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Wines that are good…and good value too!

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 29/06/2017 (3344 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Mo Razik isn’t sure where some people got the idea that private wine stores charge through the nose while government-run stores offer Boxing Day prices year-round, but he’d like to put an end to it once and for all.

The executive director of the Independent Wine Merchants Group of Manitoba believes wine drinkers who compare prices at the private stores and the other stores will be pleasantly surprised.

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“We are not expensive. We are more mainstream. We have some expensive wines and some exclusive wines but that doesn’t preclude the people who are looking for every day value,” he said.

Indeed, walk into any of our Independent Stores and you’ll find numerous bottles that you can buy with the change in your pocket.

While scouring the world for new and delicious wines, Razik said representatives from Independent Manitoba wine stores always have value in the forefront of their minds and have since first coming on the scene in 1994. International suppliers are constantly pitching their wares but it’s not uncommon for just a small handful to be deemed worthy of shelf space.

“If the wine is a dog, it doesn’t matter what price it’s offered at. It doesn’t have to be a Cadillac but if it’s a good value (we’ll sell it),” he said.

Staff at member Independent stores – Kenaston Wine Market, DeLuca Fine Wines, La Boutique Del Vino, The Winehouse and Fenton’s Wine Merchants – know their wines but more importantly, they’re passionate about wine and pairing it with food.

“They love what they do and what they sell,” Razik said. “They are all dedicated to the wine industry and what it stands for. If a customer walked into one of our stores and asked for the best wine because of the high alcohol content, that’s not our gig. But if they say they’re doing a certain meal with a certain sauce, our dreams go to occasions when we’ve tried this type of food and which wine was delicious with it.”

You know those old adages about drinking red wine with steak and white wine with fish or chicken? Razik said you can throw those out and drink whatever you want with whatever food you want.

“There are no rules. Who sets the rules? It’s not like any other situation in society where there is a law. There is no wine police that says you have to drink this with that. It’s up to the person’s own taste. If your favourite food is fish and your favourite wine is red, then have them together,” he said.

A growing number of people are increasingly opting for a third choice during the summer months – dry European rosé. Razik said its popularity has gone to the moon over the last three years, including a 1,000 per cent increase in our stores’ sales in Manitoba in 2016.

“They are riding a trend that has no end,” he said. “I perceive them to be great with any food of a similar colour, like shrimp or salmon, but you want to have rosé because it’s a good summer wine and if you chill it with a steak, it tastes great. It has the best of both worlds.”

geoffkirbyson@mymts.net

VIEW OUR TOP 30 WINES UNDER $20 SPECIAL FEATURE HERE