The Wine Cellar and Tasting Room

241 A N.E. Broad St

Southern Pines

winecellar@pinehurst.net

Between the job, the kids, the house and the gym, reading up on the latest young vintner making waves in New Zealand can be just one too many things on the to-do list. Sure, it would be nice to wow friends by bringing an inspirational yet deeply complex wine with a perfect balance of acid and ripe fruit to the next dinner party. But how to know what to choose? Bookstores offer wine primers by the dozens -- but who has time to read them? Wine courses are a fun way to learn. But do you need an education, or do you just want to know what to buy? Thankfully, there's an easier way: Go shopping for a wine guru. A knowledgeable wine merchant who specializes in highly personalized service knows just the questions to ask to lead you by the hand to find exactly the right bottle for the dinner you're making. Or the party you're attending. Or the gift you're offering.

So how to find them? Think small. Stores where the resident wine guru is always in because they are the owner are the best bets. And think neighborhood. Stores that cater to walk-in business are more likely to spend the time talking through your dinner menu to determine the best wine pairing.

The salespeople at the giant wine outlets can help fill a shopping cart with wines from around the globe. And they can do it at $10 a bottle or $50. But getting the same salesperson more than once is rare. And for the easily intimidated, the stores' massive scale can be overwhelming.

Selections for big box stores are based on packaging, advertising, point of sale materials, availability and delivery.  Not passion. 

Passion for wine is what drives good retailers (certainly not money!).  Anyone can be passionate about the quality and taste of the $300 bottle of first growth Bordeaux.  What really does it for a good retailer is to snatch up the small quantities of wine that are fabulous values that they can pass on to their customers. They are usually from small growers and they don’t have full page ads in Vanity Fair or come with a beach umbrella.  It takes work to find these wines; they don’t come to you via a slick salesman.

Value isn’t a difficult word to define. It’s not a tough concept to convey. When applied to wine, value makes you do a double take after the first sniff or sip: You look down at the glass, back at the price sticker on the bottle, and a little smile appears. You have a sense that you have gotten away with something. Not a very scientific definition, to be sure. For the record, we use the word “value” to describe a wine whose price is low when gauged with its quality. In short: high score, low price, bingo. For consumers, the wine glut is a mixed blessing. On the plus side, so much wine is sloshing around that competition is driving prices down. On the down side, a lot of it is bulk swill bottled and packaged to present itself as a small label or winery. 

Space doesn’t permit me to list all my favorite values, but here are some current picks that are fabulous wines for the price.  Branch out!  Try something new!

VALUE WHITES

NAIA, RUEDA, SPAIN, 2002, Approx., $11

“Perhaps the finest blend of Verdejo (85%) and Viura (15%)

 I have ever tasted, this light-bodied, dry white is loaded

 with fruit. It offers an intense bouquet of orange marmalade,

honeyed grapefruit, and other citrus in a fruit-driven, refreshing

style with good underlying acidity. A great value, it will require

consumption over the next 6-9 months.”

RATED 88 POINTS, ROBERT PARKER, THE WINE ADVOCATE

STELLA PINOT GRIGIO, UMBRIA, ITALY, 2003, Approx., $9

“This wine actually tastes like Pinot Grigio, an enviable

 achievement given the quantity produced as well as its price.

 Elegant, clean, citrusy (oranges and ripe apples) notes are

 followed by a light-bodied white meant to be enjoyed over the next year.”

RATED 85 POINTS, ROBERT PARKER,

THE WINE ADVOCATE

(WINE BARGAINS ISSUE)

LA NOBLE CHARDONNAY, FRANCE, 2001, Approx., $9

“Le Noble's 2001 Chardonnay sees no wood,

and is all the better for it. Thankfully, there are

15,500 cases of this crisp, medium-bodied,

fruit-driven effort that reveals notes of white

peaches, honey, and citrus. This pure and delicious

wine is what the Australians call a "naked/virgin"

Chardonnay to enjoy over the next 6-12 months.

This is unquestionably the greatest Chardonnay

buy in the marketplace.”

RATED 88 POINTS, ROBERT PARKER,

THE WINE ADVOCATE

DOMAINE DU GRAND MOUTON MUSCADET

SEVRE ET MAINE, LOIRE, FRANCE, 2003, Approx., $12

Wow! This is unquestionably one of the finest Muscadets I’ve tasted!

 Its lovely, rich aromatics reveal pears, smoky minerals, and spice.

 Light to medium-bodied, it has mouth-coating richness, fabulous balance,

 as well as loads of sea salt-covered nut, lemon/lime, and white fruit flavors.

 In addition, this bone-dry wine reveals a tangy, saliva-inducing element

that simply cries out for food. Its finish is flavorful and admirably long.

Drink it over the next 2 years. What a Muscadet!

VALUE REDS

CHATEAU GRANDE CASSAGNE “GS”,

COSTIERES DE NIMES, FRANCE, 2003, Approx., $12

“The 2003 red is a delicious wine.  A blend of 50 year old

Grenache (44%) and 35 year old Syrah (56%) aged in tank,

 it is a complete, savory, unfiltered effort.   A deep ruby/purple

color is followed by a rich perfume of black cherry jam intermixed

with hints of licorice as well as pepper.  Revealing a fleshy texture,

medium body, and a soft finish, it will drink well for 1-2 years.”

RATED 88 POINTS, ROBERT PARKER,

 THE WINE ADVOCATE

(WINE BARGAINS ISSUE)

THORN CLARKE MILTON PARK

 SHIRAZ, BAROSSA, 2002, Approx., $13

“An outrageous value, the 5,000-case cuvee of 2002 Shiraz

Milton Park is an opaque purple-colored effort displaying

 loads of peppery, licorice-infused blackberry and cassis fruit.

 It is a big, succulent, South Australian fruit bomb to

enjoy over the next 2-3 years.”

RATED 89 POINTS, ROBERT PARKER,

 THE WINE ADVOCATE

MATUA PINOT NOIR, MARLBOROUGH,

NEW ZEALAND, 2002, Approx., $11

“Light in color, delicate in texture and flavor.

A finesse wine, with pretty raspberry and clotted cream flavors.”

RATED 84 POINTS,

THE WINE SPECTATOR

RED DIAMOND MERLOT, WASHINGTON, 2001, Approx., $11

A seriously good wine, and it’s hard to believe they’re practically

giving it away. With its depth of blackcurrant, chocolate and

coffee flavors that are long and deep, its rich tannins and

near perfect balance, it’s impressive from start to finish.

A very great value!