Before you ask...

Dan Matheny
22 minutes ago
5 min read

No, there are no AI-generated images in this newsletter 🐷

Hours of Operation

Monday - Tuesday, 10am to 6pm

Wednesday - Saturday, 10am to 8pm

Calendar 🗓

January 10 (Saturday) - Second Saturday with a fun food special, Choripán!

January 24 (Saturday) - OYSTER DAY

February 6 (Friday) - Winter Art Walk, so stay tuned for what we'll have going on.

February 14 (Saturday) - Valentine's Day Dinner, 6-8pm. Reservations required.

February 17 (Tuesday) - Our annual Fat Tuesday at the Wine Merchant! Dan's famous Dumbo and more on the docket.

News 🗞

Well, we made it through the holidays. We can breathe again. I don't know about you, but it was pretty touch and go there for a while. Somehow we made it to 2026, so let's get to it. You'll see we have announced our Events for the first two months of the year above, including the first Oyster Day of the year coming up soon on January 24 (reservations NOT required) and our Valentine's Day Dinner on February 14 (reservations required -- call soon). We're going to do things a little differently this year, streamlining our events to make sure we can provide the best service, experience, and quality possible. This weekend, we're kicking it off with Second Saturday and a food special, Choripán. We have this incredible Argentinian chorizo available in the store, so we thought we'd make use of some of it. Choripán is a simple but iconic sandwich from Argentina consisting of chorizo on a crusty roll with a fresh housemade chimichurri and salsa criolla (Argentina's version of pico de gallo). A little spicy, a little zesty, a little herby, a little of everything. It will definitely brighten up a bleak winter day, so head this way on Saturday. Serving all day while supplies last.

Wine Feature ⭐️

We've been loving Spanish wine lately, so the first feature of the year is Bodegas Muga 2021 Rioja Reserva for $39.99. This is a classic Rioja blend of primarily Tempranillo plus Garnacha, Graciano, and Mazuelo. Bodegas Muga and Rioja itself are uniquely situated in Northern Spain where the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Continental climates meet, creating a very special terroir. The grapes in this bottle are hand-picked and aged for three years, two of those in French and American oak, before heading to market. When he was in Chicago last year, Juan Muga himself said, "Wait until you taste the '21 Reserva..." Well the time has come, Juan. "Striking in the glass and seriously dense on the nose, with tightly wound black and red fruits, sweet wood spice, and an old world red earth minerality. In the mouth, this modern classic is impactful, featuring a quiet explosion of flavors including just-ripe wild strawberries, fig, light red flowers, toasty wood and spice." With 94 points from Wine Advocate, "It's a textbook example of their style in a very good year, with power, concentration and clout, elegance and freshness. It was a very harmonious year; the cycle was long and the tannins ripened to perfection." This... this is a wine for a steak. What more can I say? Oh yeah. Riojas age extraordinarily well, so feel free to keep this in the cellar for a few years, or even another 10-15 if you're patient enough. It'll be worth the wait.

Wine Pick 🥂

We're off to Italy for the Pick, Reverdito 2022 Simane Nebbiolo. Michele Reverdito has been making his own wines since 2000 with vineyards that his father started acquiring in the '60s... the good ol' days. He has deep respect for the land, using absolutely no chemicals anywhere in his production, and he vinifies each vineyard separately, so you are tasting a unique part of Italy in each of his bottles. While this bottle is not a Barolo (which we do have in the bar for you to purchase), it is the same grape from nearby in the Langhe... a baby Barolo, as we like to say, and for only $19.99. "Off-the-chart aromatically, the nose flies with summer cherries, fleshy pink plums, candied cardamom, and strawberry-hibiscus-rose. It's juicy and generous, but then Nebbiolo's high-five tannin and acidity suck the moisture out of your mouth (in a good way). Super classic, yet easy to drink by itself."

Oysters 🦪

Starting off 2026 with Village Bay Oysters. These are sustainably farmed oysters from New Brunswick, only available the first half of the year. They are medium in both size and salinity with a bright, clean finish. The suggested pairing is everyone's favorite... Sancerre.

