You’re probably gasping and choking right now, but hear me out: Whatever you think of their coffee, Starbucks did popularize the idea of the “Third Place” — not home, not work, but something in-between.

I think the wine industry needs an “in-between” kind of place where remote workers can plop down with their laptops, order one glass of wine and get some work done. Wine bars today aren’t like that. They’re too precious, too formal, or too intent on “educating” customers so they’ll buy a full bottle.

Soft music, comfortable chairs, free Wi-Fi and reasonably priced wines — that’s really all it would take to lure in people like me 3 or 4 times a week. You’d better believe I’d stop by regularly to sip something new while I update my website, correspond with artists and so forth.

With the growing prevalence of independent workers and telecommuters, I can’t be the only one looking for something like this, but I have yet to find it. (And believe me, I look for it every time I travel.)

What about you? Do you know of a great, laid-back wine bar that’s great for hanging out and getting work done? If so, please tell me about it — I’d love to visit.

Prost!

This time, the very next item in my inbox was good news from another, much larger distributor. Coincidence? Only partly.

When Distributor #1 first contacted me, it seemed like a perfect fit with plenty of upside. Still, I have a firm policy: Any time I get potentially good news from one customer, I hedge my bets by consciously going after another. So, even as I started work on a deal with Distributor #1, I identified and made contact with Distributor #2 — the very same day.

Yes, I’m disappointed that we couldn’t come to terms with Distributor #1, and maybe we still will. But I didn’t lose any sleep over it. In fact, I slept like a baby and literally dreamed about Distributor #2. (Hello, Dr. Jung?)

Today I’ll get busy hammering out a deal with Distributor #2, but you know there’s more than that on the agenda. I’ve tasked myself with contacting three brand new potential customers, just so there’s always fresh hope in the pipeline.

If you’re a wine retailer, you might be hearing from me today. And a few weeks from now, I just might be dreaming about you.

I’m a huge supporter of small business, so this is a major issue for me. I write a daily newsletter for entrepreneurs. I contribute frequently to Entrepreneur.com. I even did a stint with NFIB at the beginning of my career. Philosophically, there is no one more inclined to choose “boutique” over “big box.” So what gives?

Many people say the big box phenomenon is driven by convenience, but I think that’s only partly right. A bigger issue may be comfort. Independent wine retailers like to brag that their selections are adventuresome, quirky, even challenging. Those are all great things, up to a point, but sometimes I don’t want to think that much. Comfort wines, like comfort foods, are popular because people know just what to expect. On weeknights, in particular, I don’t want to think too deeply about what I’m drinking. I just want a warm, mellow red that pairs nicely with reruns of How I Met Your Mother.

So here’s my plea to the independents: Stock a couple of nice, familiar comfort wines from big, well-known wineries. They may not be especially sexy — or even profitable — but they’ll get me in your door more often. And while I’m there, I promise I’ll pick up some of your more “challenging” selections. After all, I watch Mad Men and The Colbert Report, too.