The Frugal Oenologist

Struggles of a wine curmudgeon in Pennsylvania

Sunday, September 23, 2012

This Argentine white blend is fragrant; a fruit forward, yet sufficiently acidic blend of ripe pear and melon with a pleasing, buttery finih. $9.99.

Paul P Bernard: I recently moved to PA, having lived for many years first in CO, then in IL. Like any wine lover with limited financial means is bound to be, I was appalled by what I found. The state controlled liquor authority in PA is a sinister joke. As with all bureaucracies with no bottom line, one finds uninformed, indifferent, and often surly personnel, and a seemingly endemic disability to bring the cash registers into accord with the advertised specials. If one then complains about being overcharged one is subjected to long delays and made to feel the whole thing is one's own fault. But, not enough, to heap injury upon insult, the price structure is ludicrous. The claim is that the mass purchasing power of a state agency passes on savings to the consumer, particularly with the "Chairman's Specials". Anyone can test the veracity of this claim by crossing over into NJ, where every single bottle on special in PA is routinely on offer for a quarter to a third less. In spite of these evident handicaps, I decided to see if it is possible to purchase a decent bottle in PA for under $10 ($12 for special occasions). It hasn't been easy, and this blog will be an ongoing report on my efforts.

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