The enomatic at Wine Authorities

My buddies at the Wine Authorities on University Drive have now installed two enomatics: one for red wines and one for white wines.

The enomatic is basically a vino vending machine. It stores several bottles of wine at the right temperature and dispenses it in servings of 1 oz, half glass, or full glass. This gadget is wonderful for people like me who want to taste a higher end bottle of wine before buying it.

Yesterday was the first time I'd tried it. I bought a card for the machine for $1 and then put $20 on the card. The 1 oz tastes start at around 90 cents and go up from there depending on the price of the bottle. A taste of the $40 Pomerol cost about $4. That's a bit pricey, and a full glass of it out of the enomatic is $20 so a person may as well just have a taste and then buy the bottle. I did enjoy being able to taste three French reds though, two Bordeaux and one from Languedoc. In the end, I bought a smooth and rich 2004 Graves from Chateau Lusseau for $16.

Seth and Craig at the shop change the wines featured in the enomatic regularly. It's a great way to try different wines without committing to a whole bottle.