Hello
So glad you’re here again. To our new friends: welcome!
A note: After Michael Gebert shared my newsletter via Fooditor’s “Buzz List" last week (thanks Mike!), a bunch of folks subscribed to BTB.
If you’re new and curious as to what this thing is all about, here are a few links: 1. The welcome page and, 2. The first edition of BTB where I tell you a bit about my background and why I’m writing this newsletter.
Oh — and if you like, here’s the link to a quick, anonymous reader survey so you can tell me what you’re interested in reading. No pressure, but if I write about stuff you hate, that’s on you. Kind of.
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Thanks again for joining. Let’s get going.
The Q&A (aka drinking with my boss)
Melissa Zeman is the owner and operator of BottlesUp!, a wine, beer and spirits shop in the Lakeview East neighborhood of Chicago. She hired me about a month ago, an event which I have to believe is a result of my constant presence in the shop.
As an employee at BottlesUp!, I usually get to taste a few wines here or there during a shift, but this is about a whole bottle, of course. I had the privilege of hanging out with Melissa and drinking something extremely good.
The bottle: Pseudonym 2018 from BLANKBottle. More on this below.
As I’ve noted previously, I’m all about #ethics and #journalisticintegrity, so yes, I did pay for half this bottle. I promise. We drank al fresco on BU’s secret back patio and chatted it up.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
SN: Hi Melissa. I already know some of this, but: Who are you, and what do you do?
MZ: I own BottlesUp!, a bottle shop and experience is what we’ve been calling ourselves. We’re in the Lakeview East neighborhood of Chicago and we’ll be celebrating our second anniversary in September.
SN: Well, let’s be clear, you don’t just own, you’re the owner and operator, yes?
MZ: Yes, interesting distinction. I guess I always say I’m the owner but fail to mention that I’m the operator. I assume it’s assumed. Basically, I live in the shop.
SN: That you do. So, what are we drinking today?
MZ: We are drinking a Cinsaut from South Africa. I have a bit of an obsession with South Africa — it’s a fascinating country making really great, underrated wine. I love representing underrated varietals, countries, producers, anything.
Cinsaut is actually kind of an underrated grape itself. It’s often a blending grape and you don’t see it on its own a lot, but in South Africa, it does really well. This is a light, summertime, chillable red.
This producer is really cool, too. It’s called BLANKbottle and run by this guy named Pieter Walser. He has a bunch of different contracts with farmers all over South Africa and produces wine with their grapes under the BLANKbottle name. His big thing is not putting a lot of information on the labels because he wants the wine to speak for itself, the idea being that oftentimes, people see, like, shiraz, or chardonnay or insert whatever here, and say ‘No, I don’t like that, I’m not gonna try it.’
SN: Some might say you’re trading on insider information since you chose a light, chillable red — aka my absolute jam, as of late. Thoughts?
MZ: *laughter* Well, you could say that, or you could say I’ve just read your last three newsletters and I’ve picked up on some stuff.
It’s not just you, though! I think as an industry we’re seeing that people have been asking for more light, chillable reds. So much so that I’ve started to keep a bottle or two in the shop fridge along with our whites, rosés and sparkling bottles.
SN: Do you think there’s a reason for that?
MZ: I think it has to do with the ‘natural wine craze’ we’re seeing. Often you’ll see some of those natural wines as a light red, so when people start getting into that, then they’re chilling their wines more. Also, it’s summertime, so, that probably helps. This is all just a hypothesis though.
It’s also just a matter of tasting more and different wines. That’s why I think the best way to approach wine is to taste as many different varietals as possible. At the beginning of my career, I was all about big reds and I hated pinot noir.
When I started tasting more I was like, ‘Woah, this is a whole new world, here.’ Plus, your palate changes too.
SN: Too true. So, how did you get into wine/start BottlesUp!?
MZ: I love people, partying, experiences, creating memories, stories — really everything that comes with getting to know somebody else. I also love community, it’s always been really important to me.
I was exposed to the European world of wine when I studied abroad there in college. I was traveling all over the place, and wine is so accessible and affordable, and so good. We were having it all the time, and it started to become a bit more serious for me. I started asking, you know, ‘What’s actually in this bottle? What’s happening here?’
We were drinking it with friends, having it with dinner, really just creating memories over a bottle of wine. I loved how it all tied together.
