What’s Your Wine Style?
That’s not a question people typically ask. They usually ask “What Kind of Wine Do You Drink?” But have you ever picked up a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon expecting it to be smooth and deep with berries and chocolate and instead you get wine that looks like the wine version of weak tea and tastes as sour as a Jolly Rancher?
At WineStyles in Fairview Park, that’s unlikely to happen. The wines are grouped by what you like, your style. If you like chardonnays, there’s a section for you. The website puts it this way: “The specific region within a country in which they were grown and produced distinguishes other wines, especially those from France, Italy and Spain. WineStyles’ inventory includes wines of almost every variety from countries and regions around the world. For centuries these are the ways wines have been identified. For the consumer, this does little to hint at how the wine actually tastes. For example, you might love a crisp, refreshing California Chardonnay, but a rich, oaky, buttery California Chardonnay would disappoint you. They are both California Chardonnays, but they taste worlds apart.” Some people like full-bodied bold reds while others like medium-bodied mellow reds. Full-bodied reds can run the gamut of a California Merlot to an Australian Syrah.
Most of the wines are under $25. The idea is to make wine more accessible to the average consumer (or maybe not so average, a lover of wine). “Our mission is to bring superb, world-class wines to wine lovers in our neighborhood at affordable everyday prices. Wine experts work diligently to carefully select unique labels (many exclusive to WineStyles) and we specialize in hard-to-find wines from large and small vineyards.” The store regularly hosts wine tastings so customers can learn about wine.
Like Cheers, WineStyles has its following on wine tasting evenings. Wine Club members receive a discount at tastings, so they show up on Thursday and Saturday evenings to taste the week’s celebrated wines. Special events, like tonight’s “Women Gone Wine!” can turn the store into a shopping extravaganza–shop tonight for Premier Design jewelry, Lill on Location handbags, “Foodie for Hire”, Tupperware, and Dove Chocolates–with wine. The store offers a wide selection of wine-related merchandise, gift baskets, weekly wine specials. They also offer special ordering of your favorite wines by the bottle or the case and available to you within 3 days.
Tomorrow night, Thu 8/25, WineStyles features Ohio wines in celebration of the release of my book Ohio’s Lake Erie Wineries. That probably means there will be a selection of reds and whites, mellow and sweet, that represent the Lake Erie region, or appellation, of wine. Kudos to WineStyles for selecting some Ohio wines for customers to taste and compare to other wine regions with which they may be more familiar. I don’t know what they are yet, but I’ll be able to tell you about the winery, the winemaker, and style of wine making so you can make an excursion to a local winery. The store will also feature Ohio wines at the tasting on Sat 7/27.
WineStyles is open Mon-Sat from 11AM to 8PM and on Sundays from 12-5PM. Join me from 6-8PM on Thurs, 8/24, at Winestyles Fairview Park, 3140 Westgate, Fairview Park, OH 44116, 216-712-6400, and find out your wine style.
Claudia Taller’s book Ohio’s Lake Erie Wineries was just released by Arcadia Publishing. Find out more about the book by going to http://OhioLakeErieWineries.blogspot.com and order it through Claudia by sending an e-mail to claudia.taller@yahoo.com.