Do you have that wine?

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Earlier today I visited a message board run by a local retailer. There was a common question on the board that made me laugh.

"On vacation I stopped at [insert name of small, boutique winery here]. I was wondering if you carried their wines."

We always stop at wineries when we see them. I never fail to ask the winery folks two questions:

Do you have a web site?
Are your wines available outside of the winery?

Often, when I expect the wines to be hard to find, I’m told that no, they’re in the store right down the street. Maybe around a few corners, but available. This happened on Saturday when I asked the kind folks at Harmony Hill where we could purchase their wines. He mentioned the new Wine CART and then surprised me with "and Wild Oats, in Rookwood." Really? See. It was worth asking. It’s also worth asking because there are wineries out there who sell their wines only at the winery and via mail order.

Why do I ask if they have a web site? Because if I want more of the wine, I want to be able to attempt to order it online. Or at least view the stock online and make a phone call. Plus, I want to blog about it, and who complains about reciprocal links?

I guess my point is this – when you visit a small winery (or a large one, for that matter), it’s okay to ask questions. No one will get offended if you want to know where you can buy their wine later. And it keeps you from having to hear these words at every wine retailer at home in response to your question:
"No, I’m sorry, we don’t carry that wine."