It's WHO you know!

One secret to great wines is having a wine guy or wine gal who really knows their stuff and can lead you to wines you like at prices you love. After all, without outside help, you would be required to drink all of the wines that look like possibilities. After trying all the wines, you would have to try to remember which ones you liked.

To illustrate the size of the potential problem, Sam’s Wines in Chicago lists over 3,000 wines on their website. I, for one, could not even attempt to drink all of the wines that I think might look good at Sam’s or anywhere else.

What can you do?

You can find your own wine guy or wine gal and they can do the legwork, so to speak, for you. We at AshleysBigSecret.com understand the value in knowing someone with taste and an understanding of quality and value. So, allow me to give you two names of people at great wine stores in our area. You might let me know of anyone in your area who fits the bill.

In Chicago, there is only one person to see. He is Celal Ince at Binny’s at 3000 North Clark. Celal (pronounced Ja-lel) has helped people I know with nearly unlimited budgets and others, like me, who are interested in drinking great wine at reasonable prices. He helped me stock my cellar with reasonably-priced great 1997 Italian reds that are drinking beautifully, now. He introduced me to my favorite white wine Sancerre, with its earthy, clean taste.

Lake Geneva now has a great wine store, Pop More Corks, on Highway 50, 25 yards east of Starbucks (we always give directions in Lake Geneva in relation to Starbucks). David Biegemann is the owner and he has over 250 wines with 150 wines under $20. He always has a selection of 6-8 interesting wines to taste. He has a great selection of small vineyard wines that are fun to try and all are reasonably priced.

To pair your reasonably priced wine with something that looks, as my daughter would say, funky fabulous, I recommend wearing a gigantic CZ ring with one of these guys' reasonably priced wine. Showing how much great taste you have in your jewelry, and, in your wine, show that you are chic and sensible. What a combo!

So, there it is – my sincere advice on two people to help you be smart in your wine buying. As to being smart in bling buying, look no further than AshleysBigSecret.com.

In wine we trust, J.

As always, you can e-mail Jeff at wino@ashleysbigsecret.com.

Please feel free to comment here, or give us a shout out at writeus@ashleysbigsecret.com.

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