Wine About it

Alright fellow Explorers, last we left off, we had discovered one of the defining characteristics of the City by going to the genesis of Kansas City barbecue.  But a city isn't always defined by what makes it famous.  Sometimes a city is defined by that little known sandwich place around the corner, the boutique shopping neighborhood only visited by locals, or the small but vibrant city park squeezed between two high-rises...

The subject of today's post is of the same breed.  Many locals reading this article may have never traveled to 17th and Baltimore to browse Cellar Rat, but after exploring this post, we hope many of you plan to make the trip.  And no, Cellar Rat is not a codename for Kansas City's 1930s mob scene (apparently there was a 1930s mob scene in KC, but more on that another time).  Think a little less Al Pacino and a little more Fraiser Crane.  Celler Rat is a classy yet affordable wine shop located in the Crossroads Arts District that, we quickly discovered, is one of the best places to stock up on your favorite fermented grapes.  Expect good deals and, if you plan it right, a chance to taste before you buy.

If you've read the Kansas City Explorer's introductory blog post, you'd know that we set out determined to wear a variety of hats when exploring the City.  Barbecue?  Sure, we'll become foodies!  Sports?  After a little research and a few beers, we can be a Chiefs expert!  Wine?  Well let's just say, prior to stepping into Cellar Rat, the Kansas City Explorer's wine expertise came down to the following categories: good reds, really good reds and whites.

Luckily, we brought backup.  Flanked with some wine experts who knew the territory, we arrived just in time for one of the best deals in town.  Every month Cellar Rat features a monthly case and markets that case by having two wine-tasting sessions.  Essentially, pay $5 and get a "tour-de-case."  The Cellar Rat wine experts line up the twelve featured bottles and the participating customers are allowed to sample each, starting with the whites, moving on to light reds and then on to the heavier reds.



Each sample is by no means a full glass, but you get a good opportunity to get a few generous sips in before moving on to the next bottle.  Customers are also allowed to move at their own pace.  Pour a sample and peruse the aisles of other wines for sale, or mingle among the other samplers, sharing opinions on the different varieties of wines.  They even give you a paper naming and explaining each wine's flavors and origins.  Armed with a red pen, the paper can quickly become a handy, impromptu wine scoring sheet (although, we found that the organization and uniformity of any given scoring scheme is indirectly correlated to the amount of wine sampling that occurs).  Our case tour ranged from a pinot grigio with a fruity and, we were told, slightly "flinty" quality, to a South African merlot, with an extraordinarily unique, smoked flavor.  Throughout each new pour we mingled among the tasting group, discussing our various opinions and the more experienced wine experts gave their take on each taste.  By the end of our tour we had graduated to the two heavy reds, a California cabernet sauvignon hosting a hint of cherry and a malbec with a rich, juicy blend.  Our two favorites by far.

Nice haul!

The marketing ploy is impressive.  Cellar Rat counts on customers drinking up, and then breaking out their wallets... and it works.  The thing is, it's still not a bad deal.  For $100 you can select any combination of the wines you just tasted to make a case of 12, and apply the $5 tasting fee towards your purchase.  Split that with a friend, and you get six great quality wines for under $10 a bottle.  

So not only did our explorations discover the best way to purchase good wine on a budget, but also a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon.  Cellar Rat's monthly wine tasting sessions make for a great date idea, a pre-dinner gathering, or a causal afternoon detour when you find yourself at the Arts District. Just make sure to clear some space in your wine rack before heading over. 

Cheers KC!