A couple of months back I was having a conversation in the shop with one of our customers, Steve. He is a fascinating guy, always has a smile on his face, always seems like he doesn’t have a care in the world even when he does. In addition to his day job, he also plays the drums with a couple of local bands. Steve seems to me to have a pretty darn good command of music and I know he loves wine, in fact the license plate on his truck is “wine”.

Somehow the conversation turned to rock & roll and some of the great bands. We talked of longevity in the business of rock music so the chat eventually arrived to the Rolling Stones. We talked of how great the band was as performers, the body of work they have assembled, and how many years they have been at it. Steve had an interesting perspective, great showmen, staying power and pretty mediocre musicians. At first I objected, but in listening to his critique of “the Stones” purely from a musical talent standpoint I had to agree. I have seen the Rolling Stones three times in my life. Mick Jagger can’t dance, he does not have a great voice, the rest of the band if you consider them are really not great at the technicality of their craft. But you know what all three of those concerts were outstanding. I remember them all and would sign up to see “the Stones” again in a minute given the chance, and I am not alone, every one of their concerts sells out and the aftermarket “scalped” tickets are expensive.

No, I haven’t turned into the rock & roll writer for The Press, there are many allegories between Steve’s critique of the Rolling Stones and the wine world.

I have to admit, full disclosure here, one of my least favorite wines is Rombauer. From a technical perspective it represents all I dislike in what California wine has become. Thankfully, much of the California industry has gotten away from this style, but that is a subject for another time. Rombauer is overoaked, it lacks balance, it is sweet, some say the Chardonnay sports a hefty 2.5 percent residual sugar, and the acid is nonexistent. I speculate that to gain the mouth feel and texture in the wine that sugar may be added to fill out the mid-palate. Whether you talk about the Chardonnay or the Zinfandel my assessment would be the same.

You know what else, the Chardonnay when it is in stock is one of our best sellers, folks just simply love it, in many ways just like they do the Rolling Stones. Don’t get me wrong the Rombauer wines are well made. My dislike of them is not born of mistakes in the cellar or winemaking process, it is strictly of the decision they have made in the style of the wine they have chosen to produce. Just as the Rolling Stones have decided on the kind of music they want to make, and fans love, the winery is responding to an overwhelming show of support from their own fans. If I was in their spot I would likely do the same thing.

This is the beauty of wine and the wine business in its purest form. As Mary always says, “some people like chocolate some like vanilla”. As owners of a wine shop we have to stock both and that is why we will always have Rombauer because wine consumers, or a segment of them truly love it. They should never change based on what I or any other wine writer feels about it or any other wine. Wine drinkers should always drink what they enjoy the most. While I frequently advocate for trying new and different things you should always go back to your favorites, I sure do. Whether it be the Rolling Stones or Rombauer Chardonnay they are both clearly doing some things very well and that is why folks do and will continue to love them both.

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

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George Balling is co-owner (with his wife Mary Lancaster) of the dinner party, a wine and table top décor shop located by Costco in Coeur d’Alene. George worked as a judge in many wine competitions, and his articles are published around the country. You can learn more about the dinner party at www.thedinnerpartyshop.com. Be sure and check out our weekly blog at www.thedinnerpartyshop.com/home/blog-2. You can get all of these articles as well as other great wine tips by friending us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/#!/dinnerpartyshop.