Let Take A Wine Journey  

Urban Uncorked is a wine and spirits store located on 147 Flatbush Avenue extension in Brooklyn, New York. As I entered the retail store I was shocked at the huge variety of wines all around. I was welcomed by the friendliest sommeliers on duty.They had a wonderful selection of wines and liquors from many different countries which amused me because when I thought about “wine” the first thing that came to my mind was Italy, France and Germany. These are initially the only ones I’ve been knowledged on but they are so many more countries which also have great wine.

The sommelier Susan Ellis was very helpful throughout my interview for this project. I was introduced to the two most popular wines in store which were Pinot Project and Processo. Both of these wines were very popular not only for their price but also because it is very difficult for winemakers to grow the grapes involved in the processing of creating them. These two wines are typically sensitive to climate changes and vine diseases as well as sun exposure and temperatures.

How much are consumers paying for a bottle of wine for a celebration?

When consumers are paying for a bottle of wine for a celebration they pay $40 or more. They mainly buy red wine rather than white wine not only because it is the most valued but it is also they one with more alcohol provided in it.

The sommelier Susan developed her knowledge by working in wine shops and drinking wine. She said that choosing the wine they sell is one of the easiest things because of course the seller wants to hand over the wine they have so that consumers can buy it, but they decide which wine is the easiest to sell in the location they are located in. One concept that they use to decide which wine is the best to sell is by tasting the wine and than making sure it fits what they think their customers would like. Naturals wines are the trend for the people who buy in her store she says many people go for natural wine because of where they come from and also the prices they are sold for. Her store also stores the wine 50-55 degrees which make it even better for those who are going to buy immediate wine to share with their loved ones.

France

Susan explained to me that Chablis was one of the most sold wines in the France section of the wine store. It is a nothernmost wine district wine of Burgundy in France. This wine is made in a cool climate which produces wines with more acidity and flavors less fruity which makes it dry. I like how we learned about this specific wine in our class and I come to the retail store to find out its the most sold in the France district. It’s good to see that things you never knew or heard about are really out there and very popular to those who enjoy their cups of wine here and there.

Italy

For the Italy region the best seller was Chianti Classico which is produced in Tuscany. This was another region we learned about in wine class. I really like how their posters of each country mention the famous regions that the wines are from.

New Zealand

Germany

Chile

We haven’t learned about Chile wines but the best seller in this wine retail store was the Refugio which is a pinot noir which is aged and fermented completely in stainless steel and concrete egg. They do not use oak to make this kind of wine. I can’t wait to learn more about Chile wine looks like they have a good selection.

I really enjoyed my interview at the wine retail shop because not only did I get to see new countries and regions where wines are produced but I also received some knowledge on the regions we haven’t studied on as of yet. Also relearning what I already knew because #istudywine about Italy, Germany and France made me realize that I finally know something about wine and I can go to a wine store and say I know at least three wines types in each region. One thing that did catch my attention as I left the store was “Sake” which to japanese is a rice wine but in reality it’s a beer. I found it interesting because Susan told me that normally beer is fermented by converting the starches in a grain into alcohol but in this case they do the same process with rice. I would recommend this wine retail shop to anyone who would like to furthermore their understanding of wine because they also provide courses and are very welcoming and eager to help students learn more about the topic and the background. Also free wine tasting Friday’s and Saturday go tasteeee guys!!!