NEW HAVEN ADVOCATE ACCOLADES
Thanks to all who voted, and to all our wonderful customers who continue to provide us with the opportunity to serve you.
"The Wine Thief has earned a reputation for discovering and promoting exciting new wines from around the world—many of which you won’t find anywhere else." -New Haven Advocate
"We care about our customers—and it shows. We’re proud to say that we’ve been voted "Best Wine Shop" in the 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 Advocate Reader’s poll." -The Wine Thief Crew
Read more from the New Haven Advocate: (2008)
1st place Best Wine Shop
1st place Best Liquor Store
3rd place Best Beer Selection (in a store)
Karl Ronne and his staff of wine connoisseurs travel the globe in search of the best affordable wines to sell at The Wine Thief. Which means you might not recognize some of the labels sold at Ronne's two New Haven stores. In fact, that's sort of the point. "We're not really influenced by industry trends; we try to set the trends," Ronne says. "That sounds pretty big and bold, but it is true. The grapes we were selling five years ago, no one had ever heard of. You have to be one step ahead of everybody else." Staying ahead means building a business customers can rely on, Ronne says. Wine Thief staffers are experts at pairing wines with whatever you're making for dinner. It's not uncommon to walk into The Wine Thief and hear customers shouting out "chicken marsala," "spaghetti and meatballs," or "beef tacos," and hear the staff responding with perfectly matched wines. Wine Thief does in-store tastings every Friday and Saturday evening, which means you'll often leave with a different bottle than you intended to get. They also host monthly wine dinners at BAR, pairing all-you-can-eat pizza with different wines they explain through classroom-style events. Wine Thief also sells its own brand, Vina Ladron, a Chilean wine made specially for Ronne's stores. The best part? It retails for under $15. See also Best Liquor Store.
(courtesy New Haven Advocate 2008)
Read more from the New Haven Advocate: (2007)
1st place, Best Wine Shop
2nd place, Best Liquor Store
2nd place, Best Beer Selection in a Store
The good folks at Wine Thief take their work seriously. They love wine, and they want you to love wine too. For their effort, they've been voted Best Wine Shop. This was a big year for shop-owner Karl Ronne, who opened a second store on Crown Street in in downtown New Haven in January. What sets the Wine Thief apart, says Ronne, is their search for the "new and different." The store avoids branded and mass-produced wines in favor of smaller vintners and less common varietals. To encourage customers to try new things, they have a guarantee. "If you don't like the wine, for any reason," says Ronne, "bring it back."
(courtesy New Haven Advocate 2007)
Read more from the New Haven Advocate: (2006)
1st place, Best Wine Shop
2nd place, Beer Selection (in a store)
3rd place, Liquor Store
In business since: 1996 Owner: Karl Ronne Stopped by for the interview: Robert Jordan, Karl RoAdvocate Picturenne, Meier Tomkins, Giuseppe Volpato How'd you get the idea to start this business? Karl: It was kind of a realizing there was a void. Giuseppe: Something that's not a package store, that's beyond a package store. What do you like most about your line of work? Karl: Traveling, being exposed to wine culture. Robert: It's really fun to try a new wine and you know right away it's great, and you're gonna have a good time selling it. Karl: We try everything before we put it in the store. Who's your favorite customer? Robert: The guy who works the nuclear accelerator at Yale comes in. When he told me what he did, I said, "Huh, well, that's pretty cool." He said, "How about what you do? I wanna work in a wine store!" What makes your business the best of its kind in New Haven? Robert: We're open during the blizzards! Robert Jordan, Karl Ronne, Alex Meier-Tomkins and Giuseppe Volpato
(courtesy New Haven Advocate 2006)