Out shopping today, I spotted the wine guy at our local market. He has a good grin. Loves to chat about wine. So I said...what's the pattern of wine purchases here? Red? White? Cab? Merlot? Cab, he said emphatically. His store has a full row of it, six shelves high, a good mix of California and Washington vineyards. He keeps high end bottles in back, and showed me a few (Hartwell, Groth, both from Napa.) He says Washington (his humble opinion) has a few terrific red wines, but California is still the one that stupefies his mouth. "We're not there yet," he says. "I love Washington wines, but (he shakes his head again.) I agree, though a Quilceda Creek I tasted with a friend would make my top 10 list.
How about whites? I asked. Riesling, hands down, he told me. I said "Little old ladies?" He nodded. "And their grandaughters, those 20 and 30-somethings we always see looking cool and wary at local vineyards when they sample the casks? Are they more willing to try a big ol' Tuscan?" He nodded again.
Again, it fit my hunch, but we were interrupted by paying customer, so I didn't get to ask "What about price point? Are most of your regular customers hanging out around $20, like me, and spending more only when the wine is for someone special?" This
slows us down, of course, because we stay with what we know, so I've poked around the wine rack lately so see if there's anything else out there I like. Yes. I'll name a few next time I write.
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