The Wine Wizard of St. Andrews
Few people spend as much time as I do looking at the online wine inventories of individual retail stores. Hop over to the “On Tour” section of this site to see my take on the retail (and restaurant) wine scene in more than 40 US cities where the PGA Tour plays. Since my analyses are based on virtual, not in person observation, it’s generally a lonely and detached pursuit. Recently, however, I had the good fortune to be on the ground in St. Andrews during a weeklong golf trip. While Scotland is not exactly renowned as a wine destination, I had done my homework and found what looked to be an interesting enough store right downtown, not a 5 minute walk from the 18th green of The Old Course. .
There I happened to meet the proprietor of The St. Andrews Wine Company, Peter Wood, preparing to open that morning. We were alone for a good 45 minutes and well before we were done talking I knew I had stumbled onto something semi-magical and worth sharing. You see, Peter has built a business around serving the needs of golfers visiting St. Andrews and by extension, the UK as a whole. Contact him in advance and he will obtain almost anything you want and have it waiting for you not only in his store, but anywhere in the UK you are staying while on your golf trip. Peter says he hates the concept of a “tourist margin,” so prices are reasonable. And he will even intercept online orders to suggest less expensive wines that may be better suited to a regular customer’s palate. Consistent with that notion, he charges a mere £14 (about $18) a case to get it to your door, although it could be a bit more if you’re staying on some remote island.
I have much more to say about Peter’s background, his operation and his philosophy that I am packaging into a longer article, hopefully for publication somewhere worthy of the tale. In the meantime, if you are planning a golf trip to St Andrews or the UK and want to drink wine that matches the quality of the on course experience, I’d strongly suggest reaching out to Peter first. You can email the wine wizard of St. Andrews at: peter@standrewswinecompany.com or check out the website here.
