Red, white and you: Local sommelier makes understanding wine easy

Andy Bakko suggests a nice rosé, like the one by Diamarine, to give as a gift or to please a variety of guests.

Picture this: you’ve been invited to a barbecue, and you’ve been asked to bring a few bottles of wine. If imagining that scenario makes you more than a little anxious--you know nothing about wine, so what on earth would you bring? No
worries.

Local sommelier and self-described “wine doctor” Andy Bakko can help. His recommendation for that start-of-summer cookout? A nice rosé, like the one by Diamarine, available at his downtown Port Huron wine shop, the Wolverine Market.

In fact, Bakko (pronounced “Bah-KOO”) has a recommendation for any occasion, and is more than delighted to lend his knowledge and experience to helping you find exactly the right bottle, no matter your preferences, budget, or unique requirement. Need a sweet Argentinian wine for your cousin’s best friend’s neighbor’s wedding, but you don’t want to spend more than $20 on a bottle? He’ll know just the thing. He’ll ask a few key questions before guiding you down the aisles of his shop, giving you a range of very appropriate options.

Bakko’s Wolverine Market has been a downtown Port Huron fixture for more than 15 years, and in that time he’s developed a reputation for taking his role as a local wine expert seriously, but with a friendliness that puts his clients at ease.

He knows wine can be intimidating, but, he says, it doesn’t have to be. He sees it as his mission to educate, but never intimidate. In his own words, he wants to make wine “simple” by using terminology and offering explanations that are straightforward and easy to understand. He also keeps it simple on an individual level, digging into what each client really likes, rather than making assumptions.

“Many times, someone will come in and say they like a dry red wine, but after I ask questions or offer a sample, we discover they actually like something sweeter,” Bakko explains.

It’s just a matter of knowing the wine, and asking the right questions. Bakko’s designed his shop to be an ideal “school” for learning about (or just appreciating) good wine. He carries a wide array of wines from all over the world--Argentina to Greece, Israel to Italy--suitable for everyday table use or for special occasions. He’s tasted all of them, and knows what makes each one unique.

Bakko offers more than just wine suggestions. He also provides wine by the case for weddings and other special events, he hosts wine tastings and fundraisers, and he consults on how to build a wine collection as an investment, and how to store and maintain existing wines (pro-tip: store a corked bottle on its side, to keep the cork from drying out and letting air into the bottle).
It’s his description of what makes a wine suitable for a specific occasion, like that barbeque, remarkable. While another sommelier might explain in a way that’s hard for a novice to decipher, Bakko’s explanation makes sense. Again, he likes to make wine “simple” and easy to understand.

“It tastes like a Jolly Rancher,” he says with a grin, “with notes of tart cherry, Granny Smith apple, and melon.” Which is why that bottle of Diamarine rosé, served chilled, is ideal for enjoying this summer, at home with friends--or at that barbecue.

Bakko’s Recommendations:

For any celebration, big or small: champagne (of course!)

For a hearty meal: red wine

For a sweet treat: a dessert wine

For something light, to go with a cheese plate or salad: a chilled white wine

The Wolverine Market is located at 713 Huron Ave. in downtown Port Huron.