Who do you trust?

I really do try to understand why some people rely so much on wine critics. As if one person’s taste could be the same as yours, and everyone else’s!

Have you ever gone to see a movie that some critics loved, but you walked out, shaking your head, thinking: “Why did I just waste two hours watching that?” It’s the same with wine. I taste a wine that I think isn’t worth the bottle it’s in, and I find that some exalted writer has given it a high rating. Or, I’ll taste a wine that sells for $25 and know that it’s really worth about half that ... and, again, read a stellar review of it somewhere.

How about the time that one well-known wine critic told everyone to mortgage the house, raid the saving account and buy, buy, buy as much of one newly released wine that they could get their hands on. Two days later, the wine maker recalled the wine, taking back and destroying every bottle. The wine had become infected with brettanomyces, a type of yeast infection, which made the wine smell like... well, charitably put, like a dirty diaper. Going to blindly trust his judgment?

What if I told you that I’ve seen more than one wine get a barely favorable review from a publication that the winery didn’t advertise in. After a few full page, full color ads were bought, the wine we reconsidered and, almost magically, the reviewers now thought it was a wonderful wine, a must-buy! Are you going to trust their credibility?

There are many wine shops where they don’t taste wines before they buy them. How do they know which wines to buy? They simply go through the trade reports, and buy whatever everyone else is buying. This type of shop also buys up the odds and ends that wholesalers can’t get rid of: bad wines, spoiled wines, “off” wines that they dump for pennies. These shops will sell them for a few dollars as “bargains.” Bad wine is never a bargain. There are plenty of wine shops that operate like this. I’ve met some of those shop owners. Most of them don’t even drink wine, let alone have a passion for it! I wouldn’t trust their selections; would you?

So, whom do you trust for wine advice, then? Well, I trust my own palate. I drink what I like... but I’m fortunate enough to taste thousands of wines each year. What I do at Red White & Bubbly is to use my experiences to bring my “finds” to you.

Every month, whether it’s my under ten dollar Best Buys, my Discovery Wines, Cellar Selections or wines from a featured winery, I buy wines that I know are well made, good tasting wines that are worth the price. When I buy a wine, I’m buying that wine for you. All write-ups on the shelves are my own. I use my own words to tell you about the wine: what it tastes like and why I like it. It’s like having a friend in the business, giving you his inside tips.

What we want to do at Red White & Bubbly is to help you to find wines that you’ll like, and that you’ll trust your own palate. Who better to trust?

About Darrin

Darrin Siegfried is a former Executive Chef who began his formal training in wine while he worked as a manager at New York's Windows on the World. Moving to the front of the house, Darrin was Sommelier for Claude Troisgros' Restaurant C.T., which was awarded three stars by the New York Times. Under Darrin's stewardship the restaurant won a 'Best Of' Award from the Wine Spectator, and was awarded the first-ever Award for Overall Wine and Wine Service Excellence by the Wine Enthusiast.

Darrin has served as President of the Sommelier Society of America, and wrote the curriculum for their Wine Captains Course, a twenty-three week course approved by the Association de la Sommelierie Internationelle, the world body of wine professionals. In the role of Education Director, Darrin has personally trained over six hundred wine captains, many of them holding the most prestigious positions in the nation's finest restaurants.

In 1995, Darrin Siegfried was selected as a team member to represent the United States at the Concours Mondial de les Sommelieres, the worldwide 'Olympics' for Sommeliers held every three years. This was only the third time the U.S. was able to raise a team of sufficient qualifications to compete in this prestigious event. Darrin has been featured several times in New York and national publications for his accomplishments.

Darrin was Wine and Spirits Editor for Chef Ashbell's FoodStop.com, the Internet food and wine magazine named one of the top ten web sites by NetGuide magazine. His article covering the arrival of the Beaujolais Nouveau in 1997 became the most often 'hit' internet wine article of all time.

Darrin has managed several two and three star restaurants in New York, and was Wine Director at Cucina, which the Zagat Guide, Time Out Magazine, The Village Voice and New York Press have named the best restaurant in Brooklyn. He is the operating partner of Red White & Bubbly, a wine and spirits store in Park Slope. He is a spirited, informative and entertaining speaker, and has conducted wine tastings and educational seminars for numerous wineries.

Hours/Location

RWB is located in the heart of Park Slope on 5th Avenue just off Union Street

211-213 5th avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11217

718-636-WINE (9463)

Monday thru Saturday 10AM till 10PM

Sunday 12-8