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If you are someone who wants to expand the range of products you drink yet have a sizable knowledge gap on how exactly to accomplish this, enter stage right: King James Wine located in Bentonville, Arkansas.
What makes King James Wine extraordinary?
In a nutshell, personalized attention. Owner and proprietor James King has more than 25 years in the wine industry and over 13 years teaching about it. As the beverage arts director at Brightwater, A Center for the Study of Food in Bentonville, James King is certified in:
- Wine and Spirit Education Trust: Level 4 certified, Certified Educator
- Wine Scholar Guild: Italian Wine Scholar and Instructor
- Wine Scholar Guild: French Wine Scholar and Instructor
- Burgundy, Bordeaux and Napa Certified Wine Educator
- California Wine Appellation Specialist
- Cicerone Certified: Beer
James King’s sweet spot is engaging customers with one-on-one recommendations.
“Literally, every customer I have engaged with will ask me about wine and dinner, focusing on what to pair with and work with. That’s important since European wine was created to pair with food. From that initial question, I will want to understand what you are looking for. Is it a certain price point? Or, do you want something that goes with lounging at the pool or when entertaining at dinner? Each person’s answer will ultimately provide them with a different suggestion, based on their individual needs and desires.”
The connection between coffee and wine
One of the first things James will ask you is, “How do you like your coffee?” If your answer is sweet with creamers and sugar, this provides him with an understanding of your palate preference. Therefore he can direct you to a sampling of offerings that will suit you perfectly. Someone who prefers strong black coffee has a different taste palate than say, a person who has a palate for a pumpkin spiced latte with whipped cream. Again, this personalized attention is what sets King James Wine apart. (By the way, both are right answers to the coffee question.)
An emphasis on lesser-known varietals and regions
The concept for opening King James Wine was to introduce Northwest Arkansas to more interesting and diverse wine from around the world. He is able to work with sellers and distributors that go beyond the big name brands.
His philosophy is to group the main grapes together and not by region, as many wine stores will do. That means we have to treasure-hunt a bit, which expands our knowledge. For instance, if you are looking for something universal as Chardonnay, most wine shops will group these by places such as South Africa and the Central Coast. At King James Wine, grouping by grape varietals will open up other regions such Corsica, Northern Spain, Burgundy, Israel and Chablis. Beer and spirit offerings also have an emphasis on lesser-known brands.
Classes
A teacher by heart and by trade, King James Wine is a wine school. While in-store classes may currently be on hold due to COVID-19, that doesn’t stop James from doing what he does best: teach. There are several ways to get an incredible education:
- King James Wine on Instagram: videos highlights and education.
- Emails: special buy alerts with background education.
- Store: in-person customer service with an emphasis on you.
Location
3511 SE J Street Suite 1
Bentonville, AR 72712-5489
479-367-2682
You can order quality Spirits, Wines, and Beers online and pick up in-store.
https://kingjameswineschool.com
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3 responses to “King James Wine, Bentonville’s First Fine Wine Store”
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I thought Ms. Fultz description of King James was excellent. It is a superior wine store, even if the location feels like Nebraska. The selection of wines is intelligent and required work and taste. The whiskey offering is also impressive, although I am rather more knowledgeable about wines. Ms. Futz seems a highly capable observer, with a lively and smart style of writing.
Thank you, jgh! I am truly humbled by your compliment! ~ Lyndi
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