Red Carpet Wine

Our sixth shout-out in a series of shout-outs to standout beer collections in the city of Los Angeles. And next stop on the Great L.A. Beer Run, slated to take place sometime in the next couple weeks.
If you’re not familiar with Glendale, CA, some quick context is in order: Home to the largest Armenian population outside of Armenia, Glendale is its own city just outside Northeast L.A. before North Hollywood, nestled next to the mountains of the Angeles National Forest. It sticks out with its mini Financial District high-rises and hillside villas. It’s all about mall shopping, pimping seriously expensive styles and aggressive SUV driving. It’s not generally a place we would subject ourselves to (unless we’re under the influence on a Whole Foods shopping spree or fiending for a veggie sub from Mario’s).
But when we first caught wind, about a year ago, of this liquor and cigar store in Glendale that had a fridge-only, collector’s selection of upscale beers, we grabbed our plastic and our Gucci beer bags and hit Glenoaks Blvd.
Always the ghetto car in a modest parking lot of beamers and convertibles, we feel a little out of our element walking through the automatic sliding doors of Red Carpet Wine. The predominant feel about the place is a strong snooty wine vibe — harsh at times, depending on how many tan George Hamilton-looking fuckers are sipping bordeauxs in boat shoes — but the staff is generally congenial and you’ll get a “hello” as you pass the register.
About 70 percent of the long rectangular store is comprised of wine shelves, mazes of pricey Napa and French labels (meant to be immediately stuck in a cellar). The far side of the store is a long library of liquors, including an intimidating selection of whiskeys that we haven’t even been able to brave much because of prices (like amazing 30-year-old, small batch scotches from distilleries that no longer exist).
And there, past the long wine-tasting booth, sits an L-shaped fridge section, usually devoid of many customers because clearly they do more business in wine and liquor. Of all the beer places we’ve charted so far, Red Carpet probably offers the least amount of space (7-11 excluded). There are 2 fridges for Belgians, 1 for English, 1 for German, a small row or two of Scottish brews and the obligatory 2 for American microbrews. Further toward the back there are a number of mainstream crap beers, can’t tell you how many but too many. Around the L-shaped corner, in fact the most prominent area of the beer section is a shameless display for the high-end Budweiser magnum bottles, the Sam Adamses of the world etc. Almost nothing comes in 6-packs.

But in between this blasé beer fodder — that clearly sells among wine aficionados who probably grab Heineken Dark for their football parties, thinking they got the good shit — is a boutique-sized smattering of great bottles. The Belgians are well represented here, they have both important standards like all of Le Choufe’s offerings and harder-to-find specials like clay-pot mustard jar-looking farmhouse Belgians. What’s more, you can grab most of the 750ml Belgian bottles for a steal, $8.99 in many cases.
The American shelf is well proportioned too, with strong showings from Alesmith, Moylan’s, the Lost Abbey series and Victory. This was easily the first beer store in L.A. that carried the much-respected Port Brewing beers, including Old Viscosity. When the brewers’ came up for a tasting party they just left a case of beer, or so one clerk claimed.
Not much for English ales, we keep meaning to pay more attention to the British — including the Scottish varieties — beers, of which there are many.
On more than one trip here, we’ve gotten in the way of a particularly laid-back, Hawain-shirt-wearing employee as he’s carrying bottles to the back. He always comes back to talk shop and offer recommendations as needed. Coincidentally, the big guys’ name is HK, which we took as some kind of sign. On our last visit, he revealed himself as a true beer dudes’ beer dude by recommending we go to a competitor’s store sometime to check out their walk-in beer cellars.
As for the other staff, the vibe is heavy on the professional connoisseur vibe. They can be curt, but it’s only fitting. Our only gripe: Our buddy Mike Meanstreatz, not known for wearing dockers, no longer will go with us because they gave him shit for his scruffy look. Not cool guys.
Staff: These people live and breath beverages, that and cigar smoke, but definitely pay more attention to grapes.
Refrigeration: All of it.
Split Six Packs: Nope, but hardly any six-packs.
Belgians: There could be more, but what they do carry is better than average.
Microbrews: Standard American micros with a West Coast leaning.
Special Powers: Only the sleekest, the cream of the crop, in most categories. Heavy farmhouse styles.
Achilles’ Heel: Not much variation, few seasonal surprises.
Location: Here.