“Getting an idea of a customer is exactly what I had to do as a somm at a table,” he says, referring to his years as a restaurant sommelier around the country.

Tancinco grew up in Medina and went to the Culinary Institute of America before becoming a restaurant owner in Nantucket and a sommelier.

“I try to understand how much experience they had and what they like. I get an idea of person’s palate based on their selections,” he says. “If they want to talk, with a few questions I can build a profile of what their taste is like and start recommending stuff. Given their preference I’ll lead to grapes, regions, countries they’re partial to.”

If he doesn’t have the wine, he’ll recommend something adjacent or simply admit he can’t help. That has happened once and, of course, is rare. He can usually match a shopper to a wine.

He wants to take the guess work out of shopping.

“There are far more bad wines on the market than people realize,” he says. “About 85 to 90 percent are not worth the sticker price. They’re not delivering what they’re supposed to. Some wines are just not that well made. It just bums me out when every third bottle you buy is a dud. Some newer drinkers don’t even know they got a bad bottle.”

“I mitigate the risk of wine buying for inexperienced buyers,” he says. “I offer value at every possible price point. I have $20 bottles as good as they can be. And I have special bottles for when they’re feeling celebratory. My overarching purchasing criteria is value.”

Some of those “special” bottles are tucked away because of high prices but are readily available to buyers.

This oenophile has a multi-pronged answer to the question about his favorite wine. His favorite varietals are Pinot Noir and Riesling because they express the terroir of where they’re grown. His favorite style of wine is bubbles, especially from Champagne.

As for his favorite wine? It’s Unico from Vega Sicilia in Spain. Made from Tempranillo grapes – like rioja – it must be aged at least five years, he says. It is only available in “worthy’ vintage years. In “unworthy” years, the winery declassifies the wine and offers at a lower price.

“Those wines are so consistently good,” he says. “It took me years to find this. For the longest time I didn’t have an answer to that question.”

And, yes, for about $700 a vintage year is available.

The Lakewood Bottle Shop holds regular tasting events on Saturdays and Tancinco is working to get a Sunday license. Follow social media for dates and details.

“I have a lot of pride in this space,” he says. “I’m trying to foster more people drinking nice wine more consistently.”

The Lakewood Bottle Shop is at 16300 Detroit Ave Ste 110, Lakewood, next to Cleveland Bagel Shop. Additional parking is around back.

Send dining, drinking and culture story ideas to Paris Wolfe at pwolfe@cleveland.com. Review her previous stories here. Follow Paris Wolfe on Instagram @pariswolfe.