Wine & Words

Chef Yvonne and I are getting ready to leave this morning on our road trip "north" to see kids, grandkid...and art. But before we go I wanted to get off another message to you about how we're planning for the new year.

At year-end all the wine experts, whether in print or online, are suggesting wine-buying "strategies" for the coming year. Some of these approaches emphasize value in difficult economic times. Others take advantage of the huge number and variety of wines available to American consumers, challenging us to be more adventurous in seeking out "non-classic" varieties and regions. Those expert in food as well as wine, recommend a program of exploring food and wine pairings, finding matches that really sing. Well, being no wine expert but just the local wine guy, I've decided 2009 will bring our Wine & Words friends opportunities for all of those approaches.

Over the years, I have chosen Monthly Features by grape (remember "Cabs & Chards"?), by country (Spain, Italy, France, USA), and by season (our recent "Wines for Holiday Feasts"). These topics have been educational, forcing me to do the research and find the wines that go with each month's themes. But they've also brought some ringers into our Wine & Words list, wines I wasn't really crazy about but that filled a slot in the theme. A couple of times a year, I found myself being frustrated when I was really turned on by new wines introduced by our various distributors but couldn't find a slot for them in that month's Featured Wines list. We tried a "New Arrivals" section, but without tasting and description and fanfare, some great wines languished unbought. This year I've decided to scrap the textbooks and engage you in the adventure of discovery. Mary and I have been perusing the year-end publications for suggestions on "Best Values" or "Undiscovered Treasures." Then we scour the NC ABC website to find who might distribute our finds down here in eastern North Carolina. We now have growing lists of wines of interest, but there's one more step before we introduce something new... we set up a tasting with our distributors and try the wines ourselves. It's the only way we can really stand behind our recommendations to you.

Whenever we taste a wine that really gets our notice, I then ask "how much?" Is this a wine we can sell at a price that will bring our customers back for more. We then think about where it fits in our list. Do we already have enough wine of that style and price-point? Would it be a good replacement for a wine that has been languishing on the shelf for some reason? From these experiences, we will choose our new wines and introduce them to you as a "Wine of the Week." If it's a new style, I'll write about why you should consider it. If it's a screaming value, I'll crow about the price. If it's a brilliant pairing with a particular food dish, we'll serve that dish at Back Bay Cafe and give you the recipe. If it's a little known gem, I'll share the thrill of discovery.

Yes, we expect 2009 to be another difficult economic year. But I heard an economist say, "Entertainment always flourishes during a recession." Here at Wine & Words we plan not only to bring you high quality food and wine, but to entertain and educate you in the process. Eating and drinking with style, tasting with amusement, learning about the world without the hassles and expense of air travel -- we resolve to bring you these interesting and entertaining experiences in 2009. The economy's going to take years to straighten out. Let's take this year to relax and have fun. Get ready for some adventures in wine in 2009!

While we're designing a new wine list, we all need some break time as well. Mary is going to have the Washington store open this week, January 7-10. Then we'll be closed until January 28, so Mary can have her break. So stock up now...and stay tuned!