Beaujolais Nouveau Hits Austin Market

Saying hello to the first wine of the season, sating goodbye to a favorite shop, and more morning wine news.

Traditionally, Beaujolais Nouveau hits the market on the third Thursday in November and two of Austin's French eateries are ready to celebrate. Very early Thursday, Nov. 19, the late night crowd at Arro will applaud the arrival of the first new wine of the season by throwing a party at 12:01am. DJ Gatsby will provide the music and the staff will pour the 2015 Domaine Dupeuble Beaujolais Nouveau for $5 a glass or $40 a magnum, complemented by a special late night menu. Later that Thursday, Chez Nous hosts their annual Beaujolais Nouveau release party with two different varietals to enjoy and compare alongside their popular dinner menu.

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While grocery and liquor store wine aisles around town will surely be featuring the new stock this week, one place you won't find it is East End Wines, because the beloved shop closed abruptly in mid-October. The closure of the store displaced chef Ray Tatum's 3 Little Pigs food trailer and left folks in the East Central neighborhood without a homey atmosphere in which to discover interesting boutique wines at affordable prices. East End Wines proprietor Matt Miller advises us that he and his family put the historic property up for sale after liquidation of the store inventory. “We had a great five and a half years there and we were amazed by the outpouring of love and support from our customers when we announced we were closing. The inventory sold out a lot faster than we anticipated,” Miller told us this week. When queried about what the future holds, Miller said some of his plans are contingent of the sale of the property and he's also taking some time “to figure out how I want to fit into the local wine scene at this point.” Miller's former business partner, Sam Hovland, has accepted the position of wine collection advisor for a business called Vine Vault, a premium wine storage and concierge facility newly located Downtown. Hovland also consults with local restaurants such as Wu Chow, Swift's Attic, and the Headliners Club, helping them develop wine lists, helping them develop wine lists. Chef Tatum is currently scouting food trailer parks and meeting with bar owners in hopes of having the 3 Little Pigs trailer back in operation soon.

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One East Austin neighbor who was particularly disappointed by the closing of East End Wines is Quickie Pickie wine buyer Philip Gallegos. California native Gallegos is the third generation of his family to work around the wine business, and his job in wine sales supports his career as a local musician. Gallegos says he was a customer at East End Wines long before he hired on at Quickie Pickie two years ago, and he was especially impressed with the customer service and personal attention available there. “It didn't matter whether you were looking for a $10 bottle of wine or a $100 bottle, they were so knowledgeable and helpful, and they always had rare and boutique wines you weren't likely to see anywhere else,” Gallegos said. Inspired by the East End model, Gallegos says he's hoping to add some higher end and more exclusive wines to the shelves at the original Quickie Pickie outlet as well as the new store slated to open on Cesar Chavez in early 2016.