There's a store a two minute drive from where I live - or if I was feeling up for it, a ten minute walk - that is both a deli and a wine shop. It's convenient for us but more importantly it has a broad selection of both inexpensive "finds" as well as top of the line vintages.
Last week a friend called to say they were dropping by for a quick dip - which usually turns into a long chat in the shade gazing at the pool - accompanied by some "perfect poolside" wine and some tasty treats scavenged from the frig (how long can you keep Italian salami anyway?).
I dashed quickly over to the shop in the mood to try some of their extensive rose selections and asked for a suggestion or three in the under $16 price range. Spotting the Muga Rioja 2005, I mentioned that this was in the style that I liked to give the clerk the opportunity to get a sense of my palate.
He chose two others, one from New Zealand and one from Provence - all in the price range - and I was out the door in a flash.
Assembling the little platter of goodies to eat, I decided that in the spirit of a lazy afternoon that the wine from Provence was the candidate to be shared upon the arrival of my friend.
Yikes. The wine was undrinkable. We tried another glass thinking that maybe there was leftover soap in ours and YUK (seriously that was our reaction) and the wine in our glass was immediately tossed on the lawn.
I can't believe my reaction. I was angry. I can't remember the last time I bought an undrinkable bottle of wine. WORSE, the wine was imported from a very well know US importer - one of the largest companies in the world. Didn't that used to be a sign of a reliable wine?
We immediately corked the bottle and today I will return it to the store and ask for my money back. It really isn't a lot of money to be wasting the gas to drive over to the store but I do want them to know that they are recommending an undrinkable wine.
I'm trying to figure out what went wrong. Was it wrong to trust the salesperson to make this recommendation - the other bottle that he recommended was decent enough although not one I would buy again. Should I have just trusted my own intuition and taken a few minutes more to inspect each of the choices?
Basically, I'm disappointed because now when I jump in there out of convenience I will have to avoid the person who recommended this wine for any future recommendations and in this tiny shop there is sometimes no other person on the floor.
So here's what I've concluded. You have to be willing to try something and not like it. That's all there is too it. And no matter what price range that experience is bound to happen once in a while. The answer just is to bring it back and ask for your money back. If the store doesn't honor your request then it's probably time to find someplace else to do your shopping.
But the other lesson is this. Don't be afraid to try new things. It's really the only way to get to know wine is to find what you like and what you don't like, learn and move on to the next.
But the other crucial lesson is this. If you're buying wine to entertain with the best solution is to probably go with something you know as it's not a fun experiment to serve something that nobody likes unless you have a "backup" in the wings.
Julie
