This week, the Patriot-News has an article about buying wine in Pennsylvania. It’s written by Sue Gleiter, who has written a string of similar articles over the years. Her articles often seem like barely veiled PLCB propaganda, but I was willing to give her another chance.
Halfway through the article, Gleiter offers the seemingly crazy suggestion that consumers should ask PLCB employees for advice. Really? Really? Really? I would like to share this delicious tidbit from a former PLCB employee:
I always liked Boone’s Farm and Mad dog 20/20. I worked at a state store, and was just getting ready to go to wine school. Then I took a transfer into another state job. Wish I would have had the time to go to wine school. When people asked me about wines I pretty much just lied. I told them if your eating chicken or pork go for a white wine. If beef go for a red wine. Or something like that. I had a cheat sheet.
The next time I am dying for a bottle of grain or hootch, I will head over to the PLCB for some advice. However, if I want some real help in buying wine, I am a firm believer in the Wine School’s monthly newsletter. It’s free and –unlike the Patriot-News– free of pandering.
PLCB and Coveted Wine Jobs
Are you interesting in a job at the PLCB, too? Well you are in luck! We have a guide to getting a job at the PLCB we also have a board with all wine jobs in Philly listed. For all jobs, it is suggested one has a good level of wine education prior to applying for a job. Institutions such as the National Wine School, the Wine & Spirits Trust are excellent places to earn your professional wine certification. For sommelier certification, the National Wine School and the Court of Master Sommeliers are the best options.
Well, actually, they must have edited out the rest of the advice. You ask the State Store (oh, pardon, “Wine & Spirits Shoppe”) employee what to get, and then grab anything BUT what they suggest…..