Back from vacation - fabulous feedback....and ch-ch-changes!

Like most of you, I am returning from a brief summer vacation. As we're approaching our first year in Melrose, I was able to take a few days to unwind and relax (well, as relaxing as a family vacation to Hershey Park can be!). As sad as I am for it to be over - I'm so glad to be back.

To make the return even better, this morning I read this great article which really made me so very happy; this encapsulates what our business model is, and why we want the small wine boutique shop to be an experience - not just an errand. (http://passionatefoodie.blogspot.com/2010/08/rant-best-advice-on-buying-wine.html)

Labor Day is approaching - and that means Harvest is upon us. This is probably my favorite time of year; and to celebrate - some changes are coming to the Melrose store in the next month....window displays featuring Henriot Champagne is a big switch; if you are an enthusiast of the bubbles and have not yet tried this line - I insist that you try. Speaking of windows, a plan is in the works to pretty up the windows and give us a very classic and unique outside appearance. I'd been hoping to unveil it for Labor Day, but the schedule seems to be slipping on that one..

Hours are changing as well! We are now officially open until 9pm on Thursdays - and look for Sundays to stay open until 7. We know how halftime during football season is always the time that everyone needs to run out and refresh the coolers; or maybe you've got a Sunday dinner plan and forgot that bottle of wine to bring. No worries - we're here for you.

And of course...the inventory. Not sure if you've noticed, but the last three weeks I started stocking Harvest/Pumpkin/Octoberfest beer! Dogfish, Victory, Ipswich, Sam Adams, Shipyard - just to name a few. Who doesn't love a good pumpkin ale, right? We also have Fall Ciders from Woodchuck & Harpoon for those of you looking for something other than traditional beer or wine.

In the wine department - I'm cutting down on some of the lighter Spanish white wines, and re-engaging my South African section. South Africa has some delicious and exciting wines at fabulous prices. The "bigger" wines and higher end (but still not over the top in price) are bulking up as well. It's never too early to think about holiday gift giving!

And then, there's food.... Bread is coming back on Fridays in the next two weeks! I know some of you have really missed that, so I'm happy to announce the return. I've got some great food lines that I found over the summer coming in over the next month - and best of all - they're all LOCAL. Small, artisan food producers are so much fun to find for me - -and you can feel good knowing you're part of supporting our local economy. Buy local, buy fresh -- it's not just a tagline; it's a principle and business model I work hard to follow.

My batteries are recharged - and hopefully, you will enjoy the subtle changes that are going to be happening. My wine shop is your wine shop - and it is a constantly evolving, living thing. Your comments and suggestions are always welcome, and as always - thank you for your support.

Tastings, tastings and more tastings!

Mark your calendars for this Thursday and Friday as we're having tastings by Ruby Wines and Martignetti Wines respectively.

Check back as I may have a list of what is being sampled, in addition to the times!

We just restocked after the weekend (for the most part!) and brought some new and interesting wine in. Michael Pozzan Knights Valley Cab is a delicious addition to the Napa Cab selection - I love it and highly recommend trying it. We also brought in a new Dolcetto to the Italian section which I think people should try for Thanksgiving as opposed to Beaujolais. It's perfect for the bird, whether you cook it savory or sweet.

We're always looking to improve and keep our inventory fresh, and we welcome suggestions! We can't always meet the requests due to the sheer volume of them - but I assure you we keep them in mind and do our best to rotate in new product as the opportunity arises.

Cheers....!

Scenes from a ribbon cutting.....

Tie a yellow ribbon round the ol'.....

Okay, so it's a wine shop - not an oak tree.
But you know where I'm going with this.

Tomorrow is our Ribbon Cutting Ceremony!
This is really exciting! It's the first one for the city - and we are beyond thrilled that we are able to have that honor bestowed upon us. I never dreamed when we opened our second location that something like this would happen; sure, it's truly just a welcome to the community - but at the same time, businesses come and go - how many actually get the warm welcome of a Ribbon Cutting? Not many, and I'm proud to be a part of it.

More food is coming to Melrose tomorrow....lots more cheese for the pre-packaged case, lobster raviolis, pitzalles, soups and much more. Along with our fabulous selections of wine, and of course more craft beer! We're trying to fill as many suggestions as possible.

Tomorrow -- a tasting recommendation, and updates on instore tastings!

Announcing....

We finally opened up this past Monday, with little fan fare or announcement -- I wanted to try to have a softer opening, to work out the kinks prior to word getting out and us being overwhelmed with a very gracious and generous reception. We did have a few quieter days, but by the weeks end - we received our aforementioned reception, and fortunately while we still had some new staff being trained - for the most part, we had the basic concept of how we were going to run things.

If anyone is interested -- we received some fabulous feedback from the Passionate Foodie -- who in my opinion is rather like the Phantom Gourmet of the Wine & Cheese world. Check out his blog for his take on our second location...

We have a tasting coming up in our Melrose shop this coming Friday -- Bogle Phantom Zinfandel. And on Halloween night - it's Veuve Cliquot for all! A special "Yelloween" tasting for those who are jaunting out and about on All Hallows Eve...

Incase you don't already know - we are on Twitter, @beaconhillwine.

And finally, if you're looking for suggestions to add to your wine glass -- let me leave you with this one - tonight would be a really nice Montepulciano evening. Try Masciarelli's Montepulciano D'Abruzzo....it's dry, yet soft and fruity -- and for a rainy night such as this -- it would be perfect for relaxing in front of the fire and watching a movie.

Enjoy...

It's official....

As many of you know - we have been actively pursuing the opportunity to open a second location for some time now. To find the right location takes time and patience. We'd been close a time or two, but we believe timing is everything -- and the location we'd always hoped would become available, finally has.


We are officially in the competition for a wine & beer license in the previously dry community of Melrose.


We will be going before the board on May 12th, to discuss our business concept and hopefully have the community be as excited about having us be a part of their neighborhood - as much as we're excited to be hopefully joining them. Downtown Melrose is very similar to Beacon Hill in many aspects, as it's a beautiful walking neighborhood - mixed with residential homes and lovely small businesses.

This particular location will be larger than our Beacon Hill store -- and will also be offering cheeses, gourmet appetizers, menu planning and a variety of other services that our Boston customers will be able to capitalize on as well. We're hoping to not only embrace the community of Melrose - but also be able to offer our existing customers items and services that we aren't able to do now, that fully encapsulate all entertaining needs.

These are exciting times.....stay tuned!