than 4,500 wines, ranging in price from $4.99 to $749.95, that come from the most popular and well-respected vineyards in America and abroad.

"With such a wide array of wine selections to choose from, it's almost impossible for a customer to know if they are getting something that's worth their money," says Peirce.  "One of the skills I'm most proud of is choosing a $12 bottle of wine that can bring as much joy to your pallet as a $50 bottle."

"It's also important to understand what goes into making a $200- plus bottle of wine for our more discriminating clientele," says Peirce.  "The best part of my day is teaching our customers something new and having them leave here a little more respect for the craft of wine selection than when they came in."

Canal's BottleStop also carries approximately 1,400 spirits ranging in price from $22.25 to $304.99 a bottle and more than 800 selections of popular domestic, international, and local and national craft beers.

Longtime friends Peter Fletcher, a former aerospace industry executive, and Tom Doyle, have owned Canal's BottleStop for 17 years. Visit them at 10 W.Route 70, Marlton, NJ 08053 or call 1.856.983.4991 to find the perfect bottle of wine. For more information visit http://www.wineaccess.com/store/canalsmarlton/index.html.

SOURCE Canal's BottleStop