Bottle and Brie celebrated their grand opening on Friday evening, September 2 with many in attendance, and it was no cheesy affair. As part of the Chamber of Commerce Ribbon Cutting ceremony, owners Lindsay Christoph and Paegan Magner welcomed Mayor Ken Tedford and the community to their new business at 65 South Maine Street with wines by the glass and a six-foot long charcuterie board.
Christoph said she met Magner, her personal trainer, in 2019 and they became fast friends. When COVID hit and places were closed, the ladies would get together to enjoy different wines paired with various bites every Wednesday. They called it their Wine Wednesday, and it grew into a community of ladies who shared a common appreciation for specially paired foods and wines. “We would talk about the wines and paired foods, what we liked about them. We explored the cultures and where they came from. Then one day Paegan just said, 'You want to start a store?', and I said 'Sure.' That was about a year ago, and here we are today.”
The ladies had some help improving the interior of their new space, and also did quite a bit of the work themselves. Magner's husband Josh works for a contractor, and he helped them too as well as in lining up plumbers, electricians, and other help they might need.
Their menu consists of a variety of meats, cheeses, and wines from around the world. The ladies said, “We've got cheese from Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Norway, England, France, and domestic cheeses as well, plus many more items on the way. There are so many cheeses, and the more we learn, the more there is to learn. We are trying to introduce people to things they haven't seen or tasted. I mean, Parmesan is just not from the green Kraft box. We are trying to do justice to cheese and their cultures.”
When discussing their wine selection Magner said, “The biggest thing we wanted to do for Fallon is to provide a wide selection. Many places in town carry the same 17 to 34 wines. There's not a lot of variety. The shelves may look stocked, but in reality they often times are just a repeat of the same wines - same company, different label. And there again, there is a whole world of wine. We carry both imports and domestics. We'll have seasonal wines, things that will only come around once or twice a year. We will also be introducing interesting makers who have stories, who are connected to their cultures so that we can bring it here. We like to say we are connecting people through time and place through wine and cheese.”
The ladies said the shop offers wines by the glass, and by the bottle. They also pair small tasting plates that are designed to go with those wines which can be purchased together or separately, small cheese plates, and charcuterie boards that include dried fruits, nuts, and meats such as prosciutto imported from Parma, Italy. A variety of board compliments are sold in-store as well as assorted wine and cheese implements. The ladies also offer wine club and cheese club box memberships.
The ladies are looking forward to being on Maine Street especially with the holidays coming. Christoph said, “Downtown Fallon deserves better. It's beautiful, and it's underrated. It just needs some love.”
Orders can be placed in-store or online via their website, https://www.bottleandbrie.com. The business can also be found on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/shopbottleandbrie, and reached by phone at 775-423-2743 during business hours, Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. until 8 p.m.
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