Cork’s Fine Wine & Spirits
1320 Manchester Rd. Ste 1A
Glastonbury, CT

Square footage: 1,400

Years in operation: 9 years

By Sara Capozzi

For Cork’s Fine Wine & Spirits Owner Mark Albert, the decision to go into package store ownership has become a fulfilling career change.

Albert learned the intricacies of the industry early on, working at a package store in East Hartford while attending college for marketing. In 1987, he began his 34 year career in sales for North Haven distributor Brescome Barton, with territory in South Windsor. As a sales representative, Corks Fine Wine & Spirits, formally Buckingham Wine & Spirits, was on his original route and remained there until his retirement.

When the opportunity to purchase the shop came about in 2007, Albert decided to take the chance with his wife Luciana, along with two other partners. As a longtime employee of the wine and spirits industry, Albert had firsthand knowledge about the store and its inventory.

“Our first goal was to get basic products in here that sell in the marketplace,” he said. “And then let the store tell us what we need to do. Let us find out first what the people really want and what they’re looking for – then we can provide it on their terms, not on ours.”

He worked nights and weekends at Corks until 2021, when he retired from sales to work the store full time. He and Luciana still own and run the store today with a team of two part-timers and occasional help from family members.

After almost two decades at the helm, Albert’s extensive knowledge of the industry and his passion for learning about different products, combined with his commitment to providing best in class customer service, has led him to build a loyal base of local customers.

“I try to do my best,” he said. “It’s hard to get it exactly right. You’re never going to please everyone. I think most retailers have a similar philosophy, they just want to do the best for their customers, run a good business. I just want to do the best I can, and I don’t think that’s unique. What might set me apart is my experience and I have a lot of experience. That definitely helps. It gives me an advantage I think.” 

Albert said he’s always enjoyed learning the brand stories behind each product and he uses that background to build relationships with customers and help them purchase the perfect bottle for their next dinner or event. “I love being in the store when my customers come to me looking for my suggestions and my advice and the satisfaction I get when a customer comes back to me and says, ‘Wow, that was a great wine. What else do you have that you think I might like?’ I have a process I go through with customers buying wine. The customer will ask me for a suggestion, and I’ll follow that up with four or five questions to find out what their tastes are like so that I can find the right product for them. I credit all my years as a wholesale rep and being in the business for my product knowledge.”

Conveniently located in a plaza shared by Highland Park Market, Cork’s sees plenty of foot traffic from both regular and new customers. Shoppers enjoy Cork’s plentiful and well-rounded selection, offering the most sought-after SKUs and fair-priced allocated items and its relaxed and friendly atmosphere, where Albert and Luciana keep customers top of mind.

“I realize that the customer is my greatest asset; without the customer I have nothing,” he said. “My goal is to please the customer as much as I can. It’s a small store. Am I going to have everything everyone wants? No, absolutely not. But I’m going to do my best to try to have the things that people want the most. If I can please the customer, then I can hold on to the customer. If I can give loyalty to them, they’ll give loyalty to me.”