When a customer buys a bottle of wine from the Star Store in Langley, they’re likely not aware that a panel of employees convened to taste and hand-pick that exact vintage.

Every Wednesday around 9 a.m., the judges file upstairs to a small office above the grocery store, taking their seats at a worn wooden conference table and passing around wine glasses. To avoid getting a morning buzz, the table is also set with two metal buckets where the employees can spit the contents of their glass, if they so choose.

Elliott Allen, a young vendor from Seattle, hops the ferry to South Whidbey on a weekly basis to bring a selection of wines for the Star Store employees to taste.

“Both my parents are in the wine business, so I’ve grown up around wine my entire life,” he said.

Allen comes equipped with hand-written cards describing the flavors of the wines, also known as “shelf talkers.” Anyone taking a spin through the store’s wine section is probably familiar with the colorful cards, which are attached to the shelves.

“He’s an example of what all vendors should be like, in my opinion,” said Aaron Martin, who runs the store’s wine section. “Super professional, always prepared.”

On a Wednesday morning earlier this month, employees tried a variety of wines from France, Italy, California and Washington. They jokingly called their gathering “The Last Supper.”

“This group is pretty eclectic in terms of its favorites, what you like and what you don’t like, so that’s kind of why we do it as a group,” said Gene Felton, co-owner of the Star Store. Joining him at the table are his daughter, Gena Felton, and his sister, Carol Felton Hurless, who have both been employed at the grocery store.

Employees spend time discussing why they are voting yes or no for a particular wine. Wine is evaluated on its character and its value to the consumer.

“Not very many of us buy $30 bottles of wine for dinner every night, so those are special occasions. That’s what our primary focus is, is looking for what we call workhorse wines,” Gene said. “That means $10 and under at retail, and the wines that really taste good and satisfy what we’re looking for, and that is just enjoyment of the fruit.”

He added that good wines don’t need to be expensive, especially if they are frequently paired with dinner. Prices in the store’s wine section range from $7.99 to over $100.

“We have a pretty vast selection down there for a store this size and a community this size,” Gene said. “There could be somewhere between 1,100 to 1,200 wines down there.”

His sister, Carol, pointed to wine that the store carries which is made in a variety of different locales.

“We have people come from Seattle that say, ‘I can’t wait to get here so I can buy my wine at the Star Store,’” she said. “It’s a pretty unusual selection that we have here.”

Gena, Gene’s daughter, regularly shops at the Star Store and enjoys finding new wines every week.

“I love that it’s not just stagnant ‘these are the bottles on the shelf,’” she said. “It is ever changing and that’s exciting as somebody who likes to drink wine.”

According to Gene, most grocery stores have a single wine specialist. But by bringing in an assortment of different palates, it presents the opportunity for more feedback on a wine.

Picking the wine often requires a specific process.

“You have to think about it in terms of almost like selling a coat to a person. You wouldn’t just take them anything, you’d try and fit that coat to the person,” he said. “The same thing with wine, you just try and fit what they’re looking for, their price point and pick something out of your selection.”

Aaron Martin is in charge of the wine section of the Star Store.

Photo by David Welton Wine vendor Elliott Allen comes prepared to the Star Store, with a copious amount of notes about each wine he brings the employees for tasting.

Photo by David Welton From left to right, wine vendor Elliott Allen joins Star Store employees Aaron Martin, Carol Felton Hurless and Gena Felton in tasting wines.

Photos by David Welton Shelves in the Star Store’s wine section are adorned with tasting notes known as “shelf talkers,” which are typically prepared by a wine vendor.