Costco Sells Wine and Toilet Paper

"I don't think so," said Álvarez-Peters. "People can look at it that way. But at the end of the day, it's a beverage."

In many ways, Annette Alvarez-Peters hit the nail on the head. The problem for diehard wine sniffers is she is Costco's principal wine buyer and is responsible for buying more than $1 billion worth of wine every year for 337 of its big-box stores in some 34 states.

In fact, she may be the most powerful person in the American wine-industry today and she doesn't just have the power to buy wine. Her decisions can set the price for a wine nation-ally across the country, some-thing wineries and many other smaller retailers fear daily because once your wine is $10 in Costco, it's hard to sell it for $22 in any other retail outlet.

But back to the toilet paper. It may have been an unfortunate choice of product comparison, but the tissue we all need is the No. 1 seller at Costco, not wine. My feeling is Ms. Alvarez-Peters has nothing to apologize for. Costco offers rock-bottom prices on a couple of hundred wines. The listings come and go and some of the labels sold are the most famous in the world.

What I have noticed is the quality of wine sold in Costco is inversely proportional to the economy. In tough economic times, when some wineries have trouble moving their top wines, a surprising chunk of well-known labels can show up in Costco. During better economic times, the Costco selection gets a little less interesting for the wine geeks. But week in and week out, it moves thousands of boxes of wine based on a price and quality level that matches customer demand to a tee.

Here in British Columbia, we don't have these problems because you can't buy toilet paper at BC Liquor Stores and Costco isn't allowed to sell alcohol in B.C. That doesn't mean you won't find any value in government stores, but at a 123-per-cent markup, plus GST, you need to taste a lot of wine to find the bargains. Enter The Vancouver Sun. Today, we do just that in time for the arrival of the sun, and possibly the first big weekend for barbecue parties this spring.

If you haven't yet given grüner veltliner a try, maybe the Grooner Grüner Veltliner 2009 from Österreich, Austria is where you should start. Expect an attractive slate, spicy, lees nose with a wisp of smoke and lime. The attack is fresh and generous with mineral grassy, green apple flavours that line the palate and finish crisp. This is a delicious food-style white you can serve with a variety of seafood pasta dishes, shellfish and chicken. Excellent value.

Value is also a fine descriptor for the Three Winds Viognier 2010 from Languedoc. The nose is a mix of floral, honey, green pineapple aromas sitting over a fresh, somewhat sweet palate with honey, citrus, baked pear, ginger, baked apple flavours. A simple, attractive, easy-sipping style for the money.

If you are looking for a Costco bargain in your BC Liquor Stores, check out the Chat-en-Oeuf Rouge 2010 from the Rhone Valley. At $13, this spicy, ripe Grenache-Syrah blend with fruity, licorice, gamy nose is a steal. It's hard to beat the freshness of this simple southern French red with its juicy black cherry/plum, liquorice, garrigue and smoky flavours. Would be a perfect fit for summer-styled, grilled-chicken dishes.

A bigger, richer red for lamb and or steak is the Montes Alpha Syrah 2009, from Colchagua, Chile. Look for minty, bay leaf, peppery, savoury, black cherry aromas with liquorice, gamy, leather notes and a touch of blueberry. The palate is full and chunky with blue-berry jam, blackberry, vanilla, cedar, tobacco, licorice, peppery, minty, dried herb flavours. A youthful, rustic, red with fine fruit concentration, this still needs a few years to round out. It is best to decant now and serve with a rich piece of meat.

The week's best deal is La Domeliere Rasteau Côtes du Rhône Villages 2010. It's almost unthinkable that the 2010 could be as good as the 2009, but it may be even better. The mix is a blend of 70/20/10 Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre, and it grabs your attention from the nose to the finish. The nose is a mix of ripe red and dark fruit flavours with smoky, spicy notes. The entry is fragrant (a nod to the slightly cooler 2010 vintage) with soft, slippery black cherry and plum fruit with bits of kirsch, licorice root and savoury, meaty notes. This is a barbecue star you should buy by the case.

The finale is one of the best South African wines listed in B.C. The Chocolate Block 2010 is a complex mix of peppery, savoury, tobacco, gamy, resin and black licorice aromas flecked with blackberry, cassis, leather and menthol aromas. The attack is fresh and juicy, the palate rich but with light tannins. There is excel-lent Syrah expression here with smoky, meaty, savoury, black cherry, plum, vanilla and game flavours in a well-balanced, cleaner style. Drink now or over the next three to five years.

Grooner Grüner Veltliner 2009, Niederösterreich, Weinland, Austria

Price: $17

UPC: 00089744754547

Score: 88/100

Remarks: Delicious food-style white you can serve with seafood pasta, shellfish and chicken.

Three Winds Viognier 2010, Vin de Pays d'Oc, Languedoc, France

Price: $14

UPC: 3760143270629

Score: 87/100

Remarks: Simple, fresh, attractive easy-sipping style for the money.

Chat-en-Oeuf Rouge 2010, Côtes-du-Ventoux, Rhone Valley, France

Price: $13

UPC: 3430560001419

Score: 87/100

Remarks: Soft, spicy, juicy black cherry, plum, licorice, garrigue and smoky flavours.

Montes Alpha Syrah 2009, Valle del Colchagua, Valle del Rapel, Region del Valle Central, Chile

Price: $25

UPC: 00715126000161

Score: 89/100

Remarks: Youthful and a bit rustic, but with fine fruit concentration.

La Domeliere Rasteau Côtes du Rhône Villages 2010, Rhone Valley, France

Price: $20

UPC: 664605313080

Score: 90/100

Remarks: It's unthinkable that the 2010 could be as good as the 2009, but it may be even better.

The Chocolate Block 2010, Western Cape, South Africa

Price: $45

UPC: 6002039007665

Score: 90/100

Remarks: One of the best South African listings in the province.

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/life/Cheap+sippers+deliver+taste/6611654/story.html#ixzz1zOXwPrpn