WEDNESDAY,JULY2,2003
ENTERTAINMENT
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN = 21
Zach Straus/Kansan
Melissa Jones and Chris Crawford, Overland Park juniors, taste wine and cheese at Pachamama's, 2161 Quail Creek Drive. The two were in attendance Friday night at the restaurant's weekly wine and cheese tasting party.
Students enjoying more wine despite illusion of high prices
DINING
By Amy Kelly akelly@kansan.com Kansan staff writer
Swirl. Sniff. Swish. Swallow.
Wine enthusiasts' methods of enjoying a bottle of Chardonnay or Merlot can often take on a relatively uniform appearance right down to the last tilts of their glasses.
The faces of those drinkers are changing, however.
Scarborough Research, a consumer market research company, reported in March that 25 percent of American wine purchasers are 21 to 24 years old.
Local businesses are beginning to reflect those national statistics, but not all students' pocketbooks are ready for the wine to flow.
Pachamama's New World Cuisine, 2161 Quail Creek Drive, has held wine tastings from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.every Friday for the past two years, attracting everyone from college students to senior citizens.
Chris Crawford and Melissa Jones, Overland Park juniors, attended Pachamama's wine tasting Friday, but said they were still far from being connoisseurs.
"When it comes down to it, I still would probably buy beer before wine," Crawford said.
"But what you'll find a lot of younger people buying is Yellowtail because it's pretty good wine and it's really cheap," he said, referencing the popular Australian wine.
The assumption that high prices go hand-in-hand with an evening of wine and dinner is something Ken Baker, chef and proprietor of Pachamama's, is trying to dispel.
Baker said some young adults told him they would like to eat at Pachamama's, but their budgets couldn't foot the bill.
"I tell the people who tell me they can't afford it, 'Well, all you have to do is not go to Harbour Lights and buy beer two nights in a row and you can absolutely afford it," Baker said.
Each wine tasting at Pachamama's ranges from $15 to $20, a price that includes appetizers and four or five wine selections.
Dan Blomgren, owner of Cork & Barrel, 23rd and Iowa streets, said the downfall for students interested in experimenting with wine tasting was the lack of disposable income.
"If you have six bucks in your pocket and you're choice is between a bottle of Chardonnay or a 12-pack of Natty Light, you're going to go with the Natty Light," Blomgren said. "It just comes down to economics."
Tammy Rundstrom, Cork & Barrel sales associate and KU graduate, said although wine sales had increased, most college students still bought beer.
"Wine is such an acquired taste, so it might take awhile for students to get used to it," Rundstrom said.
— Edited by Maggie Newcomer
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