Food & Drink, Beverly

A guy walks into a liquor store to see how much good wine $100 buys

TOWN:Beverly
WHAT:Shopping with a guy who knows his way around wine
WHY:Because really enjoying wine can mean finding bottles you may not know about

America likes its wine cheap – close to 90% of wine sold at retail is priced well under $10 a bottle. So why spend more? One answer can be found on the bumpersticker, “Life’s too short to drink cheap wine”. If you’re ready to up your wine game, it’s fun to explore the fertile ground between cheap and expensive wine. 

I recently joined Freddy Cicerchia on a visit to Lighthouse Wine and Spirits in Beverly. I leaned on his expertise as we navigated the aisles in search of a few bottles that flew a bit under the radar. Freddy has 40 years worth of wine knowledge which he shared with me. He’s happy to share it with you, too, on his Father Daughter Wine website where he demystifies wine for all of us.

A walk down the wine aisle

Freddy chose Lighthouse because he’s known wine specialists Katrina Sullivan and Alex Murray for many years and respects their wine knowledge. In addition to everyday wines, Lighthouse stocks some truly rare – and expensive – bottles. We hit the European and New World aisle and Freddy went to work selecting three red and two white wines that he respects.

Five bottles with stories to tell

We started with Marquéa Rioja Reserve Rioja from Spain. Freddy loves this wine and shares more about the wines of Spain on his website. Wine Enthusiast gives it a 93 rating – well into the ‘great wine’ category. 

We then moved on to a French Loire Valley white. Dyckerhoff Reuilly is a close cousin to currently-popular – and pricey – Sancerre. You can learn a lot about Loire Valley wines by reading Freddy’s post

Freddy then grabbed a couple of Italian selections – Tiberio Montepulciano D’Abruzzo and Ascheri Fontanelle Langhe Barbera. Freddy has visited both vineyards and is friends with the winemakers so knows their wines well. He feels the wines are outstanding examples from their respective regions.

Our fifth bottle was a bit of a surprise – Garzon Albariño Reserva from Uruguay. Those familiar with Albariño, the grape from the Rio Baixas region of Spain, will find that this New World edition from an up-and-coming region every bit as good. Up-and-coming? Perfect for upping my wine game.

Totaling it all up

All five bottles turned out to be a cut above popularly-priced wines from their regions. Undoubtedly spending just a little more provided pleasant surprises and was exactly what was required to up my wine game.

How much more?

At checkout, our average bottle price came in at just under $18 and we walked out with $11 left over from our $100 budget. We were at Lighthouse on “Wino Wednesday” so enjoyed a 20% discount on several bottles at check-out, too. 

There are many good, locally-owned wine stores on the North Shore of Boston, a few of which are listed below. It’s both educational and fun to take advantage of the wine knowledge resident at these stores. Simply ask for help selecting a few bottles – you may be pleasantly surprised when you first fill your glass back home.

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MORE TO EXPLORE

Vin Fromage
152 Main St, Wenham | 978-468-1315
A new and classy addition to the North Shore
Website

Ipswich Bottle Shop
188 High St, Ipswich, MA | 978-356-2400
A extensive wine selection with many great values

Marcorelle’s Fine Wine
30 Central St, Ipswich | 978-356-5400
Conveniently located on Rt 1A, with a good selection
Website

Liquor Locker
287 Main St, Gloucester | 978-283-0630
Ask their knowledgable staff for recommendations