Finding a Great Wine Store
So, you find yourself in a predicament: you’re invited to dinner at New Girlfriend’s house, and you’re asked to bring a bottle of wine. You either don’t know what she’s serving, or you don’t know the first thing about wine. Or both. Gasp. What to do?
Fear not! Shy away from the grocery store and the Tiger Mart — head to your local wine boutique. They’re all over the place, and are a better choice for a multitude of reasons.
First, the selection is likely to be better. You’ll find more unique wines from small wineries with more character and style than those in a convenience store. Often times, these more unique wines will be offered at better prices.
Second, the staff are trained to be knowledgeable and will ask you questions in hopes of steering you to the perfect wine for your occasion and budget.
Third, many wine shops offer free tastings, allowing you to take a wine for a test drive before you invest.
To wit, a few things to look for in a wine store:
Selection. A good shop should have a large selection of wines from all over the world, not just the US, Australia, and France. Bonus points if there are Greek or Georgian wines there.
Helpful and knowledgeable staff. Going to a wine store should be a tuition-free wine class — you should come out knowing something you didn’t know before. If you know more than the staff, or if no one lifts a finger to help you, buy something and never return.
Labels. I picked this tip up from the Wall Street Journal wine columnists: if you see lots of little, hand-written labels on the wine racks, the store cares enough to provide anecdotal information about wines its staff has tried. This is a big plus.
Tastings. Most good wine stores will hold free tastings (usually with a theme, such as Tuscan Reds or Chilean Whites) that allow you to try something you wouldn’t otherwise have noticed on the shelf. Take advantage of these as both learning opportunities and money-saving ventures—it’s pretty awful to open a bottle that you haven’t tried, only to find that you hate it.
Wine merchants are passionate about what they do and tend to be eager to share knowledge, so don’t be shy about asking questions or revealing how little you might know.
In the Washington, D.C. area, you’re bound for success at these wine stores:
Calvert/Woodley — Van Ness
Schneider’s of Capitol Hill — Union Station
Best Cellars — Clarendon, upper Dupont Circle
Total Wine — McLean
Arrowine — Arlington
Outside of D.C., this Web site should help locate great wine store in your area:
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By Lauren McNally
Lauren B. McNally is a communications consultant in Washington, D.C., who spends most of her free time exploring culinary and oenological pursuits with friends. She hails from Maine and graduated from Bowdoin College, completing additional study at the University of Cambridge in the U.K.(where she found the dining hall cuisine rather offensive and repulsive, as opposed to that of the top-ranked Bowdoin Dining Service). Her palate is ever-evolving but she includes California Zinfandels, Cotes du Rhone, and white wines from Burgundy and the Loire Valley among her current favorites. Her least favorite wine-related phrase: “I don’t like _.” Lauren also enjoys cooking Italian and French cuisine, and has an unnatural obsession with Gorgonzola and pancetta.
About The Humble Gourmand
The Humble Gourmand is a monthly online publication edited by Alison L. McConnell, a Washington, D.C.-based journalist and writer. It is designed to offer straightforward lessons and advice to aspiring cooks, oenophiles, and all other eaters and drinkers.
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