Welcome all Wine Lovers,
First of all, I want to thank all of you for making 2008 a very successful year for West Point Market’s wine department. To say the least, it’s been a challenge. Just one look at the newspaper is enough to scare anyone to death…nothing but doom and gloom. But, we’ve managed to grow despite it all. We couldn’t have done it without you so, thank you again. Since I’ve come on board at West Point in April 2008, I’ve instituted many changes in the wine department. I’ve expanded the European sections, restarted the evening tasting program, and in general, reconfigured the entire department. This is only the beginning of all the changes and additions I have in mind.
The first change for 2009 is an expanded Saturday tasting program. This will replace our Friday’s Uncorked format. Up until now, all we’ve offered on Saturday are a few wines poured at our counter for either a quarter or fifty cents in small plastic cups. That will continue for those who just want a quick taste.
In addition to that, we will offer a separate tasting in the center of the store, just outside the café, where we held our December Champagne tasting. You will buy a ticket in the wine department and get a glass and a tasting sheet for the tasting. Topics will vary and so will the price. It will be based on the value of the wines poured. By eliminating a set fee and a set number of wines, as we had at Friday’s Uncorked, we’ll now have more flexibility to vary the topics. This event will essentially be a mini version of our once a month evening tastings. We may have one person pouring 4-5 wines or we might have two people pouring 8-10 wines. Cheese and bread will also be provided regularly as a palate cleanser. However, from time to time, we might have a cooking demo in conjunction with the tasting. The tasting will run from 12:00-3:00. Our intention is to keep the concept flexible and exciting.
We’ll have a monthly schedule available in print in the wine department, anyone on our mailing list will receive the schedule in an email, and the schedule will be posted on the website, as well. We will also list how many wines will be poured at each tasting. My plan is to launch this program in February. All of our attention in January will be devoted to the Best Buy Red tasting on Wednesday, Jan. 28th.
We know it will take a little while to get used to but, we feel the new format will be far more interesting and educational. I look forward to any feedback and ideas you may have.
Mario