Review of the Wine Soiree In-Bottle Wine Decanter

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This Sunday I dropped on by Whole Foods on Ashland in Wrigleyville to met Drew Lazorchak inventor of the in-bottle decanter, Wine Soiree. I actually met Drew on Twitter, and as cool as the interwebz is for meeting people, meeting them in real life is a lot cooler.

Drew's action shot.

It was a surprising night in a couple ways.

I’m pretty much a hater when it comes to supermarkets and wine. Even the local Dominick’s, which I will admit has been impressing me by Girgich Hills and Groth showing up on their shelves, doesn’t quench my thirst, I want more. Whole Foods has changed my mind on what a grocery store can deliver.

They do have a core list, but after that the wine manager pretty much has free range to purchase whatever he damn well pleases. And in this case, their local wine manager Ryan, rocks the party. It was a total geek fest to go through the wine section half the size of your average Jewel or Dominick’s and find at least five or six wines to be completely jazzed about. Strange feeling.

The spread.

But, I didn’t show up just for wine.

Drew hails from Calistoga, CA, a transplant from the Big Apple. He’s passionate about wine being fun and approachable, and that’s really what inspired the Wine Soiree. Launched just last year, though he batted around the idea for about a year and a half, this in-bottle decanter is “The coolest thing to happen to wine.”

It’s really pretty simple, fits in just like any other pour spout, and really a space saver. If you’re like me and you hate having loads of kitchen gadgetry, thirty different glassses, etc. the Wine Soiree gives you some space relief compared to a traditional decanter. It’s also less mess, and easier to clean up.

It really brings decanting, a great way to really experience wine to it’s fullest potential, into the 21st century: Quick, easy, and compact.

Incidentally, we also tasted a few wines:

2008 Jigsaw Oregon Pinot Noir – Solid sweet cherry, very juicy, very light but a good wine especially at $17.99
2007 Sharecropper’s Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon – Incredibly light, rather simple fruits. Not sure if I like a cab to be so juicy…
2008 Chapoutier Languedoc Bila Haut – Rhone producer producing a Rhone Blend in the ‘doc. Tasty, big ripe fruits, though maybe a little thin.

The Wine Soiree is available in all 40 Whole Foods Chicago locations for $19.99.

http://www.suburbanwino.com Joe

Whole Foods does have a great selection, but the prices are high.
http://thebrokewino.com sam klingberg

It really isn’t that bad, maybe not as cheap as a large wine discount center (like Binny’s up here,) but I think the big grocery chains charge more, though they offer bigger “discounts” more often.
http://www.drinknectar.com drinknectar

Sounds like a cool idea and for $20 not that big of an investment. He could have a big money maker on his hands.
Steve

How about supporting independent wine shops? That’s the key to keeping wine selections fun
http://thebrokewino.com sam klingberg

of course, bro! that’s my first point in how to find (good) cheap wine.
http://www.winesoiree.com Andrew Lazorchak

Sam thanks again for coming out to meet me. It’s amazing how hard it is to covert social media communication into IRL interaction. So glad we connected and appreciate the kind words.
http://brokewino.com Sam Klingberg

For sure man, reading those old tasting notes. Dear god.

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