This weekend included a lot of great wine. Saturday was an interesting day because I dropped my car off at Pep Boy’s to get my tires changed at 945 am. I got my car back at about 515 pm. So, all day, I was on foot in Westwood. Now, it was just my luck that this weekend was Wally Wine's semi-annual tent sale. Last summer was my first experience with Wally's sale, and it was marked by me spending too much money on wine, and not enough time trying the free samples. This time, I was determined to get the full experience, and I feel that I succeeded.
I walked the mile from the Pep Boys over to the store just in time for the opening. Now, Wally's tent sale is held in a tent (surprise, surprise) in the parking lot outside their store. I knew the general lay out from my visit the previous summer, so I took a quick lap around the tent to get my bearings and then made a little game plan for attack on the sale.
I walked the mile from the Pep Boys over to the store just in time for the opening. Now, Wally's tent sale is held in a tent (surprise, surprise) in the parking lot outside their store. I knew the general lay out from my visit the previous summer, so I took a quick lap around the tent to get my bearings and then made a little game plan for attack on the sale.
Naturally, my visit started with a trip to the Italian wine tables. I found a little table that 4 Italian producers were sharing. The wines they were pouring included a white from Veneto (a blend that was drinkable, but not worth the price tag) and a rosso di Montalcino (Brunello's little brother) from Canalicchio di Sopra. I was excited to try this wine and meet the maker, because when I was in Italy in 2008, I bought a bottle of his Brunello from the 2004 vintage. Talking with him (in Italian, of course) got me excited to drink his Brunello whenever I decide to pop it open. He simply told me to "wait for a good day" to drink it. Next in the lineup at this little table was a Barbaresco from up north in Lombardy. Like the rosso, this wine was also poured by the winemaker. It didn't strike me as anything special, and definitely not worth the price, but still, it was a quality wine and I was happy to try it and chat with the man that made it. Last in the lineup was the Amarone della Valpolicella. To me, this wine stole the show. As I was sampling it, a man came up and asked me what I thought about it. I replied by saying that I don’t have much experience drinking Amarone, but that I had always liked what I’d had. He and I started to talk a little bit and it became apparent that he really knew Amarone and just wine in general. When I asked him how he knew so much about this particular wine, he responded by saying that he made it and had been doing so for years. I picked up a bottle and had him sign it. After talking a bit more, he told me to write him if I ever made it up to Piedmont. I may have to take him up on that offer, it would be fun to get a tour of a vineyard up there.
Keep in mind that was just my first stop on my tour of the tent. Next, I moved onto the bubbly portion of the tent. I went here next because I knew that no matter what happened, I would not be buying a bottle of bubbly. I tried some of the famous champagnes in the world, I tried some pink champagne (see my post of pink champagne for my thoughts on this), and I learned a little bit about champagne, but didn't walk away with a bottle. Next stop was the Australian section. I tried an Australian Gewurztraminer and an Australian Tempranillo, two varietals that I'd never seen from Australia. I was generally impressed with them, but not impressed enough to buy one of them. I think I'll give Australia a few more years before buying into anything from them except Shiraz, but I think they are in for some good times in the future. From there, I moved onto more Aussie wine. This stop was on the lower end of the Aussie spectrum, but again offered more interesting wines. I tried several expressions of Shiraz that were from vines over 100 years old. I had no idea there were vines that old in Australia, but you learn something new every day. Also included in this tasting was a Riesling from Australia which was very tempting, but ultimately didn't find its way into my basket. The last wine from this stop was a Shiraz and Viognier blend. I had never seen this combination before, and despite my thought that a white grape and red grape would produce something light and rose-ish, it turned out to be an inky black wine that was incredibly dark, structured, and just great to drink. And, at just $10 per bottle, this wine made it into my basket along with the Amarone. This will be a wine to drink when I want to have something unique.
