Years ago, it was the height of sophistication to have French wine on the table to go with a nice meal.These days, oenophiles are enjoying wines from other regions.Wines from South America, Portugal and — gasp — California are frequently on offer.John Flood picked up on that trend and opened Corkscrews Beer, Wines and Spirits in Smith’s, a week ago.The store replaces the wine shop Intermezzo that sat on Middle Road at the junction with Verdmont Road.“The most popular countries right now are Argentinian and the California wines,” Mr Flood said. “French wines seem to have dropped off in popularity. I think it is probably because of marketing. People want to try something different.”His customers have asked almost exclusively for either Pinot Noir or Sauvignon Blanc, he said.He has encouraged many of them to try something new including Portuguese wine, which is increasingly sought after among wine lovers.“In the past there were only about three Portuguese wines that people favoured, but now there is a wider variety that people will try,” he said. “Now, people will try different Portuguese wines and come back for more.“They obviously like it. There is a huge mixture of different wine tastes in Portugal. It varies by region.“In one region the soil may be a little drier than it is just 50 miles away, and that can make the wine itself drier. The whites tend to be very sweet. I prefer the Portuguese reds, and the port wines are amazing.”One of Mr Flood’s favourite Portuguese wines is a red wine, Esporao Reserva.Wine Spectator magazine rated it with 89 points, which is very good. It can be drunk with just about any meal including steak or fish.“The Portuguese don’t tend to be fussy about what wine goes with what food,” he said. “Esporao has a heaviness to it.“Two years ago I went to Portugal and visited the Esporao vineyard in the Alentejo region of Portugal, about two hours out of Lisbon. It was fantastic.“The wine is stored in cellars in caves. A lot of it is hand-done, but they do have some mechanisation.”Mr Flood is originally from Dublin, Ireland. He came to Bermuda 20 years ago to be the executive sous chef at Sonesta Beach Hotel.“As a chef, wines are always part of what you do,” he said. “You are always pairing food with wines. I enjoy wine myself.“At home right now I have in my house some good Shiraz and Amarone. I have been away for awhile, otherwise I would have more in my house.”He said Corkscrews will be a bit different from other liquor stores on the Island because it is not tied to a larger distributor.“It has a bigger selection of products from different distributors, such as Gosling’s and Burrows Lightbourn Ltd,” he said. “I can buy wines from whomever I want so that makes my selection bigger.”The store carries not just wine, but also beer, spirits and the “whole works”.“We listen to the needs of the customer,” said Mr Flood. “We don’t tell them what they want.”For more information visit Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Corkscrews/427404203938631.