With a winter storm scheduled to hit Kansas City this last weekend, I knew I needed to be prepared, so I stocked up on wine from Royal Liquor (and brownies). I take winter preparedness very seriously.

If you’re unfamiliar with Royal Liquor, it’s located at 103rd and State Line in Kansas City, Missouri. Their resident sommelier, Alan Hagedorn, led a wine tasting the husband and I attended last fall. We loved every bottle he selected and learned a lot about wine. Since then, I’ve discovered he has quite the following in Kansas City, along with a great column in Tastebud Magazine.

The main reason I try to swing by Royal Liquor is that the store’s aisles are peppered with handwritten recommendations from Alan. It takes the guess-work and stress out of choosing a bottle. Since I was there, I decided to stock up on quite a few,  and my plan is to share our favorites with you as we drink them.

The first we tried was a Cabernet Sauvignon. Normally, I’m not a huge fan of cabs, but this one was really good. It has a nice, smooth finish. (and other wine nonsense). Just listen to Alan. He knows his stuff.

Clayhouse Vineyards, 2007, Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles