Wine is the accompaniment to good food, conversation and celebration. But some consumers find wine to be as intimidating as it is intoxicating. Kathleen Foley fell in love with wine when she drank a red variety that she says tasted like velvet. It didn’t cost more than $10, but she says it felt like luxury on the palate.
That’s why she opened the Wine Crier (2070 N. Clybourn Ave.; 773-404-8684). The name is, by definition, a French public official commissioned to promote the sale of wine. Foley hopes to de-mystify the wine buying experience by letting customers experiment with samples at a tasting table at the front of the store. That’s where she teaches consumers to examine the color, fragrance and, finally, the flavor of the liquid.
If you like what you see, smell and taste, try to remember the brand. You’ll probably always like it. The Wine Crier showcases wines from California, France, Australia, Spain and Italy as if they are pieces of art.
Wine-lovers say their favorite wine usually is the one that someone else buys. If you’d like to provide the best of the house, here are The Wine Crier’s top 10 recommendations, all costing under $20, proving you don’t have to spend a lot to enjoy the art of drinking good wine.
1. 1999 Buckley’s cabernet/merlot, $9.99
2. 1999 Tatachilla-Wattle Park shiraz, $10.99
3. 1999 Villa Maria riesling, $12.99
4. 1997 Castell Del Remei Gotim bru, $12.99
5. 1997 Tria Napa zinfandel, $19.99
6. 1997 Barnwood Vineyards chardonnay, $12.99
7. 1998 Domaine de Guicharde Cuvee Genest, $12.99
8. 1998 Hartford chardonnay, $19.99
9. 1998 David Wynn chardonnay, $10.99
10. 1997 Colognole Chianti Rufina, $10.99
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WGN-Ch. 9’s Joanie Lum surveys the bewildering world of shopping in this column, on the second and fourth Fridays of the month. The week of each column, Joanie will have more on Thursday’s “WGN News at Nine” and Friday’s “WGN Morning News.
Send inquiries to meng@tribune.com
