I am a huge fan of Empire Wine and Liquor in the Northway Mall. I like the owners, I appreciate their marketing, which is frequent without being irritating, and I value their customer service which always saves me time. They do this Ship 4 Free thing which is an offering of 4 bottles of wine, shipped without cost. Pretty cool, huh? I don't bother to have them ship to me, (why waste the resources?) but I do like the idea that they are selecting wines for me and I can avoid the feeling of being overwhelmed when faced with shelf upon shelf of bottles. Vino overload!
I planned to pick up my four bottles of Ship 4 Free Chardonnay last Friday and decided to check in on the Empire website to see what else I could add to my order. This little gem attracted my attention and, on a whim, I added 6 bottles to my order. I mean, really, Chenin Blanc, Viognier, 90 points from Robert Parker, less than $9 a bottle - why not? Well, looks like I'll be picking up a few more bottles of this perfect summer swilling sipping wine! The flavor is floral and mildly fruity making it perfect with food (like the arugula salad I served for Sunday's brunch) or for enjoying sans food.
Steve Barnes had a recent post on his Table Hopping blog about "chef driven" wine lists and the Pine Ridge appears on the recently updated New World Home Cooking wine list for $34 a bottle or $9 a glass. I know I'm new to the wine buying game (but I am trying to make up for lost time!), but the pricing seems a little excessive to me. Isn't there a loose rule about making the bottle cost in 2 pours or something like that? I understand that Empire does tremendous volume and gets the best pricing available, but paying more for a single glass than the price of an entire bottle rankles me. So, I'll drink this wine on my deck at home. Feel free to stop by!
I've been a fan of this wine for some time. Whites are totally under appreciated by many wine drinkers, and are often a great value.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of wine by the glass, my understanding has always been the price of the glass is often the wholesale price of the bottle. But don't get me started on wine by the glass service and pricing in this town... or wine lists for that matter. It gets me all riled up.
Cheers.
I'm intrigued... I'm slowly learning to stop being such a red whore and venture out into white territory a bit. 'Tis summer after all!
ReplyDeleteGoing to miss the festivities, likely won't be back from some much needed R&R at the lake. Thanks SO much for the invite!! Have a great time and hope to catch up soon
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