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Business & Tech

Clayton's Wine Thieves Brings Multiple Wineries to You Every Friday

Try it once, or try it 52 times a year—but do try Wine Thieves' Friday Night Tastings if you haven't.

If you haven’t tried Clayton Wine Thieves’ Friday Night Tastings (or FNTs, as they’re affectionately called), you’re in for a treat. On a recent Friday evening, my husband and I got there just in time.

By “just in time,” I mean we arrived a half hour before closing—which was a perfect amount of time for us to taste, nibble and chat about wine with the staff.

This branch of Wine Thieves is a hidden gem (there’s a more visible sister location in Lafayette). My husband likened this one to “BevMo! meets Napa Valley tasting room”— with its strip mall location, lofted ceilings, quality selection of wines and charming artwork.

A staff member greeted us warmly and explained that five wines were being tasted: rosé, pinot grigio, chardonnay, cabernet Franc and Malbec.

My personal favorite was the pinot grigio — so we bought a bottle for $6.99. This wine was the answer to my silent question, “What’s a tasty but cheap wine to sip while watching a movie from Netflix?”

But I wouldn’t have felt judged for asking; the staff was friendly and helpful, as was the wine sales representative visiting the store that evening.

Every Friday, a different sales rep presents offerings from several wineries. This makes it worthwhile to stop by FNTs regularly.

And FNTs are such a good value — $3 per person in Clayton, $5 in Lafayette. You can stay for a few minutes or from 5:30 to 7 p.m. and call it a date. I’m a fan of anyway.

The store also offers hard cheeses with wafer crackers — whether to cleanse the palate or provide sustenance, I don’t know. And I don’t care, because I never look a gift horse in the mouth.

As for the retail aspect of Wine Thieves, simply put, it offers quality wines and great value. In fact, $7.99 to $15.99 is the most popular price range among shoppers. For connoisseurs, the store carries a selection of higher priced reserve bottles.

Shoppers receive personalized service reminiscent of another era and the store is spacious for comfortable browsing. Merchandise is organized by varietals and by region.

On the Friday we visited, about a dozen other tasters were there. It felt like we had crashed a small party, except that we fit right in and felt at ease.

Tasters appeared to be a mix of locals and regulars but who knows—some may have been newbies like us.

My husband and I arrived at the FNT with enough time to savor and shop. But had we missed it, that would have been OK because Clayton Wine Thieves hosts tastings on Saturdays, too, from 1 to 5 p.m.

I’m not sure if the Saturday afternoon tasting is called SAT, but it’s certainly one SAT you don't have to study for.

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