Every spring, the team at Cranberry Liquors is busy tasting wines deciding which vintages and varietals should be added to our store selection. Each of the major distributors (numbering almost a dozen) takes their best to places like Chatham Bars Inn or the Wequasset Inn and open their doors to restaurants and package stores for a few hours of tasting. It's a good occasion to make new friends and re-kindle old friendships with peers in the business.

Often the winemakers themselves are there to describe the wine, the vintage, and what to appreciate about each bottle on the table. In turn, we sip and spit (it's the only way to stay sober) and discuss and take notes. When we return to the store, it's time to compare notes and make decisions.

At first blush, this may sound like a dream job come true. But be assured, tasting 20 wines (from a selection of hundreds) at each of these events quickly turns this from a social event to real work. Fun work but work nevertheless.

All done with one thing in mind: Bringing you the best wines from around the world. Stop by Cranberry Liquors and ask what we've brought into the store lately. There's probably a wine-tasting story to go with it.