The Candy Drawer

My childhood home had one extremely squeaky kitchen drawer, and that’s where Mom kept all the goodies: cookies, brownies…definitely candy. If any of us tried to sneak an extra treat, ‘squee-eak’ went the drawer, ‘Leave that alone’ said the parents, and that was that.

In the wine business, a candy drawer isn’t filled with Snickers and Milky Ways. Every distributor has some special gems that are in tiny supply, doled out sparingly to reward especially good customers-that’s the Candy Drawer. The person who decides who gets what? That’s the Candy Man.* It’s also an excellent person to know.

One of our favorite Candy Men, Simon Baitian, does an annual tasting for us, which we call the Candy Drawer. Not only does he let us load up on some incredible limited edition California goodies, he opens the bottles and lets our customers taste them. When you’re talking about wines you usually have to beg for, that’s a pretty rare occurrence.

We’ll have a couple of creamy-delicious Chardonnays, and an absolutely glorious new Kinsella Estate Zinfandel. But the Cabernets are downright heavenly: Kennefick Cab Franc, Buccella Estate’s Mica, Herb Lamb Two Old Dogs and Herb Lamb Estate, more. Mmm….Napa Cab heaven!

If this sounds like your kind of candy, plan on joining us Friday, December 13. Simon is a charming, knowledgeable host. The wines are amazing.

This drawer doesn’t squeak.