The last stops were in the domestic wine department. I went into the corner of the tent to a guy that was all alone with a few open bottles in front of him. I said hello, asked what he was pouring, and was on my way to trying several Bordeaux blends from Sonoma. His first wine didn't impress me much, but the second was great. The second was labeled a Cabernet, but was only the legally required 75 percent Cabernet, mixed with the other Bordeaux varietals. This wine, marked down from 50 to 30 dollars also found its way into my basket. As I picked up the wine, he asked me if he wanted a signature on the bottle. I had no idea that this guy I'd been chatting with was the winemaker, but as it turned out, he was. He asked me what I wanted on the bottle, so I told him to write a date on the bottle to open it up. He simply wrote: "drink it now" along with his signature. He then went onto explain that he thought that wine should be had when it was still young and unspoiled by too much age, and that too many people treat wine as a collectible, when in fact, it is meant to be enjoyed. He told me to open it young, which I intend to do. I'll write a post about aging wine later, and while I agree with some of his points, I also think he was a bit severe in his judgment of wine aging. I tried some more domestic wine on my tour of the tent, but didn't walk away with any more bottles. Just the 3 that I picked up from my tastings were enough for me. And, while I wish that I could spend about 5000 dollars there, I think that going into an experience like that, the knowledge that you gain from the wine makers and fellow wine lovers in the crowd will ultimately mean more than the wine you buy does.
Not many stores can pull off a wine sale like Wally's can. I don't know of any local stores that can persuade people from all corners of the globe to come, sell their wine at low prices, and pour free samples at their sale. I also don't know of many stores that will place cases of precious first-growth Bordeaux out in a parking lot for people to pick up at their leisure. Wally's is a unique wine store, and I've learned that it is one of the most respected wine stores in the United States, if not the world. If you are anywhere near Los Angeles, I highly recommend that you stop by the store sometime, you don't even have to buy anything, just looking through their inventory is an adventure in and of itself.
My stop at Wally's was a nice start to my day marooned in West Los Angeles. From there, I saw a movie, had a nice lunch, and then revisited the store with my friends later in the day. At the end of the day, my car finally finished, I was ready to leave that little area I'd been chained to, and to head back home.
Today, at our Sunday dinner, wine was king once again. It seems that my friends have begun to appreciate good wine as much as I have. We had a nice Barbera, a Syrah, a Pinot Noir, Rosso di Montalcino, late harvest Chardonnay, and a blend open at dinner, all of which were great. I like these dinners because everyone has the attitude that they want their friends to try good wine, so we share everything and get to drink some quality stuff without having to buy it all ourselves.
Not many stores can pull off a wine sale like Wally's can. I don't know of any local stores that can persuade people from all corners of the globe to come, sell their wine at low prices, and pour free samples at their sale. I also don't know of many stores that will place cases of precious first-growth Bordeaux out in a parking lot for people to pick up at their leisure. Wally's is a unique wine store, and I've learned that it is one of the most respected wine stores in the United States, if not the world. If you are anywhere near Los Angeles, I highly recommend that you stop by the store sometime, you don't even have to buy anything, just looking through their inventory is an adventure in and of itself.
My stop at Wally's was a nice start to my day marooned in West Los Angeles. From there, I saw a movie, had a nice lunch, and then revisited the store with my friends later in the day. At the end of the day, my car finally finished, I was ready to leave that little area I'd been chained to, and to head back home.
Today, at our Sunday dinner, wine was king once again. It seems that my friends have begun to appreciate good wine as much as I have. We had a nice Barbera, a Syrah, a Pinot Noir, Rosso di Montalcino, late harvest Chardonnay, and a blend open at dinner, all of which were great. I like these dinners because everyone has the attitude that they want their friends to try good wine, so we share everything and get to drink some quality stuff without having to buy it all ourselves.
I can't wait for Wally's next tent sale, but more immediately, I'm looking forward to next Sunday's dinner. I'll have to break out something good for the occasion. All in all, a great wine weekend.
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