Anyway, I didn’t think a career in wine was possible until I was working in public relations in Chicago and started a ‘wine club’ with my girlfriends — very unofficial. We were the Cellar Girls and we’d just do reports on wine in front of folks and then drink all of it — duh. Then I started reading books on wine and got really into it.
I knew I wanted my own shop, so I got a part-time job at a wine bar/shop in the Chicago suburbs. I wound up running their wine club and was so happy there that I actually left my public relations job. It was a bit of a gamble because I was still part time. At one point I was working like, five jobs just to piece it together.
That shop closed and I freelanced doing some communications work until another shop needed a manager. It’s actually the shop that was here before BottlesUp!.
I managed it for four years and ran it like it was my own, but it was definitely not mine. To put it diplomatically, there was a challenging dynamic. So I left and helped out a friend at his shop, and some other spots. The industry in Chicago was and is so wonderful and supportive, it’s really fun. There are some really great people here.
In a bizarre turn of events, the landlord of this building found me on Facebook, said the space was going to be available, and asked if I wanted to open my own shop. I said, ‘that sounds terrifying. Let’s do it.’
SN: Any tips for opening a business like this in Chicago? It seems like it would be… difficult.
MZ: It’s funny, the city was actually really helpful. I had a great contact at the department I was working with, and he was so nice. He basically said, ‘it’s pretty simple: Don’t be an asshole, follow the rules and give us what we need.’
It’s a lot of work to get everything together, but once you do, just come in and be nice. I think it helps a lot.
SN: In the future, do you think we’ll see BottlesUp! become a wine bar in addition to a bottle shop?
MZ: That… would be the goal. Remember that list I just mentioned? For a wine bar, it’s a long one. A lot needs to happen. We’ll get there. Eventually.
SN: So, accessibility is something we’ve talked about before, but how important do you think it is to expand accessibility in the wine industry?
MZ: Everybody’s business, especially wine, should be accessible. I like to focus on accessibility through community. Every independent shop in Chicago has its own community of customers and friends, and I think that’s really important to celebrate and encourage.
In the world of wine, being accessible, to me, means being friendly and welcoming, especially because of what wine is and what it represents. It’s community in a bottle. Once you open it, who knows who you’re going to meet or the conversations you’ll have? Especially after the tenth bottle.
There is really great, really affordable wine right now which is awesome. It helps bring in young people, who I’m seeing a lot more of in the shop. Some just-turned 21-year-olds are coming in and asking for very interesting stuff, which tells me people are being more exploratory.
Something you’ll hear a lot of industry people say is, ‘wine is so subjective,’ and that’s true. I’m never going to tell anybody that they’re wrong for what they like, but I do hope they’ll be open to trying something else and maybe liking something new.
SN: Right. Speaking of trying new things, and having those things available, how in the world does a wine shop owner even begin to decide what goes on the shelves?
MZ: It’s always overwhelming — in a good way. For a small shop, or really any shop, it’s impossible to carry everything that everybody wants at a certain time. So you’re always feeling a bit of pressure.
I get requests for something we don’t have almost every week. It’s also the fun part, though, because I’ll make a note and it gives me a point of reference as to what I need to keep an eye out for. Not necessarily producer-specific requests, but more varietals or regions that we’re missing. For producer requests, we’ll do some special orders.
If I hear lots of requests for certain things and start realizing we don’t have a lot, enough or any of it, I’ll say, ‘Okay, this is interesting, we need to keep this around.’ For example, I was hearing chenin blanc every day, and I just brought in a couple more options. (Ed. note — See? I told y’all. Go into your local shops and talk to the owners/employees about what you’re looking for!)
It also comes down to distributor availability. I work with nearly all of the distributors in Chicago, and if I don’t, I’m open to it. There’s a lot of distributors with smaller books who represent those small, cool producers that folks haven’t heard of yet.
I think of all the reps I work with as an extension of our team — they’re the ones who understand the shop, know what we’re trying to do here and the quality we’re looking for. Beyond that, it’s definitely seasonal.
There’s also a lot of my own bias on the shelves. Perk of the job.
SN: Any thoughts on wine culture right now, and how it’s changing?
MZ: I think that regardless of how anyone feels about the natural wine movement, it’s doing a good job of reminding consumers about the folks who are actually making the wine, and helping to tell those unique, really cool stories.
