As the Wine Witch has shared in other posts, your best friend in the world for your wine adventure is your local wine merchant. You really need to find one, patronize them often, and bond.
How do you know if you have found a good one? As in love, initial impressions count for a lot. First of all, how much wine do they stock? If it is a dilapidated shelf past the pint bottles of hooch, probably not a good sign.
OK, they have a lot of wine – how is it organized? Is it just haphazardly put on the shelf? Is it categorized by varietal, country, or flavor? Personal prejudice, but my favorite merchant organzies by flavor or cuisine – “fruit forward reds” – “buttery whites” – “spicy, ethnic dishes”. It can take a lot of the guesswork out. Find your favorite wine in this type of store and chances are you will like most of the wines that have been stocked in its category.
Ye Olde Wine Shoppe has a lot of inventory sensibly arranged – now what? How is it stored? Bright sun, flourescent lights, and heat vents should not be beating up the wine. Not all wine needs to be stored on its side, but at a minimum the better reds should be kept this way.
Good inventory, good layout, good storage – if the wine store has gone to this much trouble, they are serious about their product and somebody knows what they are doing. FIND THEM! As mentioned before, he or she will be your very willing guide on your wine adventure.
Cheers!
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