Happy Friday the 13th!

Happy Friday the 13th everyone! I am a big fan of Friday the 13th…both the day and the movies. Call me a nerd, but I really enjoy the old, cheesy horror movies of the 1970’s and 1980’s. They offer good story lines, moments of thrill and endless entertainment. A good classic horror movie has the same components of a good wine shop. First, to outline the types of shops we often encounter.

Wine shops to me come in a few varieties. First, you have your low budget, poor effects and no real thrill, horror or entertainment. This would be the equivalent of a liquor shop, or any wine shop where the most prominent wines on hand come out of a box or 5 liter bottle. These may offer some people a little bit of scare or a little bit of fun, but really they are just there to fill time, or in case of an emergency!

The next is the typical horror film. Blood, gore, screaming, terror. Think Saw, Hostel, and the new age, serious high budget and great effects films. These can be entertaining and have an OK story line, but really they offer nothing more than shock and awe. I would consider the wine shop equivalent of this to be a pretentious wine store in which the prices are very high, and the selection, though very impressive from a collectors or bragging rights point of view, offers little as a way of wines that are rare, unique, exciting or just plain fun. I like these stores from time to time when I want to get excited about a 1982 Cheval Blanc that is within arms reach, but it’s unlikely I’m going to do much of my purchasing here. The same with horror films: I liked Saw 2, but I’m not going to watch it, or its equivalent more than every now and then.

Finally we have the classic horror movies. I’m talking Psycho, Exorcist, the Friday the 13th series, Halloween, and The Shining. They offer a great story, multiple moments of terror, a wide variety of plot lines and some complexity, worthy adversaries and most importantly, endless entertainment. The directing is well done and the cast just seems to fit. I love these movies. They keep me thinking and make me justify wasting two hours watching a movie! These are the analogy of a well organized wine shop that has something to offer everyone. They have a nice selection, quality and variability always being more important than number of wines. They are well designed and easy to navigate and do not mark up wines more than necessary. Most importantly, they have an outstanding director - an owner that cares and a great cast - staff that loves wines as much as you do. I support these wine shops and promote them to my friends as much as I do a great horror movie.

Tonight I would take a trip to your favorite wine shop and grab a nice wine, then head to Blockbuster to rent a classic horror movie…why not make this Friday the 13th a great one!