So Much Wining...

By Anonymous in Food on Jul 8, 2005 2:03AM

Okay, in all honesty, this place used to look like a crack den…bars on the windows and doors, a very small sign that said very quietly “Wine Discount Center.” If you were driving between the Target on Elston and the Home Depot on North Avenue, and you dozed off for a sec, you would’ve missed it. But now, WINE DISCOUNT CENTER has a peppy red and white sign on every side of the building, the front door is painted a bright red (very feng shui, the chi is happy!), and inside are the nicest people ever. Okay, the bars are still up, but they do carry alcohol...duh.

As a Wine Discount Center virgin, Chicagoist was pleased to find an open and airy place where they actually said hello when we walked in. The first thing we saw were the “Wines under $10” section right up front, next to the wine bags you can purchase if you need a quick hostess gift (good merchandising, kids!). We were specifically looking for a Sauternes, a sweet dessert wine very golden in color for a recipe we stole from Ina Garten over the holiday weekend (oh cable, you are a cruel and delicious mistress). Plus, we remember the Sauternes from a particularly fun evening at a wine tasting class in college…please, didn’t we all take one? We mentioned that we had never been to the store before, and Mike, wine guru/nice guy was more than helpful in walking us through the store and telling us about the great things the Wine Discount Center has to offer.

First, he gave us a newsletter the store sends out which you can sign up for in the store or online at www.winediscountstore.com. Then he mentioned the wine tastings every Saturday from noon to 4pm at all of their locations (city, address below, Buffalo Grove, Highland Park, and Forest Park), where they sample 10 selected wines from the current newsletter. Also, they are having their “Grill Fest 2005” at their location in Forest Park (the one directly west of the city, not the one located in Will County…don’t be a pansy and say it’s too far to drive). There will be grilling, wine tasting, and people having a hell of a good time (I’m guessing…wine does that to people), and it’s free. But don’t be a dinkus, buy some wine, they have plenty to choose from.

The store is divided up by type of wine and location…Italian reds, Bordeaux whites, Californian selections for those of you stuck in Sideways mode, and they taste a majority of the wines before even ordering. And, of course, they have great prices on wine. We picked up two different Sauternes, half bottles for $13.99 each, a white Bordeaux for $9.99, and a Merlot for $6.79. In fact, we left $75.00 lighter, but did have 6 bottles of wine and a Wine Spectator (to leave on the coffee table to make us look smart). We’ll be back on Saturdays for tastings, too. Hope we see you there!

Wine Discount Center
1826 ½ N. Elston
Chicago, IL 60622
773.489.3454
Hours: M-F, 10-7; Sat 9-5; Sun 12-5
www.winediscountcenter.com for newsletters & other locations