Reconvening ‘The Panel’

As a liter is to a jeroboam, the new home of The Panel wine and champagne store is smaller than its previous incarnation. Dar Rhodes moved the business from what was a wine lounge/shop on West Napa Street to a bottle-sale-only retail space in Sonoma Market Center.

The change was necessitated by Covid, but now allows a focus on finding, vetting and sharing wines from all over the world, both off the shelf and through a unique wine club. But when there are 350 different varietals grown internationally, culling the best bottles is thirsty work.

The Panel process: choose a varietal, then several dozen interesting interpretations. Cull those down, then convene a monthly panel of experts (an ever-changing crew of experts and insiders) for a blnd tasting. The absolute best make the final cut as Wine Club picks. As she’s learned, “You can’t hide anything in a blind tasting.”

The Panel. 500 West Napa, Suite 522. Thurs-Sun., 1-6pm. 707.938.7152.