Over the weekend, I found myself killing time, waiting for my 7-year-old daughter to be ready for pick up from a birthday party. The party was at Get Air, an indoor trampoline park, and I couldn’t bring myself to stay and watch! Too scary! So, I drove around the Cicero, New York area, specifically the Route 11 corridor, to see what I could see. First of all, it’s really expanded a lot from when I used to live near there, and there were lots of new businesses. One that caught my eye was Maximum Wine and Liquors. I remembered it as Pascale’s so the new name had my attention and I stopped in.
The first thing I noticed was the new look of the store; new shelving and organization by grape variety, as opposed to region, were the most apparent changes. There also appeared to be more low-priced deals throughout the store but I honestly could not recall what the prices were like five or six years ago, the last time I had visited.
During a quick chat with one of the managers, Bobby Alfieri, I learned that it was pretty much the same management as when it was called Pascale’s but with a new name and a few new approaches. He explained that I could still find what I was looking for, but just needed to focus on the grape not the region, as I was accustomed to in the past. He was extremely helpful and not at all pushy, which I appreciated!
I decided to grab a couple of the closeout bottles – a Pinot Grigio and a Tempranillo – that were only $5 each. I splurged on a moderately-priced Barolo and my favorite, Vino di Nobile de Montepulciano. So far, I’ve had the Pinot Grigio, and it was good for an all afternoon sipping while the kids played outside but it was on the bitter side for me. The Tempranillo had a spicy finish, which was mellowed by a few dark chocolate non-pareils I had leftover!
The verdict is still out on the other two. I’ll keep you posted! Cheers!