Wine Styles

My dream: be in the wine business. Not sure I'd want to run a retail store like Wine Styles, but it's good to see them in the Anchorage market. We needed a store like this, not because they provide great value, but it raises the general marketability of wine in an area.

Mrs. Frogged and I went to dinner at the Thai restaurant next door and then paid a visit to the Wine Styles store. Their strategy, as far as I can tell, is to provide a nice grouping of wines - fruity, crisp, bold, mellow, etc. - and then limit the selections within each of those groupings to a few hand-picked brands. I think it is a good concept and something that works for a certain group. I'm a bit disappointed in their price - I don't think you'll find any great values - but that isn't the purpose of the shop. And, I applaud them for that. We joined their wine club. I assume we'll keep it for a couple months, get to know the shop, and then probably cancel it.

I'd recommend the shop for anyone getting into wine, who might feel a little intimidated going into larger shops (like I am), yet wants to start exploring and being able to articulate and characterize their palatte. But, I think those people will end up seeing this kind of shop as a phase in their wine tasting journey, which is okay. Enjoy!

Dinner 1, Sartan 0

Well, our inaugral get together went off great and you'll now have several other posters on this blog. Last night we had a beatiful dinner of French country cuisine including lamb shanks, bread, beans, swiss chard, and salad. The wine selection included a nice Bordeaux, a 1998 Silver Oak cab, and a Châteauneuf du Pape. Sorry, I don't have any more info on the French wines at this point, but it's time to work.

Aussie Attack

Well, the first post of the Alaskan Grape Nuts... of course, we'll be lucky to keep these posts alive beyond a couple, so let's get right into it. I've been drinking quite a few Aussie wines as of late and truth be told, I'm ready to move on. The representative wines I've been drinking have been quite sweet and juicy. They come across very full and rich and luscious. That's nice and it is really impressive when you first start drinking it - the wine hits you like the fruit bomb it is and provides a full blast that makes you feel you're getting your money's worth. But, after a while, you start to feel that maybe there's something more.

Obviously there is... the wine world is pretty huge. But, it is an interesting point to be at. I'm really shying away from Aussie reds right now and have been trying a few California cabs. Also, we have a trip to Amsterdam and Paris coming up so the French wines will quickly be entering our rotation in preparation for that trip. Our first official gathering of the Alaskan Grape Nuts (although they don't know it yet) is Feb. 17th... and it's French night.