Hi, folks, and welcome back to Wine Talk. We have a new editor here at the News and still nothing has been done about my photograph. I think the new boss and I will need a little face-to-face.
This month we're going to look at the myths and truths of a wine shop. Before my beautiful wife, Mim, and I were the proprietors of a wine shop here in Magnolia Village, we were civilians, too. We had to purchase our wine somewhere. Where did we go?
The big question: Why are consumers afraid of wine shops? Did I say afraid? Well, silently I did, but the fact remains that there exists an intimidation factor when it comes to going to a wine shop. Afraid you won't walk the walk and talk the talk, mais oui? Afraid the prices will be sky high. Afraid that Jeff, your wine friend, won't tell you what to do?
Fret not. That is why I'm here: to help you.
Certainly, for the majority of us, wine is purchased at the supermarket. It sure is convenient, right? Plus, they seem to have good prices.
Some of us purchase our wine at discount warehouse stores. These stores shall remain nameless so nobody (like me) gets roughed up. But they know who they are, flaunting their football-field floor plans and mile-high ceilings. They must have great deals, right?
And some of us buy our wine at the Washington state liquor store. I won't get into why their prices are so low, but suffice it to say that I'm a team of lawyers and a million retailers' march away from justice.
I will say this. Discount warehouses can offer some mind-boggling prices, but when the smoke clears, what do you have? Are you really going to wait in those lines for a couple of bottles? More importantly, are they really offering you interesting wine, wine of exceptional value? And, oops, what happens when you have a question?
The supermarket retailers sometimes have "stewards" to assist you - but not always. And their pricing policies are fascinating. Some regular prices are inflated to make the sale prices seem like values; other times they make next to nothing on a wine to attract customers. But honestly, when you're in the supermarket wine aisle, how do you pick a bottle? If you're like most people, you look at price and labels - that's it. Something fits your budget with an attractive package and, boom, it's in the cart.
Aside from the slight inconvenience of making the extra stop, how can an independent wine merchant help you? Hands-on service is the key factor. Recommendations for food pairings and gifts are a large part of our business. Also, there's the selection of unusual and interesting wines - priced, I might add, no differently from most of the mass-produced name brands. The slight inconvenience of the extra stop is a small price to pay for all you get: value, knowledge and direction.
Try shopping at your neighborhood wine merchant. You'll benefit, and you'll also help support a small-business owner. While you're at it, check out your local butcher, baker and candlestick-maker and florist and clothier and....
Jeff Zucker and his wife, Mim, are the owners of Corks, a wine shop in Magnolia Village.
As the man says, if you have any questions about wine, Jeff's the guy to ask. Send your queries to him at corkswines@yahoo.com.
And about that photograph ... how can we bring ourselves to shoot a better picture of him and lose all these great lede paragraphs he writes every month?
