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***quote: "LA, nice write up. I always wonder how there are so many brands of wine. For example, if you recommend a red wine for me to buy, what are the chances that I can find it at the local grocery store, or some small wine store in a strip mall?
I know there are some bigger liquor stores in town, but with so many wineries, how do the stores decide which brands to stock?" ***close quote
Well, there certainly is no shortage of wine on the shelves. Over the years I've tried most of them and most of it isn't that good. But the good wines and the great wines keep us coming back for more.
Here in California, Costco is a good place to shop for wine. They have a good selection of very good wines and their prices are hard to beat. World Market/Cost Plus is also a good place to shop for wine, but not as good as Costco. They don't have the same buying power so their selection of good-to-great wines is not as good. Their prices aren't as good, either.
As far as shopping in your neighborhood grocery store, good luck with that! It's definitely hit and miss. The best buys in grocery stores will tend to be wines from Chile, New Zealand, and Australia (and to a lesser extent, Argentina.....Argentina produces excellent wines but their export market is run like some third world dictator's hobby), as opposed to American wines. Those countries market a lot of their wines in America at the lower price levels that grocery stores tend to carry. As a rule of thumb, good red wines from Chile, Australia, and Argentina and good white wines from New Zealand should be available in most Houston grocery stores for around $15.00 and under.