Susie and I are getting super excited for our trip to the island of Crete! The rooms are booked the plane tickets are purchased the tours are all lined up. Basically, we are two months away from flying off to Europe. Neither of us have been to Greece and we know that we can’t do everything. However, what we do have planned should satisfy our curiosity about this very interesting and old country. It’s fun to watch Susie do the research, including the restaurants we want to go to. I can’t emphasis enough my wife’s ability to plan and coordinate our trips. She’s the best!
Summertime at Kings Market is in full swing. One of the reasons I love this time of year is the diversity of customers who roam through our wine department. Some items I’ve purchased that have been sitting on the shelves for months have disappeared. We are talking higher-end wines that I know most of my local customers will avoid unless there is a special occasion. Not so with the tourists. They are blown away by the selection of wines we offer and have no qualms about buying what they want. They are on vacation, so why hold back! I purchased a vertical of Chateaunuef-Du-Pape from a specific winery a while back, thinking that some of my peeps would enjoy buying some older vintages of this awesome juice. Well, I sold a few, but now they are almost gone within a period of three weeks. Someone out there, most likely a tourist, sniffed it out and took advantage. Good for them and good for me. Sometimes I wonder why I bought something for the store as I look at it sitting on the shelf. However, by the end of the summer that problem is usually gone.
Recently I noted that Albarino sales are not nearly as brisk as they were last summer. Well, I was a bit premature on that. Now, I can’t keep them on the shelf once again. From a wine steward’s perspective this is very exciting. It means that people are stretching out there palate horizons and trying new things. Of course, Albarino is hardly new, it has been around for a long time. Evidently, people have started to show an interest in it. What started this recent movement? I have no idea. Had Oprah been around to tout its virtues, I could understand that. However, I am not aware of such publicity for this varietal, maybe one of you can enlighten me. At any rate, I’m happy to see people clamoring for Albarino. I love this varietal myself, having partaken of it for many years. I will make sure the shelves remain stocked for the month of August when the sun is still shining and people are looking for whites to go with summer fare.
There are so many interesting whites to chose from besides the safe bets, such as Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay or Pinot Gris/Grigio. I have an episode on my Youtube channel featuring three whites that could be an option for the summer (or year round for that matter). Check out the episode, I think you will find it interesting.
This recent Albarino craze has inspired me to do a blind episode featuring said varietal. Old World vs New World Albarino. I’ll record it tonight, so you should see it published soon. I’ll be very interested in the results. Washington State has really embraced this varietal with great success, so it will be Washington State vs Spain in the blind battle. Who will come out on top? You’ll have to watch and find out.
Cheers!
Stan The Wine Man
