To the islands we go 🌺
- Dan Matheny
- 8 minutes ago
- 5 min read
Over 50 degrees and a Hawaiian special... may as well be in the tropics
Hours of Operation
Monday - Tuesday, 10am to 6pm
Wednesday - Saturday, 10am to 8pm
Calendar 🗓
February 27 (Friday) - Lenten Special: Garlic Shrimp & Rice
March 6 (Friday) - Lenten Special: Pesto Pasta
March 13 (Friday) - Lenten Special: Crab-Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
March 16-21 (Mon-Sat) - Irish WEEK!! Spreading out the St. Patrick's love this year with a sandwich special the whole week.
March 20 (Friday) - Lenten Special: Pappa al Pomodoro
March 27 (Friday) - Lenten Special: Lobster Rolls
News 🗞
I hope you all got your fix last week of Lobster Bisque because we are moving on this week to Garlic Shrimp & Rice. As you may remember from last year, I had this dish in Hawaii and was blown away by its simplicity while still being so damn delicious. The combination of fresh flavors is the key. You'll get Jumbo Portico Shrimp sautéed in a serious amount of butter and garlic, served with Jasmin Rice cooked in Coconut Water (you'll get an added electrolyte bonus) with Fresh Pineapple, Lime Juice, and Cilantro. You can close your eyes, take a bit, and you may just feel like you're in Hawaii. At least you can try. I certainly will. In fact it may or may not have me planning my next trip...
Wine Feature ⭐️
I bought this wine after a single sip last week, Brandborg 2021 Fleur de Lis White Pinot Noir from Oregon. It's not often we have a White Pinot Noir, which is distinctly different from Pinot Grigio or Pinot Gris, in the store. While the latter are light-skinned grapes, White Pinot Noir is made from red Pinot Noir grapes but with no skin contact (so it's not a rosé either). This one comes from Oregon's Umpqua Valley, located farther South than the more common Willamette Valley. It's a transitional region between the cooler winegrowing regions to the north and warmer California to the south, with dozens of microclimates and soil types, allowing it to grow over 50 different kinds of grapes successfully. Brandborg is located in the very north of the Umpqua Valley where Pinot Noir and Alsatian grapes thrive. With 91 points from Wine Enthusiast, "the aromas have stone fruit notes, white pear, with some Rainier cherry, lime, fennel and wild herbs. These fruit flavors are apparent on tasting with a nice savory crispness helping to round out the white fruit flavors. The wine is fairly big, lush and round in the mouth. Pair this wine with your favorite pan seared fish with a wine and lemon reduction. It would also work well grilled fish or chicken. The mouthfeel is rich enough to stand up to creamy, cheesy dishes as well." It's $32.99 for this very unique and versatile wine that would be incredible with our Fresh Halibut this week!
Wine Pick 🥂
Back to reds with our Pick, Bodegas Ramírez 2020 Ramírez de la Piscina Rioja Crianza. This is a Jorge Ordóñez selection, and we trust our good pal Jorge. You can probably tell by looking at the bottle, but this is a classic, traditional Rioja from northern Spain. It comes from estate vineyards where 35-75 year old vines are sustainably dry-farmed and hand-tended, no mechanization whatsoever. In fact, the Ramírez de la Piscina family has been growing grapes in Rioja since the 13th century... their family crest is on local historic landmarks. Take that in for a second. While many Riojas are Tempranillo-dominant blends, this one is 100% Tempranillo, the king grape of Spain. We talk about Barolo in Italy, well Tempranillo is that in Spain. "An expressive Rioja Crianza showing some grilled herbs, black cherries and spiced dark plums. Medium body with firm tannins and a textured, medium-long finish." Reviews say you can drink or hold, but at $19.99, I'd be drinking.
Food Feature 🍞
We're happy to announce we have a new vendor in the store, The Crumb House located in Bluffton. The baker Amber, specializes in naturally unleavened sourdough, so of course we have started with her Sourdough Loaf. She uses her own starter, minimal and natural ingredients, and traditional methods, $10 a loaf. We're kind of sourdough snobs around here (at least some of us), so bringing this into the store is a serious stamp of approval.
