The end of the month is upon us and for me, that’s difficult to understand…
Hours of Operation
Monday – Saturday
10am to 6pm!
Calendar
Saturday, August 28 –1- 3pm It’s All about the Grill, more of a lunch than a tasting. Reservations required, only 24 spots available!
Saturday, September 25 – It’s downtown Oktoberfest, drink and dance on Main St and reserve your spot for our Hogtoberfest Dinner here at the Wine Merchant 5-7pm.
Tuesday, November 2-- At 6pm we’ll be hosting our annual Alternative Wine Dinner. Reservations are required and we will be limiting it to 24 this year. One of our favorite events and, of course, we’re very happy to see it back on the calendar!
Thursday, November 18 – 2021 Beaujolais Nouveau Tasting and Dinner. Reservations required. 24 seats will be available for tasting each of this year’s releases and our hearty Beef Bourguignon Dinner.
Saturday, December 4 -- 6-8pm will be our Premier Champagne Tasting! The best Champagnes available this year accompanied with heavy hors d’oeuvres!
Wine News
If it’s not one part of the world, it’s another… New Zealand and French wines are getting more and more difficult to bring in. When I couldn’t bring in a case of a great $10 Sauvignon Blanc this week, I was a bit surprised and when I can’t bring in a case of Veuve Cliquot Champagne, I’m near being distraught. Don’t worry we’ve got replacements but seeing a vacancy in a rack means that someone besides me is not going to be happy…
Dan’s Feature & Pick
Keeping it simple this week and making it all about the Pig…Scarpetta wines are my choice for this week. What happens when two Sommeliers get together to start a new restaurant? They create a new line of wines that they want to share with their patrons. We’ve carried these easy drinking everyday wines before but seeing how our food feature is definitely Pork-centric, we decided to share these bottles with you again. You don’t have to buy a Kan-Kan chop to pick one of them up but hey as long as you’re here… Scarpetta and Frico wines are available in Pinot Grigio, Bianco, Rosato and Rosso and price friendly at $10- $15 per bottle. The philosophy of these two Sommeliers was simple… wines should be paired with what is raised regionally around the vineyards that produce these wines. Now, I’m no “Norcino” but having met two and dined with both I know what good pork is and how to drink wine with both…
Food News
It’s always fun finding new foods to bring in and share with you and this week we have a few new products that we think you just may get excited about.
Food Feature of the Week
Cheshire Belly-on Pork Rib Chops are the food feature for this week. I mean we’re talking a 1½ inch thick strip of heritage bacon connected to one of the best pork chops that money can buy. If you’re a fan of our regular long bone Heritage Farms Chops you’ll enjoy these 2 ½ times more! We got quite a few these in, but if you’re a pork lover these are a must have. A few months back, we found a similar product and then it was gone and has never returned. While I don’t expect this product to follow the same path, I know that the price will soon jump. These 2.5lb chops will certainly serve two and maybe you should get one for tonight and one for the freezer.
Market Items…
Fresh Cut Certified Angus Strip Steaks - $20.99lb
Prime 18oz Strip Steaks cut at 1¾ inch - $26.99
Fresh Prime Coulotte Fillet - $15.99lb
Fresh Prime Teres Major - $15.99lb
Fresh Certified Angus Beef Hand Cut Ribeyes - $18.99lb
Fresh Wagyu Burgers 2pk - $8.99
Frozen Trimmed Choice Hanger Steaks - $13.99 each
Frozen 8oz Beef Tenderloin Center Cuts - $13.99 each
Nueske Bacon Cheddar Bratwurst 5 links per pound - $9.99
Rinaldi Italian Sausage (our favorite) 4 links per pound - $6.99
Frozen Kan Kan 2½lb avg Cheshire Chops $12.99lb (This week’s feature!)
Fresh Heritage Kurobuta Berkshire Pork Chops - $12.99 per chop
Frozen Turkey Legs 2 per pack 5lbs of meat with a handle $13.99
Oysters Summer Love PEI - $18.00 a dozen
Fresh Bay of Fundy Atlantic Salmon -$16.99lb
Frozen Large Langostines - $15.99lb
Frozen U-13/15 Raw Shrimp deveined (1lb package) - $17.99lb
Frozen U-10 Scallops – $21.99lb
Tribeca Bakery Sourdough, Italian Table, Rustic Olive and Asiago Cheese Bread $5.50
New Wines
No new wines this week, but the racks are filled!
New Beers
Founders Bottle Shop Highball Drifter 4pk Bottles $15.99
The Finnish Long Drink 6pk Cans $13.99
The Finnish Long Drink Zero Sugar 6pk Cans $13.99
Prairie Sunday Service Single Bottle $12.99
Boulevard Space Camper Major Volta 6pk Cans $12.99
Bell’s Double Two Hearted Ale 6pk Bottles
Bent Water Thunder Funk 4pk Cans $12.99
Bent Water Lager 4pk Cans $10.99
Abita Alpha Gator 6pk Bottles $12.99
Brothers Drake Orange Blossom Meade Single Bottle $21.99
Kegs - 1/6 Barrel
North Coast Scrimshaw - $109.99
Brew Dog Elvis Juice - $107.99
Maine Lunch IPA - 172.99
Duvel Belgian Golden Ale - $171.99
Bent Water Lager - 109.99
Final Thought
Someone asked me yesterday if we were back to normal, I chuckled and responded with a very serious response of “what’s normal”? It’s going to take quite a long time down here to define normal, but hey, we’re in it for the long run. As you can probably assume from the return of the calendar for upcoming events, I’m being optimistic. While surely not being able to promise or guarantee much of anything these days, we’re hoping for the best in the upcoming months and look forward for your help in defining what normal is these days…
Cheers from all of us here at The Wine Merchant