Collegiate Times

It came to my attention the other day that while I have been babbling on about various wines and beer, I have neglected to give a good summary of places in the area to buy these beverages.

The place I frequent most when I’m feeling thirsty is the wine and beer aisle at Kroger. It’s convenient, and all of the wines are decently priced. One good thing about the store is that they have a good selection of European, Australian and even some African wines.

Compared with other grocery store wine selections I’ve seen, the Blacksburg Kroger is one of the best. Also, the store has a wine advisor. I’ve seen him there and chatted with him several times. He’s very friendly and will come over and ask if you need any help selecting a wine. Once, when I couldn’t find a wine I was looking for, he offered to order a bottle or two for me. This is a unique aspect of this store.

Vintage Cellar on South Main Street is a store that will make any beer or wine aficionado drool. I go to this store when I’m looking for something a little more unusual and special. The store is mostly wines — and an impressive selection is available — but if you head into the back there are some unusual beers, too. I’ve seen some from Vietnam, Peru and even Turkey on the shelves there.

The store even has the necessary equipment to try brewing beer yourself. Every person who works in this store is knowledgeable about wines, and I’ve bothered the manager, Randall Horst, frequently with questions for various articles.

Horst is part of what makes shopping at the Vintage Cellar so much fun. He is a wealth of information and is very down-to-earth — you won’t find any wine snobs here. Horst chooses many of the wines himself, and you will frequently find him walking around the store with a glass, testing a new wine he is considering adding to the shelves.

The shop has free wine tastings every Saturday at noon and beer tasting every Wednesday. It is a great way to discover things you love — or hate — without having to spend any money.

Another shop to check out on South Main is Gourmet Pantry in the new Kent Square building. Like Vintage Cellar, this store has free wine tastings on Saturdays starting at noon — one red and one white wine option is offered. This store also has a selection of gourmet cheeses if you happen to be interested in a wine and cheese pairing.

However, the store is mostly gourmet kitchen appliances and accessories. The wine selection is small, but growing, and they are all good quality. This store is also an excellent place to buy all the wine accessories you might need, and the staff is very helpful if you have no idea which type of corkscrew would work best for you.

Finally, there is an unexpected source in the area, Zeppoli’s Italian restaurant. Located behind the Blockbuster on University City Boulevard, Zeppoli’s not only makes for a nice dinner out but also has a small wine shop in the front of the restaurant. It also offers tastings, which would make for a nice date.

Their next tasting is Feb. 21st and is $15, including hors d’oeuvres. The store has an extensive list of Italian wines along with lots of French varieties. They also carry Virginian wines and sparkling wines (Dom Perginon is available on request for the big spenders out there) among others. The prices here are very reasonable; most wines under $20 and several under $12 a bottle.

If you aren’t interested in buying a whole bottle, the restaurant offers a nice selection of its house wines by the glass or carafe at great prices. A lot of restaurants I go to want upwards of $5 for a glass of wine; at Zeppoli’s you can get a glass for $2.95 — only a dollar more than the price of a soda. You could also order a carafe, which gives you a few glasses for $8.95.

Despite its small size, Blacksburg has some great options out there for shoppers, each offering something unique. Get out there and explore these places; it’s part of what makes wine drinking fun.