Market Items 🛒
Fresh Faroe Islands Salmon - $18.99/lb
Fresh Halibut - $31.99/lb
Fresh Oysters - $24/dozen
Sea Wings Sustainably Sourced Crab Claw Meat, 1lb - $24.99
Frozen Hanger Steaks, 1/2lb - $14.99
Frozen Choice Hanger Steaks, 8oz-2pk - $29.99
Frozen Choice Ribeyes (Boneless & Bone-In) - $22.99/lb
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 Australian Lamb Racks, ~1.5-1.75 lb - $39.99
Frozen Pounded Veal Leg Cutlets, 1lb (4 per pack) - $18.99
Frozen Ground Veal, 2lb - $21.99
Frozen Veal Rack - $32.99/lb (1 available)
Frozen Veal Chops - $30.99/lb
Frozen Smithfield Smoked Spiral Ham, avg. 5-6lb, $10.99/lb
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 - $14.99
Frozen Portico Peeled & Deveined Jumbo Shrimp - $18.99/lb
Frozen Portico Bikini Shrimp, 2lb - $27.99
Frozen U-10 Scallops - $32.99/lb
Frozen Bay Scallops - $10.99/lb
Frozen Lobster Tails (5-6oz), 2pk - $25.99
Frozen 1lb Lobster Tail - $35.99
Frozen King Crab - $91.99/lb
Frozen Sam Adams Beer-Battered Cod - $5.99/lb
Frozen Massa Sicilian Style Pizza (Veggie) - $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 Drake's Pasta Veal Ravioli - $14.99/lb (serving for 2)
Fresh/Frozen Pear & Cheese Fiocchi - $18.99/lb (serving for 2)
Fresh/Frozen Portobello Mushroom Ravioli - $9.99/lb
Fresh/Frozen Lobster Ravioli - $25.99/lb
Frozen Bake House Artisan Multi-Grain Bread - $4.99
Frozen Baker's Source Roasted Garlic Bâtard Bread - $7.99
Frozen Miner's Demi Glace - $9.99
Frozen Brittany Blend Mixed Vegetables, 2lb - $8.99
New Wine🍷
Requiem 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley - $21.99
Illi NV Extra Dry Prosecco, Italy - $13.99
Penfolds NV Club Tawny Port, Australia - $16.99
M. Dean 2022 Sauvignon Blanc, California - $10.99
Spasso 2024 Pinot Grigio, Italy - $13.99 (arriving Friday)
New Beer & More 🍺
Other Half Green Flowers DDH IPA, 4pk cans - $17.99
Einstock Icelandic White Ale, 6pk cans - $11.99
Heavy Seas Blackbeard's Breakfast BBA Imperial Porter, 6pk bottles - $16.99
Allagash Surf House Summer Lager, 6pk cans - $12.99
Allagash Variety Pack, 12pk cans - $22.99
Flying Monkey Meet Your Shadow Black IPA, 4pk cans - $16.99 (arriving Friday)
Flying Monkey Chocolate Manifesto Milk Stout, 4pk cans - $18.99 (arriving Friday)\
Kegs - 1/6 Barrel 🛢
Streetside Brewery Ernst Hefeweizen - $114.99
Coronado Nado Rice Lager - $109.99
Madtree Happy Amber Ale - $109.99
North High Road Red Ale - $109.99
Wildwerks Juicy Bits IPA - $159.99
Final Thoughts 💬
Over the years, we've lost several of our customers, and this past week we lost another. It's always a very hard and sad thing to endure, but it's the price we pay for having such good, loyal customers that over time become our friends. So this week, our hearts go out once again to family that we almost feel a part of... We were blessed to be a part of his life 🍓
Cheers from all of us here at the Wine Merchant -- we will miss you!
📞 419-424-0391