Finding wine can be tough, but a good wine store can help you narrow down the chaotic search for the best vintage. A wine store can offer you the best of the best, presenting their selection with as much variety and balance as possible to enable you to make an educated choice. A wine stores products should be accessible and clearly labeled so that you know what you're getting out of a wine before you take it home.
A good wine store should be storing the wines at the right temperatures, for starters. For a lot of wine stores, the wine will be on the shelves for a long time and it can lose some of its vitality.
A good wine store, however, recognizes the proper temperatures and stores the wines with the right humidity in mind. Without the right storing temperature, the wines sold by your favorite wine store may be less than great.
The wine bottles on the shelves should be easy-to-read and organized. There is nothing worse than wandering around a store for hours looking for the wines from Argentina because they are not grouped by geographical area.
Wines should then be grouped in type within the area, so that the wine bottles are easy to decide between. Reds should be grouped apart from whites wherever possible to avoid confusion, especially given that many bottles are clouded or dark.
The right wine rack can make all of the difference in the world in terms of storing the wine, too, so a proper wine store should have the right wine racks. Without the right wine racks, the wine can be stored at the wrong angles or inclinations which can be bothersome to some wines with more sediment than others.
Other wines may need to be stored straight up and not on a wine rack at all. The staff at the wine store should be knowledgeable enough to know the difference.
It is important to go to a wine store where the staff is knowledgeable about the wine. If you are working with staff that has little to no interest in the product they are selling, you may want to consider going to another wine store because it may mean that they take very little pride in handling the wine.
You should go to stores that offer taste tests regularly and that have clearly marked sections and wine descriptions throughout the store. Some people choose their local liquor store, but true wine lovers seek out a winery shop or a speciality wine store.
All in all, finding the ideal wine store can be a challenge. If you are unsure about wine stores in your area, you can always look around for a specialty shop that delivers or that you can reach by taking a small trip to. It may very well be worth it to spend the extra time and money on finding the right store for your wine purposes.
A good wine store can be hard to find, but it is all worth it in the end when you open that delicious bottle of your favorite wine.
While we won't attempt to unveil the mysteries of money, cars and taxes, we will delve into what we know best-wine and demystifying the elusive wine store.
While some stores may arrange products in unique ways, the basic anatomy of a wine store is somewhat universal. There are typically walls, shelves and racks of wine bottles proudly poised for purchase. Red and white wines may each have their own sections, while champagnes, ports and other specialty wines might be tucked away from main traffic areas.
In contrast, supermarkets, high-volume mass merchandisers and big-box retailers will typically group like wines together or shelve by a particular producer's label. Many wine labels carried in a supermarket are recognizable, since they tend to be high-volume sellers often supported by hefty advertising campaigns.
In a store devoted exclusively to wine and wine accessories, a consumer is more likely to discover lesser-known, exceptional boutique wines that don't enjoy the benefit of advertising dollars to promote them. Instead, these small artisan vineyards rely upon a savvy wine store owner to carry their label and a curious consumer to seek them out.
Perhaps the most powerful distinction of buying wine in a wine store versus a supermarket is in the knowledge of the wine offered for sale. If you have a question, supermarket shelves can't answer back, and employees are usually uneducated when it comes to wine.
If you're looking to try something new, how do you know which wines you'll like? Which wines are great paired with specific foods and which will be good standing alone? Are all zinfandels created equal, and what is a blend?
Every wine has a story. A wine store expert can tell you the story behind the wine, while helping guide you through the decision-making process. Most will know the questions to ask and the answers you're hoping to find.
But keep in mind that not all wine stores are created equal. Find a neighborhood wine merchant that is willing to spend time with customers talking about wine. Make sure you feel comfortable asking questions and that the staff is willing to help and assist. Finding a store with exceptional customer service in a warm, friendly and inviting environment should keep you coming back.
Dispelling the misconception of price, you can't assume that you'll pay less in a supermarket and more in a wine store. In today's competitive market a wine store might carry more than 100 labels priced at $25 or less.
Overall, finding something you like has less to do with price and everything to do with your palate. Understanding your palate is essential for determining the wines you'll like. For example, you may enjoy buttery chardnnay. If you open an oak chardonnay instead of a buttery one, it may not suit your palate. It doesn't matter whether you spent $3 or $50 on that bottle of oak chardonnay, if you don't like oak. The price doesn't change the wine.
So how do you begin to understand your palate? One way is to learn by doing-exploring the differences through tastings will help train and develop your senses. There's no reason you shouldn't be able to find the right wine every time once you understand your tastes.
Buying wine should be as enjoyable as drinking it. When visiting a wine store, look for something similar to our signature, trademarked barometer that gives you a flavor and body index to gauge where a wine falls on the fruity versus dry scale and the degree to which the wine is light or full-bodied. There's no right or wrong wine-only what's right for you. We think you'll be pleased with what is available on the market today at affordable prices.
Both Mike Selvon & Lil Lepore are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Mike Selvon has sinced written about articles on various topics from Camping, Allergies and Personal Desktop. Mike Selvon owns a number of niche portal. Please visit our portal for more great tips on shopping for a. Mike Selvon's top article generates over 450000 views. to your Favourites.
Lil Lepore has sinced written about articles on various topics from Wine and Spirits. Lil Lepore co-owns Vino 100 in Valencia (with Shari Frazier), California, a unique specialty wine store offering boutique, handcrafted wines from small, artisan vineyards, as well as a large selection of gifts and accessories. 661-294-6886. Lil Lepore's top article generates over 480 views. to your Favourites.