I've written about the beautiful Mixologist Stephanie O'Neill in these pages before, and she's added so much to my life over the time that I have known her. About a year and a half ago she invited me to an afternoon cocktail tasting she was presenting at Wine Dad's in Hoboken, and when I saw what a really wonderful store it was I asked if I could meet the owner to follow up for a blog post. He's really a great person, and the selection in the store is what you'd always want a wine and spirits store to be. There are interesting choices and a wide selection, but it's curated with an eye and taste of someone who wants people to have a chance to explore and enjoy everything they try.
Wine Dad's is next to Trader Joe's, and it would be easy to just shop in that same building if I lived on that side of town. Stopping off at Wine Dad's before or after a grocery shopping trip makes perfect sense, but Wine Dad's is also a great destination all by itself. When Stephanie O'Neill was sharing her cocktail knowledge it had an extra flair of fun, but these days it's still well worth the trip. I hadn't been there all these long months of this past year but then a friend who is a Sommelier said he'd just been there one day and he had such great things to say about the selection and how good it was to see the owner that I was reminded that I had never had the chance to write the post.
When I met the owner and told him how much I admired the environment he had created, he told me that he had wanted to create a place that was a community store, somewhere that people could stop off at when they wanted a bottle of wine for dinner or if they were looking for something special as a gift or for a celebration, while also having a selection that would help people learn about new things. It's places like this that make communities enjoyable, because we can visit and browse and try something new and ask questions or share knowledge without any pretense. During this past year I have been so grateful for the places that are available to me so close to home, and Wine Dad's is one of the gems that makes the community a great one.
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