Beverage Superstore presents the tasting room

There are a number of firsts that dads and daughters celebrate together like the first steps, the first word and the first dance recital, but few of these momentous occasions measure up to the one my daughter and I recently shared at the Beverage Superstore in Suwanee. I'm talking of course about my ten-month-old daughter's first wine tasting.

Oh, stop!

I didn't actually let her taste anything, partially because she's ten months old but largely because these wines were all over $55 per bottle. I'm not wasting those libations on a kid whose pallet hasn't yet developed beyond Similac and Gerber stage threes. A mere glass of any of these wines at a restaurant would set me back somewhere between twelve and twenty dollars. As far as I'm concerned, Meryl's going to have to do a little better job earning her keep before dad lets her enjoy the pricy Italian reserves.

For a mere three dollars -- yes, ewe red me write, only three dollars -- I got to have a hearty sampling of five different wines, none of which came from a box and all of which would normally find themselves far outside of Daddy's price range. For a fraction of what it would cost me to sponsor one of those ungrateful hungry children in the Third World, I got to taste from the following bottles:

• Banfi Brunello di Montalcino..............................................$69.99
• Fresobaldi Castel Giocondo Brunello di Montalcino...........$54.99
• Antinori Pian delle Vigne Brunello di Montalcino...............$59.99
• Terra Rossa Brunello di Montalicino..................................$54.99
• Il Palazzone Brunello di Montalcino...................................$59.99

I was in heaven. My Italian consumpton is usually no more exotic than your basic sub-par chianti and the ever-famous That's-a-spicy-meataballa, both of which generally run $4 per box slash can. Here I got to taste the nectar of the gods while hobnobbing with some of Gwinnett County's wine snobs and slobs.

So what if I had to hold a twenty-pound baby the entire time. After I bit her wrist twice, she knew not to reach for Daddy's glass anymore, and the Beverage Superstore provided crackers and bread for her to nibble on. She kept the squealing to a minimum and elicited the usual number of oohs and ahs from fellow lushes wine connoisseurs.

Currently the Beverage Superstore in Suwanee offers wine tastings every Saturday from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM and for the price this is a real bargain. It was more like a class than a tasting. Meryl and I are taking mom next time, as this made for an ideal date activity especially if you tie it in with a visit to the Suwanee Town Center park. Sure, one of their rules is no alcohol, but with just the right amount of concealment, who's going to be any the wiser?