It's the place to taste
wine; [STATE Edition]
JENNIFER STEWART. St.
Petersburg Times. St.
Petersburg, Fla.: Oct
21, 2004. pg. 1
Copyright Times Publishing Co. Oct 21, 2004
B-21 Fine Wine and Spirits isn't much to look at.
In fact, the large yellow building could easily be dismissed as seedy compared with the countless generic liquor stores that dot U.S. 19.
But inside it's a place that attracts wine lovers from all over Tampa Bay and beyond. The 7,000-square-foot store, which sits just north of the Anclote River on U.S. 19, less than a mile south of the Pinellas-Pasco county line, regularly draws a diverse, sold-out crowd to its wine tastings.
"I'm always amazed by the fact that you'll see people from their mid 20s to (their) 60s," said Tom Lacey of Oldsmar, who often attends the events with his buddy, Bob Potter of Tampa.
"All walks of life" attend the themed and non-themed tastings, said Bob Sprentall, who owns the family business.
In fact, a young couple from Ohio on their honeymoon were among more than 100 folks who showed up at a tasting this month.
The themed Grand Australia and Rhone Tasting featured seven wine stations along with several tables of food. It was an atmosphere that emphasized wine's accessibility to everyone, not just the rich or sophisticated.
"These tastings aren't about buying wine," Lacey said.
They are about learning.
"It's really educational, and it helps you to be a more informed consumer," Potter said. When you don't know about wine, "(it's) really a pig in a poke when you go to a restaurant and try to order from a wine list."
For instance, as Bill Flowers of Southcorp Wines poured Potter and Lacey a taste of 2001 Penfolds Bin 128 Coonawarra Shiraz, he said of the big Aussie red: "It's going to be more earthy, (the vines have) got to go through clay to get to water."
B-21 limits attendance at the tastings to about 115 to allow for easy movement in the store. The store typically holds about a half- dozen tastings per year - and a sellout is not uncommon.
"Wine has just become a phenomenon. . . . The demand is growing, but we can't accommodate a lot of people," Sprentall said.
A network of folks in the know, many of whom subscribe to B-21's newsletter, purchase their tickets early to save money and guarantee themselves a spot at the three-hour tastings.
Most of their tastings cost $20 in advance, or $25 at the door.
Folks such as Lacey and Potter who attended the Oct. 10 tasting were clearly methodical about how they spent the time. They took notes in a brochure that listed nearly 140 featured wines.
In between sips, guests munched on, all told, more than 20 trays of food that included egg and ham salad finger sandwiches, grapes, Gouda and other cheeses, cherry tomatoes, baguette bread, and pieces of prime rib.
"It's (the food) gotten more sophisticated," Potter said.
So has the tasting.
About 15 years ago, the store had "run-amok" sales in lieu of tastings. All year long, Sprentall said, the B-21 staff would "hoard highly allocated and sought-after wines" for the annual sale.
"Then people got wise and brought satchels, because with buggies you couldn't get around," Sprentall said.
Now, folks will fly in from Miami, Naples and other places to attend a tasting, especially one with a theme, Sprentall said.
Wine lovers such as Nino and Ruth D'Ambrosio make the trek from St. Petersburg to B-21 because of the prices and the selection.
Said Nino, "What it all boils down to is: These guys have got everything."
Caption: Denise Tzivleris of Palm Harbor pours a glass of red wine for Doug Heale of Largo on Oct. 10 at B-21 Fine Wine and Spirits.; Photo: PHOTO, JENNIFER STEWART
