The National Wine UnClub
Blog/Newsletter

June 2012

Overheard In The Wine Shop

While visiting my wine shop today a regular customer asked me: "What is your favorite wine?", an oft-asked question. I gave him my stock answer: "I'm like a dad who has twelve children. Each child has distinctive characteristics which I appreciate and enjoy but I love each one equally."

This seemingly evasive answer (I honestly believe my own schtick!) didn't satisfy my customer who truly wanted my specific opinion of what's hot  in the world of wine as I see it. I then told him that I didn't really follow the trends in the wine business all that much; I said Argentine Malbec was trending as a 'for instance' but Australian wines were falling off the fad radar.  I said I bought both because I love the wines we're finding in these categories, period.

After I sold the gentleman a few of my 'under the radar' finds (a little white Burgundy from the district of Pouilly-Vinzelles and a best-buy Californian Sonoma Chardonnay) he left with the assurance that these were wines that would drink much better than their modest price might indicate. 

It is the bane of human nature that we all seem incapable of avoiding: we want what others whom we admire have or are having and this behavior creates trends, if not fads. Forget about personal taste and knowledgeable appreciation of the abundance afforded us! The wine review industry feeds this flame of desire in the worst way sometimes.

I have a few friends who are on exclusive wine allocation lists that are selling hard to get, high-scoring labels via the internet. While there is no denying the high quality of these rare wines...how many times I've heard these wine enthusiasts complain about the price they are paying for the privilege of having these vinous gems. In fact, I know a few friends who admit that they worry that they won't find an occasion special enough to open their great wines.

This would be OK if the wine in question was being purchased for re-sell as a work of art might be sold long (even centuries!) after the artist composed it. Even if you didn't particularly like the art piece you know you could sell it for a tidy sum if other art lovers wanted it. A few wines are bought and sold as collector items but that isn't why most people buy wine.

Finding a special wine for everyday is our mission, pure and simple, and this includes wines from all around the world despite their relative trendiness. It would be easy to focus on the sizzling categories and maybe make a killing selling these brands at inflated prices but that just wouldn't be right. 

We don't tell our customers what to buy but we love helping them understand what's available across the board. The exploration of this opportunity with today's availability of excellent (and many times quite affordable) wines can and should be great fun.      

Cheers!

Captain Vino