Wine: let's talk about how it gets to you

 What is the best wine to have? The wine that is already in your belly. Okay, that was a cheat. Its because after you decide you want to have some wine you try to figure out where to go get the said bottle of wine. In my case I have gone to 7-11, Beverages and More, Trader Joes, Safeway, Vintage Wine Merchants, Ferry Building Wine Merchants, Grocery Outlet, Whole Foods, and Dig in San Francisco. 

Now, for me, I do sometimes 3 visits. One just to see what is available, two grab a bottle to try or spend some time asking questions like who is your distributor or if there is anything new. 3rd visit is when I actually buy something - except in the case of Dig due to limited hours and location. 

Next, I have got to choose what grape I want to taste. Merlot is fine but Vino Verde can be really nice with a summer pasta dish and ice cream sundae. I admit I usually like a pink bubbles but, I am trying to enjoy my meal with a something something. If I am heading for my picnic I want something chilled and light enough to enjoy reading a book or falling asleep under the tree. At the beach a canned wine is preferred, if just for the convenience. 

My choice is Merlot and Chardonnay and a Pink sparkling because I need a little fun. Now, I am the WORST PERSON TO GO SHOPPING WITH! One, I look at the grape, I look at the location, vineyard, alcohol level, the back label to see if the vineyard matches the manufacturer or is it a distributor ? 

THEN! I look at the price of something. Is $10 too much or $30 way too much? When a label just says California versus North Coast versus Anderson Valley there is at least a $5 tab on it. Is it a generic label or does it state the winemaker, vineyard and vintage - tack on another $5 for those details. 

Now, how many and how different? I am usually only picking up one bottle. Grocery Outlet keeps sending me "deals" of purchasing more than 1 bottle or 20% bulk bottles. If you have ever walked into a liquor store and just looked at a label and price and picked it up I envy you. Though I do like to do that but its more of a meditation kind of thing with me. I go walk into a grocery store or Bev Mo and wander up and down aisles picking up a bottle here and there examining it, putting it back on the shelf and continue wander through the aisles. 

Here is my bone to pick, whether to you go to Trader Joes, Whole Foods, or Vintage Wine Merchants in the San Jose area you are going to find similar wines ( except for branded wines ) in Safeway and Grocery Outlet (except 2nd label generic wines ) because there is Southern Glazer's and that is it because so many distributors have been bought out or moved out of the area. I rarely see Young's Market distributing wine so, who is shipping the wine and where do the wine stores have to go to get unique wines? 

Even Joseph George wine store on Meridian Ave. is having trouble finding wines to sell that you can't get elsewhere. Here is the 2nd problem for the wineries like the ones in Fredericksburg, TX the demand to have 10000 bottles to sell. So, what do I do? Honestly, its tempting to take a weekend and about $2K in cash and tour a wine region. Napa, Gilroy, Monterey, Central Coast, Livermore, Santa Cruz, and just fill up on my fair share of wine to enjoy. 

Dig was the special spot because it had all international wines to purchase and I was really, REALLY excited to go ( $100 later ) I didn't find the wine I wanted right now, I found wines I want in my wine closet forever. 

Here is the truth, if you want a wine to drink getting it from a box is fine, but let's not kid ourselves here we go to places like Carmel and Santa Barbara, Portland Oregon and New York we want an experience that comes from drinking wine that itself is a fallacy. So, just remember to look at the distributor, who owns the market , and read the label :)