I also love the natural wine movement for what it’s doing to remind people about how wine should taste different every vintage and about the fact that that wine comes from the earth, you know? It’s a fucking grape. In wine culture’s past, I don’t think that’s always been appreciated.
SN: How do we keep progressing toward a more positive, accessible wine culture?
MZ: In my opinion, it’s all about making things fun. I love opening doors and showing people that they can have fun while drinking ‘serious’ wine. It’s marrying fun with good wine, education and community.
The more relaxed we can make it, the better. Let’s not get all stuffy about it. Not to discount serious wine education — if you want to be a sommelier, go for it. We can have both things.
SN: Agreed. So, we’ve been sipping on this bottle — I’m forcing myself to go slowly, but it’s difficult. How would you describe the BLANKbottle Pseudonym cinsaut to a layperson?
MZ: A friend in the industry recently started a wine club in Seattle called, ‘crunchy red fruit,’ and one reason he called it that is because it’s such a common descriptor in wine. I go back to it a lot when I’m drinking these light, chillable reds because those flavors are exactly what I get — especially when it’s cold.
I get some acidity, almost a bit of stoniness, and almost like some weird, earthy tar thing going on? Maybe cranberry? It changes, especially when it warms up a bit after being refrigerated.
Which, by the way, is a thing some people don’t realize can happen. A lot of folks tend to drink some whites just way too cold. If you let them warm up a bit, you’re going to have a totally different, and potentially better experience.
SN: Absolutely. Crunchy red fruit is weirdly accurate, in my wildly untrained opinion. Let’s pair it. What would be your food pairing for the ‘height of luxury’? Think, fancy, gourmet dining.
MZ: To preface this, I’m not much of a foodie and I’m a total idiot in the kitchen. That said, I enjoy food and will try anything.
This, though, I feel like would go incredibly well with a high-quality, seared tuna. Honestly, any sort of seared, meatier fish — maybe swordfish — would be awesome.
Even steak tartare would be great with this.
SN: And how about a ‘for the masses’ pairing? Think a Tuesday takeout night, or your favorite junk foods.
MZ: Probably a peanut butter sandwich. It would basically be like eating a peanut butter and jelly.
Or I was thinking of, like, a Jersey Mike’s sandwich because I’m a little hungover right now and when I’m hungover I just crave like a turkey sandwich and this would go well with that.
SN: What’s the ideal ‘situational pairing’ for this bottle? Where are you and what’s going on?
MZ: Probably an interview for By The Bottle on BottlesUp!’s back patio.
SN: Ha. Ha. Hilarious.
MZ: No, sorry, kidding. It would be in South Africa, on the coast, with the winemaker because I haven’t met him yet.
More realistically, though, I would love to be out in the woods, hiking, camping — maybe sitting on a mountain drinking this bottle.
Honestly, because I basically live in the store, I haven’t been able to get out of the city and adventure as much as other folks did during the pandemic. I’ll admit, I’ve been a little jealous of people who can work from the woods.
So, yeah. On a mountain, bottle in hand, with a peanut butter Clif bar.
SN: So since you can’t get away much, what do you do for fun?
MZ: I play soccer. Sports, in general, have always been very important in my life, so getting to tap back into that is great since we weren’t able to for a long time.
I guess I run sometimes but usually, I prefer to run while chasing a ball.
SN: What have you been watching?
MZ: I don’t watch TV at all. I love conclusions too much for a long series, and I have no self-discipline. I would stay up until 4 a.m. to finish a series.
I do like movies, though. ‘Palm Springs’ on Hulu was awesome, it was so funny. I also don’t have a problem with rewatching my favorites. I’ve seen ‘V for Vendetta’ like a million times.
Another movie I’m obsessed with is ‘Gladiator,’ as you can tell by this picture in which my mother and father both texted me within two minutes of each other to let me know it was on TV. To be clear, they’re divorced and do not live with each other. Insane.
SN: That rocks. What have you been reading?
MZ: I love anything in the historical fiction category. I read this book called, ‘The Nightingale’ which was right up my alley.
Oh, and both ‘The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper’ and ‘A Man Called Ove’ were great.
SN: What have you been listening to?
MZ: I love music, and music discovery, and I’m all across the board in terms of genres.
If Danny (Melissa’s hilarious husband) and I are cooking dinner, we’ll just throw on a French cafe playlist, or something like Spanish guitar music or whatever. We also love Frank Sinatra or Dean Martin. It’s a mixed bag.
