And the winner is.............

[Botafogo]

>>But why should I believe Roberto or Foodie or CCK in their respective establishments any more than WS?<<

I can't speak for the other two but (for the tenth time) I, personally, will stand behind every wine I recommend and you will NOT get that from Marvin and crew. I print my HOME phone number on my business cards. I don't get complaints. We also exist for the sole purpose of getting you good value, NOT running up prices. AND diversity is a religion with us, we are not trying to make all wine taste the same.

>>Not to offend any of you three, but do any of you have the time to cultivate and/or know my own likes and dislikes?<<

That is my JOB DESCRIPTION! We will have you "calibrated' in short order (even shorter if you come to one of our large general tastings featuring over fifty varietals and styles instead of just different brands) and then we absolutely will do just that. It's my main function actually.

This is why literally hundreds of folks walk in and spend more time chatting about music, retaurants and movies than wine as we are making a mixed case that exactly matches their tastes and budget (and always includes new items) as we gossip. We have gone out of our way to create a community not a warehouse.

Roberto

[This message has been edited by Botafogo (edited 12-05-2000).]