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Should grocery stores staff sommeliers?

No longer happy simply guzzling wine with friends on Friday night, now the social set wants to know a little bit about it, too. Grocery stores seem happy to cater to our knowledge cravings because they know it will boost sales. Across the US, grocery stores are expanding their wine selections. Driven by consumer demand and a number of states loosening their liquor laws, some grocers are seeking the services of sommeliers, or wine stewards, to help customers make a selection. One advantage to having sommeliers on staff at a grocery is that they can answer questions, make recommendations and even help customers pair wines with the ingredients in their shopping carts, says Elliot Begoun, principal of The Intertwine Group, a practice focused on emerging food and beverage brands. “Many shoppers are overwhelmed by the choices on store shelves and may just choose not to buy wine if they can’t narrow it down,” he says.…