More than anything though, I’ve been craving live music. I made the decision recently that I’ve got to get to Kingston Mines and the Green Mill soon. I’ll go alone, I don’t even care.
SN: Favorite Chicago bar?
MZ: This is probably because of proximity, but we’ve lived in Roscoe Village for like, seven years, and there’s a bar on the end of our block called ‘The Four Treys.’ It’s carpeted, dog-friendly and, until recently, cash only. We’ve stumbled in quite a few times — it’s far too convenient.
SN: Let’s say you’re away from home, don’t have access to a really nice bottle shop, etc. What are you looking for that you’re confident is going to be, at the very least, a solid bottle of wine?
MZ: Honestly, anything from Portugal. They’re doing some awesome stuff.
SN: Okay, I’ve kept you far too long. Where can BTB readers keep up with what’s going on at BottlesUp!? Anything to promote?
MZ: We’re @bottles_up_chicago on Instagram and @BottlesUpChicago on Facebook.
As for promotion, we just did our third post-pandemic, in-person event last week and it’s so fucking great to be able to host those again. I can’t wait to do more. If folks are interested in being updated about events and happenings, they can sign up for our newsletter on our site at BottlesUpChicago.com.
Also, something that’s really close to my heart is supporting women in business, and we just announced the ‘BeyoU Ladies Fund,’ which is a $1,500 grant we’re going to award to a female entrepreneur to help them in their business endeavor. We’re going to do it every year moving forward — so spread the word and tell your friends to apply for it!
SN: Amazing. Thanks, Melissa!
The afters
Hey folks, I hope you enjoyed hearing from Melissa as much as I did. I know it’s a long one, but there was just too much good stuff to include. If you want to say ‘hi,’ Melissa isn’t joking when she says she basically lives at BottlesUp!. Stop in, it’ll be worth it.
Plus — or minus, depending on how you look at it — I might be there!
Speaking of me, here are some things I recommend.
Here are a few recommendations for this weekend and beyond. If a bottle isn’t available for shipping, see if your local shop has it. If they don’t, ask about getting it in stock! Of course, store owners rely heavily on their own tastes, but they’re interested in knowing what you want to see on the shelves as well.
A note: As with buying anything online, read the shipping fine print before you pay. Some sites may not ship to certain areas, or shipping may be unreasonably expensive.
Beurer Trollinger Trocken 2020
I’ve decided to not even let it bother me anymore, actually. I will not be judged for my deep, deep love of light, chuggable, chillable reds. It’s bright and full of that red, crunchy fruit Melissa mentioned. There’s some really solid minerality to it as well. Serve chilled, outside and with some funky cheeses. Buy it here, here and of course, locally.
I mean, look at the color on this baby. I’m taking all the recent advice I’ve heard seriously, and starting in on a rosé kick. This bottle of txakolina rosé comes from the Basque region of Northern Spain. It’s, in my opinion, a perfect wine all year round, but for a summer sipper, it’s hard to beat. Not a sweet wine, it brings a bit of acidity and salinity to the party, along with some fruit and rose notes. Pair it with literally anything, just make sure it’s chilled. Buy it here, here and, of course, locally.
An activity I highly recommend:
Despite all of the bizarre ~discourse~ around Roadrunner, the new Anthony Bourdain documentary, you should see it in theaters. It’s emotional and well done, although I may be biased as Bourdain is a bit of a personal hero. I’m not saying I did this, but I am saying that you should consume an entire large bag of popcorn (buttered, duh), a massive soda, a Heineken tallboy (the theater sold it, I didn’t sneak it in, relax) and a pack of Twizzlers. I definitely DID NOT do this. Definitely.
Some things I read this week that you may be interested in:
The Fizz (an AWESOME wine newsletter. H/t to Elise Bang at twenty three tabs, another great newsletter, for putting me on.) — #28: Christopher Renfro, S.F. urban viticulturist & non-profit co-founder is actively making change in the wine industry
The New York Times Magazine — Learning to Love G.M.O.s
Thingtesting — Hard seltzers have taken over. What will it take to win in the $4.5 billion category?
The Associated Press — Room for 10,000: Inside China’s largest detention center
Some tunes to soundtrack your weekend:
As always, thanks for subscribing and reading. Let me know what you loved, what you didn’t or, really, anything else going on.
-Sam