The only thing nicer than strolling around Art Hill on a crisp, autumn day is doing so with a glass of wine in hand. The fifth annual St. Louis Wine Festival will once again be held there this weekend, fanned out along the Grand Basin. Hours are from noon to 6 PM on both Saturday and Sunday.
In its initial years, many of the wines had Missouri provenance. Not so this year. This weekend, the wine list will be “200 strong, representing nine countries,” according to Dave Birkenmeier, Store Manager of Schnucks on the Plaza (aka the Clayton and Lindbergh store). He is also a Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW).
SLM found Birkenmeier (in the wine department of his store, of course), and fired off a few questions—about wine, about Schnucks, and about this weekend's event.
Has Schnucks been a prior sponsor of the St. Louis Wine Festival?
No, this is our first year.
So why is Schnucks an appropriate partner?
We're the largest wine retailer in Missouri, and since we have so many stores in this area, it's easy for festival guests to find what they just tasted at the event.
Wine geeks say you should buy wine from a wine store. Your reaction?
It’s no different here...it is important to get to know someone who really knows wine. What most folks don’t realize, though, is that Schnucks has 11 CSW’s, more than any other retailer, spread throughout the stores--we actually have two at this store. Convenience and price are obviously contributing factors as well.
Schnucks will take a $35 wine and put it on sale for $15. How can they do that?
If the winery needs to move some wine—end of vintage, slow sales, whatever—they know we can move it for them. We partner up and work out a deal.
I understand there will be some organic wines at the festival as well?
There will be, but that focus is now moving more toward sustainable and biodynamic farming, rather than organic farming. The organic classification is really hard to get, requiring testing in seven continuous years—and every year after that--to become certified organic. If your neighbor is using fertilizer, you may have trace chemicals; if your vineyard is located anywhere near a golf course, you’re really in trouble.
And your favorite wine at the event this year is…
I gravitate toward the reds. I’m a lover of Pinots. I just returned from a Pinot "camp" in Oregon. For five days, we started tasting at 7:30 in the morning and were engaged until 10:30 at night.
Did you learn to spit?
That’s the first thing people learn, or they’re dead.
Will you divulge any “must try’s” this weekend, something either well-known or unknown?
I know that DeLoach is bringing several great wines.
I’ve always wondered how food and wine pairings start at events like these. Who goes first?
The chefs decide what they’ll serve and the wineries show up with their best people and pair appropriate wines. It’s competitive…the wineries show off and try to out-do each other. Understand that these people have given up their weekends to be here, so they tend to bring it. And they bring their best prices as well.
How does that work?
Order what you like, but by the case only. In a few days, you pick it up and pay for it at one of 5 designated Schnucks locations.
You make it easy...
Yes, yes we do.
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This year, there will even be a beer component at the festival, which is not as odd as it may sound. According to Birkenmeier, "Wine tannins tend to dry the mouth and kill the palate. The best way to jump start the palate is to drink a beer."
The following observation is attributable to Bart Vandaele (no relation to Art Vandelay), owner and Executive Chef of Belga Café in Washington, D.C., who will be in charge of the Belgian Beer Cafe this weekend:
Beer is to Belgium what wine is to France. The primary difference between tasting beer and wine is beer must be swallowed to experience the proper balance of sweetness versus bitterness. Also, there’s no need to swish beer around in your mouth to get the full flavor. Beer shares the same relationship with food that wine does – it can balance, contrast, or complement the food just as wine can.
Tickets are $25 in advance, $35 at the door, available at select Schnucks markets as well as online here. Designated driver tickets are $10, anytime. Ten restaurants will participate in the food/wine pairings. That list is here.
