Columns by John

John Brown has been a wine and food columnist in West Virginia since the 1980’s. His regular columns appear in the Charleston (WV) Gazette-Mail under the title Vines & Vittles and in The State Journal - a statewide business weekly

WineBoy economics 101: recession provides buying opportunities

There is no doubt that we are in a serious economic downturn, and I often ruminate on how these tough times are affecting the wine industry as well as those of us for whom the fruit of the vine is more than just an occasional dalliance.

I suppose there is both good news as well as bad in how the economic crisis is affecting wineries around the globe. The law of supply and demand has always been a major fact of life in the wine world.  When a bad vintage limits supply, prices go up and, conversely, an overabundance of wine drives prices down.

This usual supply and demand principle is now compounded by the world wide recession so, if you have a little disposable income, there are some bargains out there to be had.

You’ve heard me proclaim this before, but there are an incredible number of excellent wines in the $8 to $20 a bottle range if you are willing to do a little reading (like you’re doing right now), extensive shopping and internet research.  

Finding knowledgeable local wine purveyors is also very important. Locally, the folks at the Wine Shop at Capitol Market are excellent at determining what you like and then matching a price and wine for you. You’ll also find help at the Ashton Place Kroger and the Drug Emporium on Patrick Street. The Liquor Company in Patrick Street Plaza also has regular wine tastings and a great selection of wines and spirits.

I have always been a bargain hunter whether I’m shopping for food, wine or underwear. And while the price of underwear and food has remained steady, I have noticed that some wine retailers, especially those online, are offering their wares at sometimes steep discounts.

Here are some places where I occasionally shop online that seem to have very good prices now.  (A personal note about online shopping:  my rule of thumb is that I only do it for special wines I cannot find locally. It doesn’t make much economic sense for me to endure the inconvenience and cost of shipping to save a dollar or two.)


Online places to shop:  The Wine Club (www.thewineclub.com) - even with shipping costs of about $4 a bottle, I have found some wonderful bargains here over the years, particularly on
Bordeaux futures.

Appellation America (appellationamerica.com) is an especially good place to locate (and buy) hard-to-find wines from just about any wine region in the US.

Others worth checking out:  K & L Wine Merchants (www.klwines.com); MacArthur Beverages (www.bassins.com/wine); and Hi-Time Wine (http://www.hitimewine.net).

Here are a couple of value wines for you to try that should be available locally and are definitely available online.

2006 Las Rocas de San Alejandro Garnacha ($18) – It’s a brooding purple mouthful of black cherry flavors mixed in with earthy, mushroom aromas that make this grenache from Spain not only good for current drinking, but a keeper too. Decant it first for an hour then accompany it with pork tenderloin that has been rolled in garlic, coarse black pepper and rosemary and then roasted.

2007 Calina Chardonnay ($9) – This clean, ripe apple nuanced wine from Chile is a great expression of chardonnay fruit at its purest. Try it with pan sautéed tilapia with butter and lemon.   

 

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