Market Items 🛒

Fresh Faroe Islands Salmon - $18.99/lb

Fresh Oysters - $24/dozen

Sea Wings Sustainably Sourced Crab Claw Meat, 1lb - $24.99

Flying Fish Wasabi Caviar, 3.5oz - $28.99

Truffle Mousse Pâté, 5oz - $8.99

Frozen Hanger Steaks, 1/2lb - $14.9

Frozen Wagyu Ribeyes, 12-14oz - $35.99

Frozen Center Cut Beef Tenderloin Filets, 8oz - $16.99

Frozen Beef Tenderloin, 6oz 2pk - $21.99

Frozen Whole Beef Tenderloin, 3.5lb - $100

Frozen Short Rib Burgers, 4pk - $15.99

Frozen Little Town Jerky Fully Cooked Rare Beef Tri-Tip - $15.99/lb

Frozen Pounded Veal Leg Cutlets, 1lb (4 per pack) - $18.99

Frozen Ground Veal, 2lb - $21.99

Frozen Pre-Cooked St. Louis Ribs - $29.99

Frozen All-Natural Berkshire Pork Tenderloin, 14oz - $13.99

Frozen Cooked Marinated Pork Shank, 16oz - $9.99

Frozen Duroc Dry Aged Bone-In Pork Chops, 14oz - $16.99

Frozen Skin-On Chicken Breast & Thigh, 2pk - $4.99/lb

Frozen Greco Italian Sausage, 4pk - $12.99

Frozen Portico Peeled & Deveined Jumbo Shrimp - $18.99/lb

Frozen Portico Bikini Shrimp, 2lb - $27.99

Frozen U-10 Scallops - $32.99/lb

Frozen Lobster Tails (4oz), 2pk - $25.99

Frozen King Crab - $91.99/lb

Frozen Sam Adams Beer-Battered Cod - $5.99/lb

Frozen Massa Sicilian Style Pizza (Pepperoni) - $15.99

Frozen Oven-Roasted Potato Wedges - $8.99

Frozen Au Gratin Potatoes -$5.99 2pk / $9.99 4pk

Fresh/Frozen Drake’s Pasta Butternut Squash Ravioli - $12.99/lb (serving for 2)

Fresh/Frozen Pear & Cheese Fiocchi - $18.99/lb (serving for 2)

Fresh/Frozen Porcini Tortellone - $15.99/lb (serving for 2)

Frozen Bake House Artisan Multi-Grain Bread - $4.99

Frozen Miner's Demi Glace - $9.99

Frozen Brittany Blend Mixed Vegetables, 2lb - $8.99

New Wine🍷

Uggiano 2019 Brunello di Montalcino, Italy - $46.99

Selbach 2022 Goldtröpfchen Riesling Spätlese, Germany - $19.99

Clean Slate 2023 Riesling, Germany - $11.99

Glazebrook 2022 Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand - $14.99

New Beer & More 🍺

Thirsty Dog Old Leghumper Porter, 6pk cans - $10.99

Outerbelt Cloverleaf Irish Stout, 6pk cans - $11.99

North High Road Irish Red Ale, 6pk cans - $11.99

Abita Mardi Gras Bock, 6pk cans - $10.99

Fat Head's St. Fatty's Irish Red Ale, 6pk cans - $12.99

Left Hand Brewing Coconut Milk Stout, 6pk cans - $11.99

Urban Artifact Chime Orange Vanilla Tart, 6pk cans - $12.99

Kegs - 1/6 Barrel 🛢

Maine Lunch IPA - $195.99

Fat Head's Hazy Head Hunter IPA - $134.99

Oncore Brewing Intentional Scrum New Zealand Pilsner - $134.99

Ithaca Nut Brown - $109.99

Final Thoughts 💬

Thank you for all of the birthday wishes. It's not always easy to have a birthday the day after New Year's and having everything lumped together, BUT it does give me an excuse to take a vacation in January, which I will always accept. One more year down... let's start 2026 off strong and -- let's just say it -- not dry. Hope to see you down here soon.