"This is catching my eye," Wega says of a familiar, gold foil topped bottle situated behind a plastic vitrine. "I like grower Champagne, that’s what I go for," she says. "But this is going to have a nice brand behind it, so you know what you’re getting." Coming from a house that was founded in 1811, this well known grower is one the biggest guns in the Champagne region and has a history that ensures that popping this bottle isn’t going to disappoint.

• M. Chapoutier Belleruche Cotes-du-Rhone - $12.99
• Joseph Drouhin Beaujolais-Village - $16.99
• Louis Jadot Bourgogne Chardonnay - $17.99
  
  Wega refers to her next trio of picks as Négociant wines. These are wines that come from big houses that bring in grapes grown by independent farmers to supplement fruit grown on their own estates. Outsourcing grape production within their own DOCs means that they can up production and make bottles at a lower price point like these less than $20 picks. The Cotes-du-Rhone gets points for approachability and a nice spiciness and braille labels on all of Chapoutier. And even with a large scale operation, Jadot’s farming practices lean towards biodynamic, something that Wega can get behind. And that Beaujolais? "Really, I drink more Beaujolais than anything," she says.

Wega’s last pick is a fascinating nod to American winemaking history. "Mondavi, he’s huge, he really got so much going in terms of California wine making and he was really inventive." This innovation can be seen in his invention of this particular wine. "He pretty much made up fume blanc," she explains of this oaked iteration of Sauvignon Blanc. "In French fume means smoked, it’s just a play on that idea, now it’s its own style of wine in California that he just created. It’s definitely not my style, but interesting and it has its fans."

Maloof’s first pick is one with plenty of historical significance, a Pinot Gris coming from a family that’s been in the Alsatian wine game for nearly 400 years. Coming from the same varietal that makes for mundane bottles of Pinot Grigio, Maloof is a big fan of how France treats this noble grape. "It picks up these spicy characteristics and is a lot more full than its counterparts in Italy," he explains.

Seeing this box set of four Madeiras stops Maloof in his tracks. "The Rare Wine Company is really cool, they’ve championed the resurgence of Madeira wines into our culture. Madeira was obviously hugely popular during Colonial times, especially in East Coast cities," a sentiment that makes perfect sense being that we’re standing just a few blocks from Independence Mall. This particular set of four half bottles recreates sweeter blends that were popular in New York and Boston, and crisper offerings that folks in Savannah and Charleston went for. Although the price point might be a little high, Maloof notes that Madeira is indestructible. "You can keep it in the fridge, you can keep it on your counter, you can keep it in a hot cellar, and it can stay in great shape for a decade or more."

This California collective has been on the scene since 1962 but most folks don’t associate their minimalist labels with natural wine practices. "It’s the kind of stuff that would fall right into Vedge’s program," Maloof says. "On the mission statement they use the term preindustrial." This particular bottle is a big blend of Zinfandel, Carignane, Petite Sirah and Alicante Bouschet that comes in at a powerful 14.4%. "It still falls into the like category of what you would expect from California wines, the nice thing is that without all of the manipulation you still get a really wonderful sense of the land that they work here."

Maloof’s next pick is something of a daily driver. "I really love cotes du rhone village," he says noting that this family run operation is using the same vinification methods since the vineyard’s beginnings in 1909. "This is a house that I would put trust in and know that they’re making a pretty quality product and Cotes du Rhone, the villages level, is always fun and fresh, exciting while still being hot."

Tucked between the Dolcettos, Amarones and Valpolicellas, Kweeder comes across a solid bottle from Piedmonte. "Definitely a higher price point but it’ll beat the hell out of these guys any day." For those in the market for a lighter red, Kweeder has these magic words: "It’s like Barolo meets Burgundy in a good way."

Nothing but kind words for this southern Itlian winery that specializes in smaller production wines made with Sicilian vartiertals like Frappato, Inzolia and Catarratto. Their single varietal Nero D’Avola isn’t going to disappoint. "If I was looking at this whole wall of Italian, this is the go-to one," says Kweeder.

It's all about family history for Kweeder who noted that the Hugel family's winemaking chops date back to the 1600s. This Alsatian blend goes heavy on the Gewurtztraminer and incorporates a handful of floral varietals making for a dry, summertime sipper. "Tria refers to this as a porch pounder," Kweeder says.

History plays a part in this selection as well with the wine’s name coming from a group of post World War II bohemians who had a thing for jazz and long hair as well as an aversion to conservatism. Story aside, Kweeder is familiar with the importer, Boutique Wine Collection, and notes that this Languedoc-made bottle works well with grilled lamb and big, Mediterranean flavors.

Harris explains that this Pacific Northwestern producer speaks to her methodology. "They're pretty uninterventionist," she says. "They practice sustainable farming if not biodynamic." The label talks about which clones were used to produce this light bodied, juicy vintage, when the grapes were harvested and how many barrels were produced.

The same producer makes a Reisling worth your while. "There's a lot of information on the back of bottle. This describes it as fruity clean and crisp which in hot weather sounds appealing to me," she explains. "Because of all of the other technical information [mentioned above], I trust them."

"I would probably buy this if I was coming in here," she says of the infinitely food-friendly blend of Grenache and Syrah. While Jaboulet might be a "huge house", it’s one that has centuries of French winemaking history behind it. "Typically big name houses aren't my jam, but that's who I would trust when I don't see little boutique-y finds. That's what's in here a lot, big-name houses."

It's Harris's state store secret weapon: a DIY cocktail that can be mixed table-side at A Mano, and one that pairs with the menu’s elegantly executed Italian plates perfectly. "If you have to buy something at this store, my recommendation would be to grab a bottle of Lillet, a bottle of sparkling wine and a bottle of Aperol and make it super fun at the restaurant with a round of Aperol Spritzes." The Lillet is Harris’s secret ingredient to this classic Venetian refresher and it adds lovely floral note to the effervescent aperitivo. It’s also a great way to kick off a meal at A Mano and something of a power move. "After all, you’re probably meeting friends that are definitely bringing wine," says Harris.