Our First Time Mallatt Pharmacy & Costume’s wine tasting

We may act like know-it-alls, but sometimes even The A.V. Club has holes in its Madison knowledge. So periodically we’ll grab our fanny pack and camera to check out some of the city’s more famous attractions and events, and then report back on what you may or may not be missing.

Wine tastings tend to be as interesting as the leader of the tasting session. On hearing of an effusive, ebullient salesman with great wine prices hosting tasting sessions at venerable Mallatt Pharmacy & Costume, best known for Halloween garb, The A.V. Club insisted on dropping in. During a semi-intense snowstorm, we hung out to quaff a few samples for the first time with the distinguished William M. Mallatt, R. Ph., who turned out to be quite an interesting fellow indeed. Despite the National Weather Service warnings, customers stomped in and out of the pharmacy, open even in the teeth of that hard wash of snowfall, and a small gaggle of us tasted wine, feeling no guilt in ringing up the recommendations at the cash register of the well-lit interior as darkness folded in around the building, and snow whipped around the windows, shrieking its strange winter language.

What to expect: Bill Mallatt, the host, is enthused about unexpected varietals (“Check out this Vouvray!”) and has only one rule: “I sell wines that I like to drink.” He favors California wines from Lodi and obscure Central Coast blends, with a fondness for some French and Australian wines, and a predisposition to reds, in particular Petite Syrah and Merlot. (“I don’t like many of these thin-skinned Pinot Noirs.”) Nearly every bottle he promotes is about 10 dollars, the result of deep discounts garnered by his tactic of buying in bulk.

Impress your friends: There’s real Madison history here. In 1941 work was finished on the building, but then the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. The establishment couldn’t open until 1942 while the nation scrambled to react, but when it did open, strategically positioned near a gas station, Bill Mallatt was in there early, starting as a soda jerk and then working his way up. The pharmacy used to have a soda fountain for kids, along with a grill for burgers, near what’s now the cash register area. Mr. Mallatt has never worked anywhere else, and today does not have official ties to the organization at this point beyond the wine tasting gig, as he cashed his interests in the company out in an amiable transaction in 1995. So it’s kind of cool that he still hangs out for these tastings.

Highlight: A Petite Sirah from Bogle, with notes of cherry and tobacco undercurrents, got The A.V. Club’s attention; we bought a bottle. These wine-tasting endeavors are fun and move units. Bill Mallatt managed to sell 175 cases of the Sonoma vineyard Snap Dragon’s wine to Madison residents in two years with his effervescent sales pitch, patina and charm.

What to watch for: A master salesman in action. The tiny sampling glasses are actually those little plastic cups for medicine, and tasters can see how many milliliters of wine they are drinking. Somehow the way Bill sells it, this is totally awesome.

When to go: Tastings are held each Friday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.