By David and Christian Asam

Christian: When shopping for wine, I always try to buy from a locally owned wine shop. We are lucky to have a few stores in Jefferson County with a nice selection on their shelves. Allow me to send a special congratulations to Grapes & Grains on their new location and expanded selection.

David: Christian is right. The wine selection in town is fantastic, but let’s imagine something odd happened on German Street. Hmm, maybe like a water main break that sends water gushing down the sidewalks, or how about a freakish three-foot snowfall that makes German Street impassable. I know these sound far fetched, but I guess it could happen.

C: So David and I tried to imagine what life would be like without these wonderful wine sources at our fingertips. What if these shops were not there, or were unreachable? What if we, heaven forbid, had to shop for wine at the . . . GROCERY STORE! Oh the horror!

D: Some grocery stores have better wine selections than others. That said, most wine distributor’s catalogs are divided in two parts: wine that’s allowed to be placed on grocery store shelves and wine to be sold only in wine shops and restaurants. So Christian and I went to a local, unnamed grocery store with the area’s smallest selection of wine. A noble attempt to find something quaffable should the afore mentioned emergency ever occur. As Christian’s household is predominantly white wine drinkers, and my house leans red, we tasked ourselves accordingly on the hunt. Drum roll please.

C: Here you go. My top four grocery store whites.

Trivento, Torrontes, Argentina, $9.50. First let me say I was amazed to find a Torrontes on the shelves of this store. It is a testament to the burst in popularity of this wine grape. This wine is simple and nice, showing the grape’s typical characteristics of honeysuckle floral tones mixed with melon, and nice acidity on the finish.

Two Ocean, Sauvignon Blanc, South Africa, $9.99. I often find wines from South Africa to be risky, not to mention South African wine sold in a grocery store. But this one is pleasant and clean, with aromas of gooseberry. Nothing noteworthy, but we’re talking emergency wines here!

Bogle Chardonnay, California, $10.50. This wine tastes like, believe or not, Chardonnay. Nothing special and nothing off putting, with plenty of oak. And it will work nicely with your roasted chicken.

Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc, Marlbourgh, New Zealand, $11.50. This is my favorite grocery-store white wine. It still does not compete with the value Sauvignon Blancs from Argentina found in downtown shops, but this wine will keep you smiling until help arrives.

D: Here are my top four grocery store reds.

Chateau St. Jean, Merlot, California, $12. Hey, if their Cabernet can get Wine Spectator’s wine of the year a few years back, why not try their Merlot? Soft and subtle, with juicy dark fruit.

Mondavi, Private Selection Pinot Noir, $11. It’s hard to find a very good inexpensive Pinot Noir, but when given a limited selection, Mondavi’s near 50 years of experience have to count for something. Fresh red berries jump out, but finish quickly.

Ravenswood Vintner’s Blend Zinfandel, $11. Ravenswood may be one of the most recognizable names when it comes to Zin, and the wine’s not bad either. Big rich flavors of red licorice and over-ripe berries pound your palate right from the get-go.

Banfi, Chianti Classico, Riserva, $18. Need a little taste of the old world? Italy’s most well known producer, Banfi, has a little something for everyone. This rustic Sangiovese balances the strong earthy tones with hidden berry fruit. Definitely a food wine, and for the record, a better bottle of $18 Chianti can easily be found elsewhere.

C: We would be remiss not to mention a few of our favorite recent finds to ask for at the wine shops. These wines promise to bring lots of pleasure.

Whites: Huber Gruner Veltliner, Urban Torrontes, Tilia Chardonnay, Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc.

Reds: Jim Jim Shiraz, Cono Sur Pinot Noir, Gougenheim Malbec, Dante Reserve Cabernet.

Christian and David Asam manage the 650 selection wine list and cellar at the Bavarian Inn in Shepherdstown. You can email your grape debate questions to David@bavarianinnwv.com or Christian@bavarianinnwv.com.