More local groceries offering popular wine tastings
EVERETT, Wash. (AP) — Step away from your shopping cart and belly up to the bar.
It's happy hour at the grocery store.
In a roped-off section by the produce aisle, a cluster of Friday shoppers at the Mukilteo QFC are living it up. There's wine, laughter, platters of snacks and a bubbly sommelier.
"Come on in," wine steward Lois Shumski says. "How about if I start you with a little chardonnay?"
It's a scene played out in a growing number of supermarkets around the state, at chains such as Fred Meyer, Safeway, Trader Joe's and Albertsons. For now, it's wine and beer, but bills are being introduced this legislative session to allow liquor tastings.
Most stores do wine tastings once or twice a week. A few do it nightly.
It's all free, highly regulated and regularly attended.
"Going to 'The Q'" is a Friday ritual for taster Susan Den Hollander and a motive to get dressed.
"I had to put on pants," she said. "I worked from home today and was in my pajamas."
About 75 to 100 people usually pop by Shumski's three-hour tasting, held from 3 to 6 p.m.
It's not a slurp fest. State law limits consumption to four ounces, which Shumski doles an ounce or less at a time.
And if you think Shumski is too busy pouring and chatting up the masses to do the math, think again. She's like a schoolteacher, with eyes in the back of her head. She keeps track of who has had what and makes sure it's paired with the proper food bite.
There's a science to her spread of ham, cheese, grapes, pretzels and chocolate. The ham adds "wow" to a grenache-syrah blend. Cheese makes the chardonnay softer and plusher. Under her watch, there's no mix-ups, though tasters can eat with reckless abandon between pairings.
State law requires wine stewards to be certified to serve and observe.
Shumski checks IDs. "I make a fool of myself. I card people who are 40," she said.
Minors must stay on the other side of the yellow rope.
Not a problem for parents with kids in tow.
"We've done this lots of times," said Sarah Jensen, whose two sons, 4 and 7, played handheld video games in a nearby cart. "This gives me an opportunity to try new things. I can try it before I buy it."
Jensen bought three of the five wines Shumski served.
Wine stewards choose what to pour.
"I keep it under $20," Shumski said. "Good wine that's affordable."
The recent tasting had a $7.99 French red and an $11.99 chardonnay.
Last cork is around 5:30 p.m., because Shumski has to dump out what's left.
For the store, offering up a dozen bottles, a few deli platters and social time with the wine goddess pays off.
"I really didn't expect to buy any wine tonight," said Al Love, clutching a bottle he couldn't resist after "tasting and pairing it."
The tasting sessions are more than whetting palates.
"What's nice is the community aspect," said Dr. Sridar Chalaka, an Everett Clinic physician who lives in Mukilteo. "We go to work, come home and watch TV. We don't go to bars and there's no get-together place."
It got the nod from his wife, Jessica Wang, who does childcare at the YMCA.
"I feel pretty happy," she said.
It's happy hour at the grocery store.
In a roped-off section by the produce aisle, a cluster of Friday shoppers at the Mukilteo QFC are living it up. There's wine, laughter, platters of snacks and a bubbly sommelier.
"Come on in," wine steward Lois Shumski says. "How about if I start you with a little chardonnay?"
It's a scene played out in a growing number of supermarkets around the state, at chains such as Fred Meyer, Safeway, Trader Joe's and Albertsons. For now, it's wine and beer, but bills are being introduced this legislative session to allow liquor tastings.
Most stores do wine tastings once or twice a week. A few do it nightly.
It's all free, highly regulated and regularly attended.
"Going to 'The Q'" is a Friday ritual for taster Susan Den Hollander and a motive to get dressed.
"I had to put on pants," she said. "I worked from home today and was in my pajamas."
About 75 to 100 people usually pop by Shumski's three-hour tasting, held from 3 to 6 p.m.
It's not a slurp fest. State law limits consumption to four ounces, which Shumski doles an ounce or less at a time.
And if you think Shumski is too busy pouring and chatting up the masses to do the math, think again. She's like a schoolteacher, with eyes in the back of her head. She keeps track of who has had what and makes sure it's paired with the proper food bite.
There's a science to her spread of ham, cheese, grapes, pretzels and chocolate. The ham adds "wow" to a grenache-syrah blend. Cheese makes the chardonnay softer and plusher. Under her watch, there's no mix-ups, though tasters can eat with reckless abandon between pairings.
State law requires wine stewards to be certified to serve and observe.
Shumski checks IDs. "I make a fool of myself. I card people who are 40," she said.
Minors must stay on the other side of the yellow rope.
Not a problem for parents with kids in tow.
"We've done this lots of times," said Sarah Jensen, whose two sons, 4 and 7, played handheld video games in a nearby cart. "This gives me an opportunity to try new things. I can try it before I buy it."
Jensen bought three of the five wines Shumski served.
Wine stewards choose what to pour.
"I keep it under $20," Shumski said. "Good wine that's affordable."
The recent tasting had a $7.99 French red and an $11.99 chardonnay.
Last cork is around 5:30 p.m., because Shumski has to dump out what's left.
For the store, offering up a dozen bottles, a few deli platters and social time with the wine goddess pays off.
"I really didn't expect to buy any wine tonight," said Al Love, clutching a bottle he couldn't resist after "tasting and pairing it."
The tasting sessions are more than whetting palates.
"What's nice is the community aspect," said Dr. Sridar Chalaka, an Everett Clinic physician who lives in Mukilteo. "We go to work, come home and watch TV. We don't go to bars and there's no get-together place."
It got the nod from his wife, Jessica Wang, who does childcare at the YMCA.
"I feel pretty happy," she said.
Wow. at 4 ounces maximum, 365 days a year, divided by 128 ounces (a gallon) that's 11.40 gallons of free wine a year! I would never drink that much wine in a year even if I bought it but I can imagine some folks sure would!
I am trying to get a picture of the homeless people who hang out around our Safeway trying out the wine. "A distinct bouquet and a fruity flavor."Â hehehe
First one's FREE!
I'm still trying to find a wine that pairs well with my nachos...
 @skepticaloptimist Is Jose Cuervo wine? It's cactus wine, right?
 @skepticaloptimist Mad Dog 20/20!
Yuck wine is so terribly nasty!
What's not to like here. Free drinks and food, people get to try something before buying it, and the stores clearly sell more bottles of wine this way. Even for an experienced wine drinker, the selection can be overwhelming and it can be next to impossible to figure out if one particular wine is going to be as dry or fruity as you like.  Â
 I don't drink much, I spill most of it. The cleaning bills far exceed the free stuff.
Thank God the area is roped off. Thanks for protecting the children.
 @Rockberry LOL... I know... those 1 oz. tastes they give you can get you loaded pretty fast.
so "that's" where the Costco food moochers--I mean sample-tasters--go when they're not near a Costco.
@chandler
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Hey, I resemble that remark! 95% of my food consumption comes from the Costco free samples. ;-) Sounds like I'm going to have to start making the rounds at the local QFC now too. Woo hoo!
I've attended a couple tastings at my local QFC (Northgate) and I wish they were done more professionally than they are, and managed like the one described in this article. There may be a little cheese and crackers, but nothing specifically "paired"and never more than a little Beechers and some table water crackers. Also there are ALWAYS children running around. I thought that part of this law said that it had to be a roped off or seperate section and NO CHILDREN... this article confirms that... SO.... Northgate QFC... Listen up & get your act together!
The Mukilteo QFC has always been a great community leader. Both the wine selections and deli take this store to the next level. The Friday tastings are a lot of fun too