All right, I have to admit that I was a little skeptical when my Uncle Mike (UM) emailed me about his wine shopping forays to the local Grocery Outlet (GO) in Redmond, Oregon and subsequent recommendation that I give it a try.

The first thing to know about UM is that he is a character. Irish blood runs through his veins, and I’m still not entirely sure that the guy isn’t a supersized version of a mischievous leprechaun. The second thing to know about him is that he very well off and doesn’t need to shop at an outlet store to make ends meet. More about Mike later.

Last Friday night, after very tasty glass of 2003 Zoolala Merlot to build a little courage, Lisa and I trekked across town to our nearly new GO. There are currently 124 of these bargain grocery stores located in six western states and Hawaii (which I would consider western as well, but the company web site lists it separately). If you are one of the lucky ones, you can find a store in your area code by visiting www.groceryoutlets.com. But I digress…

Onward to the outlet. My first thought was to punch out two eye holes in a grocery sack and enter the place incognito (OK, maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but the thought did occur to me at some point that evening). Instead, bagless and feeling naked, I hurriedly ushered myself across the parking lot and slipped in the front door undetected. I was quickly relieved to see that I didn’t know a single person in the store. Most of my smart, wine-loving acquaintances were probably (a) at home enjoying their favorite Pinot, Cab, or Chardonnay; (b) chauffeuring kids around town whilst daydreaming about (a); (c) at Costco buying wine and probably carts full of items that weren’t originally on their shopping lists; or (d) none of the above.

Inside the GO, the bamboo-handled rakes and polka-dot-patterned paraphernalia weren’t exactly building my confidence. I was certain that we’d stumble on a ceramic yard gnome any minute. Nevertheless, we persevered and perked up on spotting the wine section just beyond the check-out stands on the opposite wall. Radar locked on, Lisa and I made a beeline for it.

Before we get into the details of our little discovery phase, here is my disclaimer. From what we observed, GO does not stock the wide selection of finer (and more expensive) wines that you’ll find at Costco or maybe even your local Safeway. Enter expecting to find a nice bottle of Kendall Jackson, and you are likely to be disappointed (though I suppose that almost anything is possible at GO). Folks, please understand that this is not the Wine Warehouse.

Now, back to the matter at hand. After sifting through a variety of no-name wines (yes, they did have labels) and brands that I swilled like a pirate in my penny-pinching, hard drinking fraternity days (no need for a glass back then), I found a bottle of 2004 Toca Diamonte – a 70% Malbec/30% Cabernet Sauvignon. Normally $10 a bottle, this Mendoza, Argentina-produced wine was tagged at $3.99. We thought, “What the heck, that’s not much more than a coffee at Starbucks.”

There were many other items of interest on the shelf, both white and red (I might have even seen a blue bottle, though I can’t be certain; maybe I’m thinking of the Big K), but we decided to play it safe, minimize our investment, and stick with the Diamonte. Lisa and I made our purchases, received a free twelve pack of Jones Soda® Root Beer for spending more than $10 (a steal by the way, since it’s delicious pure cane root beer), and high tailed it out of the parking lot before any friends could spot us.

No sooner had we stepped in the front door back home, and Lisa had two Riedel glasses brimming with the Malbec-Cab mix. Let me tell you, it wasn’t bad table wine. Considering that it was under $4 a bottle, this acceptably-balanced blend, with a hint of black cherry, was pretty good stuff. Lisa even liked it enough that she might buy it again just to reconfirm our findings. Then again, we might try something new - maybe one of UM’s picks.

Speaking of which, the next time that we head to the local GO (under cover of darkness of course), we’ll have his wine list in hand. Here is what my ornery uncle had to say about his favorites at the outlet: “… there is an absolute treasure to be had there at times. Usually their stores have 20 or 30 different red wines and a few less whites. I go in about once a week and check on the new ones. My best find ever there was one from a Napa Valley Winery called Shelton. It was their ‘98 Cab.” The Irishman found this ”pot o’ gold” back in 2001. 

“I always buy one bottle on the first purchase because I never know if it is any good,” writes Mike.  ”I take it home, and if I like it, I go back and buy what I think is appropriate. I waited several days, and when I opened the Shelton, it was wonderful; not because it was $2.99, but because I felt that it was truly worth $29.99.

“I went back to the store the next day and found that there were only a couple of cases left.” Legend has it that UM liked the wine so much that he searched the Portland area GO’s and rounded up another 11 cases. “I felt like I had hit the lottery,” he explains. ”It is all gone now except for two bottles (was that I tear I just felt trickle down my cheek?). For $2.99, I got one of the best wines I have ever had.” 

His most recent find at the GO? A 2002 Riddoch Cabernet-Merlot from Australia. “I bought up five cases,” writes the happy bargain hunter.

For any skeptics out there, this is a guy who has been around wine most of his life. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to learn that he was weaned on it. “By 18, I even had my own favorite, Grenache Rose,” remembers Mike. “Thank God I grew out of that.” He also grew grapes, 500 acres in the 1960s, though most were sold to market raw, unadulterated table fruit (the remainder for brandy). Today, Mike travels extensively and has sampled some of the best (and perhaps a bit of the worst) wine the world has to offer. In my book, that’s plenty of credibility, even for a leprechaun.

So, before you discount the discount store, consider giving GO a go. Lisa and I will continue our wine country tours/buys (Dundee and Eugene, Oregon; Walla Walla, Washington; and Sierra Foothills, California trips are all on the horizon) as well as weekly trips to Costco and our other favorite wine merchants. But don’t be surprised if you are cruising by the local Grocery Outlet and spy us slinking out with a bottle or two tucked under our arms along with a box of still-fresh Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookies (not my favorite wine pairing partner, but they’re great with milk). Hey, if it’s good enough for Uncle Mike, it’s good enough for me.

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