Literally dozens of press releases cross my desk each day and most of them find a home in the basket from which there is no return. Not that they aren’t well intentioned. They are, but more often than not the idea being pitched is a reach, or it’s a tip for the holidays about three weeks after I’ve filed the last of my (pick any holiday) columns.
Occasionally there is something of interest, meaning something I would consider sharing with readers. Such was the case this morning when a public relations firm emailed a release on a new wine shop opening in a suburb of San Diego.
It’s not this one particluar wine merchant that intrigues me so much as the concept. The shop is part of a national chain, WineStyles, with 70 stores in 18 states. Wines at WineStyles are not organized in the traditional fashion, which would be by country or region.
No, someone here has been thinking outside the box, realizing that even among those who profess to love vino and drink a good deal of the stuff, some might be hard pressed to tell you what grapes are used in white Burgundy or red Rioja or any number of wines that are identified only by region.
So WineStyles organizes its wine selection by taste. Crisp whites, for example. Or bold reds. This is hardly a novel concept. My good friends Mary Ewing-Mulligan and Ed McCarthy authored a book last year aptly titled “Wine Style” and advocated the very same themes for choosing wines.
And for any number of years there have been enlightened restaurateurs who’ve grouped their wine lists by wine styles. But this is a new concept, so far as I’m aware, for the retail trade — and long overdue.
I mean, someone swings by the wine shop after work to pick up a bottle of wine for dinner with friends that night. Who has time to figure out the riddle of wine regions when they’re running late or the roast in the oven is about to set off the smoke alarm?
WineStyles, indeed. I love it.
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