Daniel R.
Yelp
I must admit, I am not much of a wine drinker. What's the difference between a Cab and a Merlot? I couldn't tell you. What pairs best with a fine Italian meal? I'm not really sure. When do you choose a white over a red? I haven't the slightest. Why am I qualified to write this review? I guess we'll see.
Given my limited understanding of wine, I can feel a little out of my league when I walk into a wine store. When an employee asks me if I'm looking for something in particular, I generally respond with a blank stare of complete hopelessness. With any bit of luck, that person will take pity on me and walk me through the process with patience, but I can say that this is not the norm in my experience. However, at Kingston Wine Company, this appears to be the cornerstone of their most excellent operation.
In a mere twenty minutes of browsing the shop, I received a deeper and more complete education on wine than I ever had before. On the day of our visit, the shop was offering a tasting of one of the Beaujolais Nouveau releases. What I appreciated most was that I wasn't just given a glass and made to wander about the shop. There was no feeling that the hard-sell was coming. Instead, I was given an A-Z education on the history of this selection, why it tastes the way it does, and how it's different from other wines. My attention was then brought to an enormous chalk-drawn map on the wall behind the counter. I was then given a crash course in the many ways that the geographic origins of the grapes influences the final product. We ended up purchasing a bottle of what we sampled and plan to open it during the Thanksgiving holiday.
For a novice like myself, I really appreciated the attention I received at the Kingston Wine Company. The patience, education, and accessibility offered by the staff was unparalleled and makes awarding this five-star rating rather easy.