What the Fourth Means to Us

In a perfect world, we would write our blogs during the work day, or at least during normal hours. But the reality is that more often than not, the blogs you read are finished well after the last dish has been washed, and way before the first pot of coffee has been brewed.

How is this related to the Fourth? Well, each blog we like to share with you our newest wine, coolest trend or greatest creation, and this week, we were racking our brains trying to figure out how to feature just one topic for the Fourth when this holiday incorporates so many?

For us, we love the Fourth because it brings our favorites together: enjoying time with friends and family. Although we hope that your weekend has plenty of Shubie’s treats and beverages, we really just want you to have the best weekend doing whatever you enjoy, wherever you are! That is what is so great about the Fourth—no matter where you end up spending your evening, people just seem to be enjoying good times together.

For us (and for lots of other people, too), food and wine go hand in hand when you are with your friends and family. It doesn't matter so much whether you prefer cheddar cheese or stinky cheese, red, white or rose, chocolate mousse cake or carrot cake, turkey BLT or Mediterranean wrap. No matter what your taste, we can’t think of much that beats the Fourth in Marblehead. How lucky are we to be part of a community that offers so much: the Festival of Arts, Fireworks at the Fourth, and so much more. And this is in just one weekend!

Although we all want (and think we deserve) great weather for the Fourth, we can’t control that. But as long as you have all the essentials—good food, good wine and great people—do you really need much else?

Have a fantastic Fourth, from all of us at Shubie’s!

Living la vida local

Most of us have all seen the Marblehead Chamber of Commerce “Keep it Local” buttons around town, and they are sending a great and easy message, but a message that can often slip out of our minds. We are so fortunate to be in a town that provides so many quality services: a plethora of food and spirit establishments, clothing, financial services, florists, books, furniture, auto repair, travel, independently owned movie rental store (not many towns can boast that!) and many more services are all available within minutes.

But you don’t have to stop there. Within many of these stores, you can find products made by other local companies. We’ve been having a great time lately bringing Marbleheaders closer to all the deliciousness that New England has to offer. As a family-owned local food and wine store, it’s a natural fit for us. What’s more, food and drink have become a focal point of the “Buy Local” movement, and with good reason.

Most people associate the recent push for local foods with protecting the environment from the dangers of industrial agriculture, but it’s really about so much more than that. It’s about taking better care of our bodies through a healthy diet. It’s about loving the freshness and seasonality of our foods. And it’s about fostering and supporting a healthy and vibrant local community. After all, what better way is there to bring people together than with wonderful food and drinks? Creating a communal table in Marblehead is what we love to do, and that’s why we love local foods.

With that in mind, we thought we’d use this post to highlight some of our local food finds and wine wonders that are made right here in the state and the New England area. Enjoy!

Rao’s Roasting Coffee Co, Hadley, MA: Wake up the right way with hand-roasted coffee beans. We stock over ten varieties on our shelf and always have a fresh pot of French Roast brewing in our bakery for you.

Sweet Adeline’s, Salem, MA: Many of you have already fallen for Sweet Adeline’s Midnight Chocolate Chip Brownies and we can’t blame you. Not too sweet and perfectly moist. Her walnut brownies, citrus sugar cookies, molasses cookies and tea cookies are equally delectable!

Other local bakers we love to support: A & J King, Nashoba Brook, Iggy’s, Sun Ray

Batch Ice Cream, Jamaica Plains, MA: Natural, organic and local ingredients are the stars of this local frozen find sure to please any ice cream lover. Salted Caramel ice cream? That’s just cruel!

Other local sweet companies we love to support: Lizzy’s Ice Cream, Effie’s Homemade, Harbor Sweets, Lark Fine Foods, Salty Oats

Westfield Farm Capri Goat Cheese Logs, Hubbardston, MA: Creamy and tangy goat cheese logs. Plain or garlic and herb

Other local farms we love to support: Jasper Hill, Maplebrook, Grafton Farm, Shelburne Farm, Great Hill Farm, Blue Ledge Farm.

Isaaks of Salem, Salem/Beverly, MA: Many of you joined us for our mead tasting last month and hope more of you are intrigued by this new local company producing an old, traditional libation—wine made from fermented honey.

Other local spirit distillers, brewers and winemakers companies we love to support: Ryan and Wood Distilleries, Cody Brewing Company, Cisco Brewing Co, Narragansett Brewing Co., Westport Rivers Winery

All of these local companies are small operations and are so appreciative of your support. And we all realize that we would not be here without you. We’re not saying you should never leave Marblehead, but hope that you can see how much is available right at your fingertips (we’re not talking about your computer). We shop local, so you can too.

It's OK to blush!

George's favorite!

George has many great qualities, but we wouldn’t necessarily call him “hip.” However, there is always an exception, so it's a good thing he knows his wines because it brings his cool factor way up!

Case in point: Sixteen years ago, if people saw pink wine, they assumed white zinfandel (for the record, white zinfandel is not rosé). Sensing something big, Shubie’s was one of the only stores then in the Boston area to sell real rosé. George had an opportunity to be not just cool, but really really cool: so he ordered twenty-six cases of Chateau Pesquié Rosé direct from France - he was the only one in Massachusetts with this rosé (and probably the only one who sold 26 cases of rosé that year - Marbleheaders were way ahead of the curve!) In time, Chateau Pesquié has become George’s all-time favorite rosé.

Fast-forward to 2011 and the attitude toward rosé has changed for the better. Most people know the difference in taste between white zin - a bland, slightly sweet concoction from California - and real rosé - crisp, almost always dry, fruity and refreshing.

How does rosé get that way? There are a number of variations in the rosé making process, but in general, you begin by making red wine, crushing red grapes and letting the juice macerate on the skins. You then simply remove the skins after two to three days (red wine will macerate on the skins for up to several weeks). Provence in southern France is the home of rosé, but other regions are getting into the mix now, including, Spain, Italy, California and even Oregon.

Food Pairings

Fun and uncomplicated, with relatively low alcohol and a pleasant acidity, rosé is the ideal summer party wine. Goat cheese pairs great with rosés, and blended milk cheese also pair well with fuller-style rosés.

In general, the lighter colored rosés tend to be softer and pair best with delicate dishes like salad, cheeses and fish. The darker, bolder styles pair well with grilled meats and spicy dishes (BBQ time!)

So next time you’re standing in front of the wine cooler deciding what to cool down with, just ask yourself, “What would George do?” 

"Bleeding" rosé from a vat of red wine