Wine and spirits experts Elizabeth Bogner and Donnie Woodham will assist customers at the new Bottles by Sickles shop, opening in two weeks in Red Bank.
Photo courtesy Sickles
By Bob Sacks
RED BANK – In addition to being passionate about great food, Bob Sickles has also been an ardent wine lover for more than three decades.
So when he decided to open a version of Sickles Market in the former Anderson Moving and Storage Building on the corner of Bridge and Monmouth streets in Red Bank, it was only natural that he add a boutique wine shop to the mix. Bottles by Sickles will open Nov. 1, ahead of the January opening of the rest of the market complex, and will feature 1,200 square feet of wine, beer and spirits, with some unique aspects to set it apart from other wine and liquor stores.
Among the approximately 5,000 bottles, the wine selections will be curated to include New-World and Old-World small producer items, limited supply selections, some local New Jersey wines, as well as more familiar names. There will also be hard-to-find craft beers and spirits.
He has enlisted the aid of two highly experienced “wine” people to ensure that everyone from the wine novice to the experienced connoisseur will receive one-on-one service and advice in obtaining great bottles of wine.
Elizabeth “Liz” Bogner, formerly a sommelier at Undici Restaurant, and Donnie Woodham, who had been the manager of Rumson Buy-Rite for many years, are the foundation of the team. “Our personal touch will make this experience special for each of our customers,” said Bogner.
They both feel their individual attention is what will make this experience special for the customers. They say someone can walk in and state that they like a specific wine, but want to try something different, and since Bogner and Woodham will be intimately familiar with all the bottles the shop stocks, they will be able to guide the customer to other choices at multiple price points.
There will also be featured “wines of the week,” “staff picks,” a wine club and periodic in-store tastings that will allow customers to try before they buy. Suggested cheese pairings will also guide folks through Sickles’ well-known cheese selections.
Floor to ceiling windows on one wall allow for a generous amount of natural light that shows off the rustic brick walls and architecture of this historic structure. The entire shop is temperature and humidity controlled and there is also a dedicated walk-in wine cellar visible from both the inside and the entrance hall that will house high-end, collector or rare bottles. Bob Sickles says wine lovers can expect to find some of those elusive California cult wines, special Italian reds, Burgundies and lots of other treats stored there.
The area has a number of BYO restaurants, and Bottles by Sickles is working to establish a relationship with some of them, which will allow diners to call the shop, order wines specially chosen to pair with dishes on their menus and have the bottles delivered to them.
In addition, when customers are across the entrance hall shopping in the food market, they will be able to select complete prepared meals or individual dishes for take-home and be guided by shelf talkers (small signs) which will suggest ideal wine pairings for the specific food they are purchasing. Then they need only enter the bottle shop to get that wine or discuss the choices further with the wine staff, who are very well versed with the market offerings.
Gift baskets can also be ordered in the wine shop, providing another convenience for patrons.
Besides the well-known beers, Bottles by Sickles will also be carrying a number of craft beers from New Jersey and some hard-to-obtain out-of-state beers such as Lawson’s Sip of Sunshine IPA from Connecticut.
There will be a good selection of interesting spirits on hand as well.
Much in the tradition of Sickles Market in Little Silver, this new venture is intended to stand out as a pleasurable experience which goes beyond that of routine food and wine shopping.
“Some of the wine inventory will even be based on the wants, wishes and desires of the customers, so that Bottles by Sickles will have something for everyone,” said Sickles.
Wine lovers, take notice.
Bob Sacks, longtime food and wine buff, regularly reviews restaurants in the Dinner With Bob column in the Two River Times. Follow him on Instagram @dinnerwithbob.
This article was first published in the October 17 – 23, 2019 print edition of The Two River Times.
