COUNCIL MEMBER 'TARGETS' WINE SALES.

Byline: Michael Gougis Staff Writer

Target's recent foray into the wine market at a number of stores nationwide has gone down as smoothly as a vintage Pinot Noir.

But the retail giant's attempt to sell its four-bottle wine box - the Wine Cube - in the San Fernando Valley has left a bitter aftertaste for at least one Los Angeles city council member.

Citing his district's high crime rate, Councilman Tony Cardenas has asked state regulators to reject Target's request for a license to sell the product at its Raymer Street store in Van Nuys.

``I intend to protect the residents of my district,'' Cardenas wrote in a recent letter to the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.

Target also has applied for licenses to sell wine at its stores on Sepulveda Boulevard in Van Nuys and Ventura Boulevard in Woodland Hills.

Councilman Dennis Zine, who represents Woodland Hills, and Councilwoman Wendy Greuel, who represents the Van Nuys district where the Sepulveda Target is located, said they had not yet decided how they would respond to Target's request, their aides said.

Representatives from Target's headquarters in Minnesota did not return phone calls.

While some applauded Cardenas' hard line against new alcohol outlets in his district, others suggested that having a major retailer like Target competing against - and possibly driving out - small liquor stores that attract vagrants and crime could benefit the community.

Last year, Target hired an internationally recognized wine expert to create the Wine Cube - a box containing the equivalent of four bottles of wine designed to be served with a variety of foods.

The rollout of the product since October has mostly gone without a hitch. Target stores in Burbank, Citrus Heights, Cerritos and Orange have received beer and wine licenses.

But Cardenas said more alcohol sales in Van Nuys would increase the neighborhood's crime, which is already more than triple the average crime rate for all of Los Angeles.

``They may only want to sell wine now, but in the future, they could sell beer, too,'' said his press deputy Stacy Bellew. ``He believes the presence of a beer and wine license stimulates gang activity.''

Don Schultz, a 40-year Van Nuys resident and 20-year community activist, said he agreed with Cardenas. ``Target is a community store, a family store. If they start, where do you draw the line?''

Juana Mora, a California State University Northridge professor and an expert on cultural issues surrounding substance abuse, also agreed.

``I'm concerned about the message that it sends - that if it's sold at Target, then it must be OK,'' Mora said.

Louise Harrison and other Target shoppers at the Woodland Hills store said they had no problem with alcohol sales at that location. ``I'm a Brit. Beer and wine everywhere,'' Harrison said.

Michael Gougis, [phone]

michael.gougis(at)dailynews.com