Try Before You Buy-2

I don’t like to gamble. It’s against my nature to throw away real money to chance. I did bet on a horse race once in Brighton, England, because I sensed a synchronicity between a jockey and his horse as they warmed up. It was one of those turf tracks where the race starts in front of the stands and the horses run off into the overcast countryside then come pounding back later for the finish. My horse won. I figured I just got lucky, so I pocketed my winnings and used it later for a lavish meal.

I can’t remember the last time I had so much fun buying wine.

I don’t like to gamble. It’s against my nature to throw away real money to chance. I did bet on a horse race once in Brighton, England, because I sensed a synchronicity between a jockey and his horse as they warmed up. It was one of those turf tracks where the race starts in front of the stands and the horses run off into the overcast countryside then come pounding back later for the finish. My horse won. I figured I just got lucky, so I pocketed my winnings and used it later for a lavish meal.

Buying good wine can be a real crapshoot. Odds are the bottle that you walk out with will not be what you anticipated. The problem is all the marketing that goes into label design and brand recognition. The goal is to sell you on a concept, or some story behind the winery, so even before you’ve pulled the cork you’re in love with the wine and its stupid, phony image.

Labels are liars, and I don’t give a damn about image. I cut my own hair. I wear shorts, T-shirts, and sneakers. I drive a twenty-year-old car. I do care about substance, though. I care about the juice, all alone, buck naked, glistening in the glass.

There are ways to taste wine before you buy, but few are satisfying. Wine tastings at a shop or restaurant are usually tightly controlled, label specific (or distributor specific), and crowded with people. Winery tastings can be rushed and are usually mediocre. I love wine bars, but when I go to a wine bar I like to relax with friends and chat about everything but the wine. I drink wine at wine bars. When I taste wine I focus completely on the wine.

There is a solution to the tasting dilemma, and it’s right here in Charlotte. Winestore, located in The Morrison near SouthPark mall, is a wine geek’s playground complete with a merry-go-round that dispenses one-ounce samples of wine. It’s made by a company called Enomatic, and I can’t tell you the last time I had so much fun tasting wine.

Here’s how it works. You purchase a card with a magnetic strip. You decide on the value. Then you insert the card into one of the two Enomatic dispensers (one for red, one for whites). Make your choice, push a button, and a one-ounce portion spills into your glass. This self-service device has changed my wine-buying technique. No more gambling, no more trusting dicey sales people, no more disappointments. Samples cost from 50 cents to $2.90. I tasted fifteen different wines for less than $20.

This place is streamlined and simple—it’s big on design and image, but it delivers even more on substance. Most of the wines are priced under $25, but there is also a stock of very serious wines, such as the 2000 Clos Erasmus. I think it’s impossible to leave this place with a crappy bottle.

These are some of the better wines I tasted at winestore:

• 2006 Pomelo Sauvignon Blanc, Mason Cellars, Napa Valley. Light and crisp with tangy grapefruit flavors. $12.
• 2006 Elsa Bianchi Chardonnay, Argentina. Light color, caramel scents, slight oak. A smooth, easy-drinking Chardonnay. Great value for $10.
• 2005 Luca Chardonnay, Altos de Mendoza, Argentina. Slight ginger aroma, light color. A creamy, buttery texture, with hints of vanilla and bananas. This excellent high-end Chardonnay is a pet project of Laura Catena. Only 1,000 bottles were made. $30.
• 2005 Justin the Orphan (Cabernet/Syrah), Paso Robles. Medium garnet color, acidic nose. Hints of strawberry in fruit. This is a good central coastal California red kept in check, not flabby like so many others. $16.
• 2003 Aalto Ribera del Duero, Spain, 100% Tempranillo. Deep garnet color, excellent caramel aromas, very berry fruits, and good acidity. This wine develops and changes in the glass. Real complex. A wine you can linger over all night long. $57.

Van Miller’s wine column appears on these pages every other month. Ask him a question about wine or life at winemanvan@hotmail.com.

Van’s Wine of the Month

2004 Dido “La Universal” (34% Garnacha, 33% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 33% Merlot), Montsant, Spain. This a beautiful wine in many ways. The color is a medium to dark purple. It has an acidic nose, but an upfront grapey, cherry fruit followed by respectable but not heavy tannins. An excellent summer red. $15 at winestore. Located in the Morrison, at the corner of Sharon and Colony roads near SouthPark. 720 Governor Morrison St., Suite 150. 704-442-4024. www.winestore-online.com.