Wine Shops

Wine Shops are great places to buy wine. Wine shop owners and staff usually are wine lovers and very knowledgeable. Like sommeliers, they sell wine, but they really want you to have a good experience, so don't be intimidated. Tell them what kind of wine you are looking for and how much you want to spend and let them guide you with their knowledge and expertise. Don't be inhibited by wine terminology. You know why you want to buy a bottle of wine and what you like and don't like. Wine staff just love helping you find just the right wine. Especially if you are just getting into wine, wine shop personnel can help. When I was first learning about wine in my graduate student days , I learned a tremendous amount from Fritzy Haskell at the best wine shop in Minneapolis.

For example, three of my favorite wine shops are La Cantina in Laurelhurst and Pike & Western in the Pike Place Market and Champion Cellars near the Seattle Center. Mike Dodson at La Cantina, Michael Teer at Pike & Western , and Stephanie Ninaud at Champion have been advising wine lovers for close to thirty years and they continue to do so with expertise and enthusiasm. Mike has a particularly nice selection of French Burgundy based on his tasting trips to France. Michael has just the right wine to take home for dinner that night. Stephanie Ninaud, at Champion Wine Cellars near the Seattle Center will help you find that special bottle of French wine you can't find anywhere else.

There are lots of other great wine shops in the Seattle area. What are your favorites?