As we have written many times we try a lot of wine on a weekly basis, and we mean a lot! The normal week will be anywhere between 30 and 50 wines, some are new to us and the market others are the just released vintages of wines we know well. Others still are from new distributors to the market which to us is the most exciting. We never turn those opportunities down as it is our best chance to try things we have not previously sampled. All of this tasting provides us with a great opportunity to bring new things to consumers, and provide for a truly unique and innovative wine collection, after all there is so much great wine out there from all over the world, why take the chance of missing out?

Even with all of this there are still wines we miss. Limitations still exist; distributors despite doing a great job can only bring in a subset of the wines they see from their wineries and importers. Of those wines, we are only shown a portion at times as our reps from the distributors have to pick and choose which wines to have in which shops resulting in a healthier overall marketplace, other times a certain varietal will sell out before we get to try it. For these or many other reasons we just can't taste all that is out there, no matter how hard we try.

This is a big part of why we track down wine requested by customers. We frequently order single bottles of something for a customer. At other times they are looking for a few bottles of a selection but less than a full case. Often times folks are looking for wines they had while travelling on vacation, or business or visiting family in other states, and although we may not be able to access all that is distributed in around the country we always try. The reason we seek out these customer requests is to help them, and it is the origin of some of our best ideas. So good are many of these wines that we either feature them in our wine club or put them on the shelf.

In the nearly six years we have been open we have received countless suggestions and requests, and have found some delicious wines. Especially over the last year we have tried some really great "juice" that had they not been suggested by our wonderful customers we and the market would have missed out.

We now carry a wine a customer found in Bigfork, Mont., at a restaurant. After about a week of inquiries we found that it was imported by a company that is affiliated with one of our great local distributors, but for whatever reason the distributor here in North Idaho had not yet picked up the brand. Well they carry it now and the Ribera del Duero from Canta Perdices in Spain is on our shelf. When we filled the customer order we took a bottle home and had it with grilled salmon. The wine is fabulous loaded with ripe cherry flavors, showing good acid on the finish and plenty of complex structure, a joy to drink for $15.

While travelling in Nebraska another client tried the hit of this summer the Rib Shack Red from South Africa. The wine is a blend of Pinotage and Shiraz, is smooth and easy drinking $12, and perfect for large summer gatherings and food off the grill. The "Rib Shack" too is imported by a firm affiliated with another distributor but for whatever reason the wine just didn't fit into their plans. We actually tracked it down after emailing the winery in South Africa. They put the whole thing together and as many of you know who have tried it, the wine is wonderful.

These are just two examples of many more similar stories. We have a customer who returned from Portugal raving about the fabulous and affordable white wines there. We started looking based on her feedback and Wow she was right. We now have offerings from there we never knew about. Another customer moved here from the East Coast where he routinely had access to a great Italian white called Costamolino, another winner.

The moral of the story for wine consumers is never be afraid to stop in the shop or ask your favorite wine professional to track down something you have tried and really enjoyed. While we try many wines and are always on the lookout to learn as much as we can and try even more we don't have all the answers. We do in fact many times look to our customers for the very best ideas.

If there is a topic you would like to read about or questions on wine you can email George@thedinnerpartyshop.com or make suggestions by contacting the Healthy Community section at the Coeur d'Alene Press.

George Balling is co-owner with his wife Mary Lancaster of the dinner party - a wine and table top decor shop in Coeur d'Alene by Costco. George is also the managing judge of The North Idaho Wine Rodeo and is the wine editor for Coeur d'Alene Magazine (www.cdamagazine.com). You can learn more about the dinner party at www.thedinnerpartyshop.com. You can get all of these articles as well as other great wine tips by friending us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/#!/dinnerpartyshop.