The number one reason to shop these stores is customer service. Tell them what you like, and how much you want to pay, and you ll get an intelligent answer. Unlike larger operations, these folks actually taste most of the wines they offer to ensure that you are getting a great bottle of wine. And although they re knowledgeable, they re not snobs, and they re pretty darn excited to get the uninitiated into the world of wine. Another reason to patronize these shops is quality.
Wine shops are usually the first retail outlets to procure wines wholesaled in limited quantity.
With more and more wine made in a similar style fruity, fullblown and oaky specialty stores are the place to go for wines that taste like wine, that aren t burdened by the sameness that infects so many mass-produced varieties. They also handle their inventory with care, and they ll take back flawed bottles the dreaded corked wine that s estimated to affect 3 to 7 percent of all wines. A third reason to seek out a specialty store is that there s always someone available to answer any and all questions. Don t rely on wine scores from publications like The Wine Spectator or Robert Parker, whose palates could be wildly different than yours. Local wine buyers say the best thing customers can do is explain what they like to drink, what style they re looking for and a price range.