One of the most common complaints I hear of the town of Hillsdale is that it’s a boring, uncultured hole. As I’ve found out, this couldn’t be further from the truth. While it’s not (insert larger, affluent city with a state university and thriving economy), the town has a remarkable number of cultural layers which one can uncover to find some great products, particularly of the alcoholic variety. This week, I will be talking about wine and looking at the offerings of four different establishments.
As a precursor to going out and buying great wine, I ask you to do two things. First, go out and read up on wine varietals and vintages for 15 minutes. While everyone has heard of Merlot and Cabernet Savignon, often some great, more obscure varieties exist on the shelves and a little knowledge of a good year and a good region can often go a long ways. Secondly, if you have a smart phone, go download a free app called Vivino. It allows you to scan wine labels and then give you reviews on the bottle. This has helped me on many an occasions, and Vivino can quickly turn 15 minutes staring at the wine shelf into three.
Dave’s Dolce Vita
Dave’s undoubtably has the best selection of quality wines in town. Dave’s wines are also expensive, even for a wine sho. The average price sits at about $20, which, unless it’s a special occasion, is too much for the average college student (particularly me). Nevertheless, some treasures can be found here. If you are looking for affordability, look to the California and French sections. I had a delicious 2005 Brownstone Shiraz the other day for under $10, and Dave’s also offers some wonderful Bordeaux blends that sit under $15. Don’t be afraid to poke around for awhile and maybe splurge a little extra if you find something really good.
Rite Aid Pharmacy
Rite Aid is a strange place to buy wine because of its tendency toward corporate mediocrity, yet it still turns up a few really great wines every time I go in. Again, you’ll want to look for the varietals that are less common. I found a 2009 Ergo Rioja for $8 (!) as well as a 2011 Da Vinci Chianti for $12. Rite Aid will frequently have clearance sales on their wines, at which point some great deals can be had.
Kroger
OK, so here is the method for buying good wines at a large grocery store chain. First, eliminate all the white wines. The store assumes that these will be bought by women looking for something sweeter (I’m sorry, but it’s true) so only tries to stock bottles which fulfill this requirement. Then eliminate the two bottom shelves of the red section. While on rare occasions a decent bottle under $7 will show up, it’s extremely rare and usually not worth the gamble. Finally, get rid of the merlots, cab savs, and pinot grigios. While these varieties can be good in other places, the store knows that because of the well-known names of the grapes these bottles will sell regardless, and thus the necessity for quality is not there as much, or they will attempt to make you pay out the nose. Now, you should be left with lesser known varieties, and this is where the gems are. Our own dear Kroger currently stocks some great Malbecs for under $10 (don’t forget the Kroger card!) as well as some Italian wines from Tuscany. As a final note, never ever purchase a Bordeaux or other French wine from Kroger. These fall into the “will sell because of the branding” category and are always terrible.
Broad Street Downtown Market
Broad Street easily has the best selection of American wines in town, and, next to Dave’s, the most consistent quality. Their California wines are great, and with quality selections in all price ranges, it can be hard to go wrong. It is here that I would advise to select more common varietals, as Broad Street carries several affordable, quality labels. They also carry a surprisingly great selection of quality meads, sherries, and ports, which may seem strange but are worth a try. While the local Michigan wine section seems appealing, do not be tempted. God made good Michigan wine; it’s called beer. Also, if you are looking for foreign wines, Broad Street can be sadly lacking at times.
While Hillsdale is by no means the wine capital of Michigan, with a little work some great wines can be found. The more you learn, the easier the good ones are to find.
