Vin, Vino, Wine is a 25-year-old wine shop (regulars call it VVW) with a carefully chosen selection of wines from around the world. The store’s tasting bar is open five days a week and features a revolving lineup for six or more wines by the glass. Rebecca Rapaszky is the store’s manager and wine buyer.

Why did you decide to pursue a career in wine?
I love the way that wine brings people together. I’ve seen countless strangers bond over a flight of wines. And I believe that every bottle tells a story. Each wine is a reflection of the site, weather, people and socioeconomic conditions that produced it. Its color, aroma and flavor provide a gateway to another time and place.

What makes the wine selection at Vin, Vino special?
We value quality at all price points above all else, focusing primarily on wines from small-production if not family-owned estates. We only buy wines that we ourselves love to drink. If you ask either Victor (the owner) or me about any wine in the shop, we will be able to tell you about it because we’ve tasted every one. In most cases, we also know the winemakers and their philosophies. We offer tastings that feature everything from easy-drinking values to some of the most expensive, age-worthy rarities out there. Top winemakers from around the world come to our shop to lead educational sessions.

What wines are you passionate about right now?
I’m fascinated with the fastidious practices of one of Burgundy’s younger up-and-coming vignerons, Thibault Liger-Belair. His vineyards are organic and biodynamic. He travels throughout sustainably managed oak forests to select the best trees for his barrels, as well as his corks, which he coats in beeswax, instead of petroleum-based paraffin, or silicone. With the holidays upon us, I constantly crave bubbles—but I’m also very budget-conscious. So, we’ve been drinking a lot of Eric Bordelet’s pear and apple ciders, as well as some delicious prosecco, cremant and cava. These retail for far less than champagne counterparts, but provide just as much festive flavor and fizz.

What are some of the best wine values now?
Everybody needs try at least one bottle of 2009 cru Beaujolais. This is not to be confused with the simple, fruity nouveau that lands stateside each November. These cru wines are much more serious, offering the sort of weight and complexity that one would expect from wines at twice the price. I love the current releases from Marcel Lapierre, imported by Kermit Lynch, as well as the Piron bottlings brought to us by Beaune Imports. 

What is your go-to wine for everyday, casual drinking?
I want to enjoy wine throughout my entire meal, so I look for high-acid, low-alcohol, minimally oaked whites and reds. The Loire valley offers many well-priced, food-friendly and interesting options. Right now I’m sipping Francois Chidaine’s 2009 Touraine sauvignon blanc.  I’ve also stocked up on the 2009 Clos du Tue-Boeuf Cheverny rouge (gamay blended with pinot noir) and the 2009 Hautes Troglodytes Saumur-Champigny (cabernet franc).