Stan The Wine Man

It’s been a crazy summer here in the San Juans and it’s put a cramp in my writing production. The thing about writing is that you need to do it all the time to keep the creative juices flowing. It’s sort of like running. If you stop for a period of time, it takes a ton of willpower to start up again. Writing to me is as difficult if I don’t keep at it consistently. So, if you are not enjoying this particular piece, it’s because I’m starting up again and things may be a bit slow.

Susie (my wife) and I were talking about the wine department last night. I have developed the department over the years and as a result, it is very busy. The concept of having a full-time sommelier in wine departments has slowly disappeared. It seems that a lot of chain stores believe that a central buyer can make informed decisions on purchasing for many different stores with quite different demographics. Sad to say that because of this, many wine departments in grocery stores are weak at best. How can a person let’s say from Seattle, make an informed wine purchase for a store in Darrington WA? The demographics are the yin and the yang and unless you live in Darington and understand your customer, you are not going to be able to purchase wine for the store that will sell. Sure you can fill the shelves with Barefoot and Robert Mondavi wines and probably sell some. However, if you have someone in the department that knows their customers and their palates, that person will be able to make informed wine purchases and develop a following. That is the key to success for independent and chain stores.

One might argue that Costco has tremendous success in the wine department and has a central buyer that makes decisions for all the stores. Costco, of course, is all about price. They run on a slim profit margin and because of that, many wine drinkers go there for a bargain. That being said, they run the risk of someone buying an inexpensive bottle and not liking it, because there wasn’t someone at the store to guide them. There are the Costcos of the world, and I admit that their model of low profit and huge volume works. All I’m saying is I hate to see the disappearance of wine stewards in the grocery stores. A good wine guy or girl can make all the difference, and I hope that some of these chain stores wake up and understand the value of personal attention that a good wine steward can bring.

Cheers!

Stan The Wine Man

There are a lot of wine drinkers that have sworn off Chardonnay, thinking that it somehow makes them hip to say they don’t drink Chard. I hate to break it to them, but Chardonnay is the top-selling varietal in the United States, and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down. The place that put Chardonnay on the map is Burgundy in France. Much different in style than you see out of California, using little if any oak treatment and reflecting the terroir much more than it’s new world friends. Chablis and White Burgundy are the favorites of even those who have claimed they won’t drink Chardonnay (new world versions of course). I tend to like all types of Chardonnay, but when picking a wine to feature for the month, I shy away from oaky, new world versions.

However, when I run across a White Burgundy that I think will be accepted by both old and new world palates, I jump at the opportunity to feature such a wine, especially at the right price. This month I found one that I think truly represents Burgundy whites, yet still falls in the arena of what a new world palate might except.

2018 Domaine Talmard Macon-Chardonnay (Burgundy, France)… $12.

A mix of apples and pears on the nose with a kiss of lemon and wet stone. Smooth and round notes of apple and pears up front on the palate, morphing into notes of minerals, wet stone and solid Granny Smith apple notes on the back-end. Baking spice notes sneak in on the back of the mid-palate. Finishes with minerals, wet stone and Granny Smith apple, joined by a hit of white flowers and lemon. Solid White Burgundy with a good balance of acidity, minerals and fruit. (B/B+)

Cheers!

Stan The Wine Man