Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/68592
Some 50 to 60 American options are usually on hand at Red, White & Bleu. The best seller is a housemade Mediterranean-style feta stewed in a marinade of extra-virgin olive oil, sprigs of fresh rosemary, crushed black peppercorn, bay leaf, thyme and crushed garlic. 50 to 60 American options are usually on hand in the refriger- ated case at the rear of the shop. The best seller is a house- made Mediterranean- style Screwtop Wine Bar & Cheese Shop: Global Spotlights on Wine and Cheese feta stewed in a marinade of extra- virgin olive oil, sprigs of fresh rosemary, crushed black pepper- corn, bay leaf, thyme and crushed garlic. The shop also has a selection of charcute- rie, including pro- sciutto di Parma, Serrano ham, Iberico ham, truffled mousse, wild boar salami and wild game pâtés. Thursday nights, the shop offers beer tastings in the tasting room that adjoins the retail area. Wine tastings are hosted evenings Friday through Sunday. "We are true believers of opening things up so people can taste them," Roth says. "There is nothing better than sampling something so you know whether it suits your palate or not." More than 500 wines—with an emphasis on New World labels—and 300 craft beers are on hand at an array of price points. Those who don't want to break the bank can pick up a bottle from the Recession Special wine rack, where every bottle is only $10. Screwtop Wine Bar & Cheese Shop Wendy Buckley calls herself the Chief Executive Wino, which has to be the most enviable title of recent memory. It's slightly different than the one she used to have—executive producer of AOL's money/ small-business website. "I enjoyed my job, but I have an entrepre- neurial spirit," she says. "I wanted to do something where I wasn't sitting behind a computer every day." In 2008, Buckley bid the online giant farewell to work for a wine distributor so she could learn the wholesale side of the busi- ness. She opened Screwtop Wine Bar & Cheese in the middle of the 2009 holiday season and hasn't once regretted the career change. She stocks the shop with around 60 cheeses, which rotate constant- ly, but often include Virginian options like Our Lady of the Angels Gouda and bacon cheddar from Marshall Farms. Every month, the store focuses on a new wine territory, with the classes, wine flights at the bar and specialty cheeses reflecting that concentration. Italy's Piedmont region, Washington state, Chile and Greece have all taken center stage in recent months. "It's so much fun exposing people to new kinds of wine and cheese that they might not normally gravitate toward," says Buckley. The shop holds a 10-seat, reclaimed barn-wood bar and seven tables. There, you can grab a glass of wine with a complimentary bowl of truffle-salted popcorn, a cheese board, some small plates or a full- on entree. "I bought chairs based on how comfortable they were," says Buckley. "When people sit in them, they're always saying, 'I don't want to get up.' But that's a good problem for me to have." |SFM| Nevin Martell is a freelance food writer based in Washington, D.C. Find him online at nevinmartell.com. JULY/AUGUST 2012 131 PHOTO: JENNI TAI