Merrimack Valley Magazine

Wine Notes – Gifts for Wine Lovers

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When was the last time you saw people drinking wine with frowns on their faces? I would venture to say almost never. Drinking wine tends to be very social. Once you pop that cork, you’ll often pour someone else a glass of happiness first, and then, of course, one for yourself.

Wine is so special that we are ceremonial about how we open the bottle, decant before serving, and test to be certain your guests are not subjected to the nasty smell of a corked bottle. We are fussy about the container it’s delivered in. No one really wants a box of wine, do they? We even fuss about the size and shape of the glass we pour our wine into, and the industry even tells us that wine tastes better from large and fancy stemware than from a red Solo cup. Seems unscientific, but I have to agree. 

Choosing a wine that is appropriate to bring to a dinner party can be intimidating. I enjoy the adventure of sorting through the jungle of wine choices at New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlet stores, but don’t expect expert advice there, or at my local “packy.” If you find yourself in one of these stores, focus on geography and price. If possible, ask in advance what is being served for dinner so you can pair the appropriate wine with the meal. Often, however, you just don’t know. If that’s the case, look at selections from the Burgundy region of France and the Willamette Valley in Oregon. These locations grow some of the best pinot noir grapes. However, they are not cheap. Quality wines from these regions cost from $30 to $40 a bottle.

 

If you know that lamb or beef is the main course, look for wines that come from Napa Valley, California, the Bordeaux region of France, or the areas of Barolo, Barbaresco or Brunello in Italy. This is standard advice, but you’ll be in great shape when you are in the jungle and willing to spend $20-$30. Of course, it’s best to shop at a quality wine store where you can count on exceptional advice. 

Shopping with an expert by your side will make a difference. Describe the meal or the type of gift and they will offer many more choices than the basics I have outlined. In Andover, I suggest shopping at Andover Classic Wines and asking for Andrea Lewis, the wine manager. She has introduced me to many great white wines. Over the border in Salem, N.H., visit the Tuscan Market and ask to speak with Joe Comforti, their wine director. He buys all of the wine for the Tuscan Kitchen restaurants and has chosen a great selection to offer at retail. In North Andover, seek out the Wine Connextion and ask for their wine director, Sam Messina. He selects all of the wine on the shelves and will be quick to recommend the best choices. 

I recently visited the WineNot Boutique in downtown Nashua. Store owner Svetlana Yanushkevich has a Ph.D. in agriculture, a master’s degree in viticulture, and is a professional sommelier and wine educator. Shopping with Yanushkevich is a fun experience, and you’ll undoubtedly get an education along the way. She has assembled a great selection of wine and cheese, as well as some practical boutique wine gifts. I found artisan wine bottle holders in the shapes of crabs and lizards, wine glasses that somehow have a rock stuck through the stem, a big piece of granite that is a wine dispenser, a collection of quality glassware by Spiegelau, and a vast assortment of signs, wine charms and corkscrews.

One gift worthy of serious consideration for any wine lover is a decanter. I decant most of my red wine before serving and have three decanters in the house. When the last glass is poured, some wine inevitably dribbles down the side of the glass and onto the table, making me look like the amateur that I am. Because my pouring skills are so challenged, I had been looking for a wide decanter with a handle. Yanushkevich had exactly what I was looking for — a wide-bottom decanter with an angled spout and a handle. Now, even I can pour wine without spilling. 

Make someone happy this season. Whether they are wine challenged or a connoisseur, they’ll enjoy a thoughtful wine gift. Trust me — they almost never get returned. Salute!   

Andover Classic Wines
Andover, Mass.
(978) 470-0500
AndoverClassicWines.com

Tuscan Kitchen
Salem, N.H.
(603) 952-4875
TuscanBrands.com

Wine Connextion
North Andover, Mass.
(866) 857-3347
WineConnextion.com

WineNot Boutique
Nashua, N.H.
(603) 204-5569
WineNotBoutique.com

Holiday Gift Guide – 2019

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The Museum Shop at the Addison Gallery of American Art

Find the perfect holiday gift at the Museum Shop at the Addison. Offering a diverse selection of one-of-a-kind items inspired by works from our collection, the Museum Shop also features unique and beautiful housewares, ornaments, jewelry, and more by artisans from around the region. Stop by on Museum Store Sunday, December 1, and receive 25% off all merchandise! 

On the campus of Phillips Academy
3 Chapel Ave. / Andover, Mass. / (978) 749-4015 / AddisonGallery.org

CoCo Collection

Treat yourself! This beautifully detailed sweater and wrap by Barcelona brand, Aldomartins are just two of the many standout pieces available at CoCo Collection this holiday season. We love to bring new designers and well-known brands together to appeal to a wide variety of ages and price points. All carefully curated for just the right look. Let our talented stylists help you find everything from the perfect party dress, to a fabulous sweater and jeans at CoCo Collection.

1 Main Street / Andover, Mass. / (978) 470-0632 / ShopCoCoCollection.com
Instagram @cococollectionboutique
Facebook @shopcococollection

Promotional offer ends 12/31/19. Gift cards must be purchased at a Massage Envy franchised location. Promotional cards expire on 3/31/2020 and are subject to restrictions on use. (See promotional card for details)

Massage Envy

It’s the most wonderful time of the year – to give the gift of wellness. A Massage Envy gift card might just be the best holiday gift ever because it unwraps the benefits of total body care including massage, total body stretch, rapid tension relief, customizable facials, Microderm infusion and chemical peels. Ask us for details.                                                                                                                                    Give the gift of wellness and help everyone on your list be their very best! 

Methuen – 70 Pleasant Valley St. / (978) 685-1077 / MassageEnvy.com
Billerica – 199 Boston Rd.  / (978) 663-3689
Nashua – 310 Daniel Webster HWY / (603) 598-4400

Merrimack Valley Magazine

Cut Santa some slack this year and give the gift of Merrimack Valley Magazine. Some people are hard to shop for, but everyone likes to know about the best places to eat, the best shows to see and the best places to shop. Merrimack Valley Magazine is a gift that lasts the whole year. It delivers fresh, original stories on local art & music, food & dining, home & garden, design, history, people and more. 

Order gift subscriptions at: MVMag.net/buy-issues

Solace Wellness Center & MedSpa

Give the Gift of Solace! Prepare your skin for the harsh winter months with our HYDRO-DERMAL facial with GLOW® technology. Water powered exfoliation and extraction allows deep penetration of  bio-organic serums and masks to firm and tighten skin and make it GLOW. Until December 31, purchase the HYDRO-DERMAL facial for $95 and receive a free SOLACE Ultimate Moisturizing Cream to keep your skin hydrated this winter. Treat that special person to some “me” time at Solace.  

Bio-Organic Inspired Anti-Aging Skin and Body Care
1201 Main Street / Tewksbury, Mass. / (978) 851-8600 / FoundSolace.com

Spa Nijoli and Salon

Relaxing massages and full service hair, nail and skincare all in one award winning location! When you struggle to choose the right gift for the holidays, consider giving the gift of relaxation from Spa Nijoli & Salon. Celebrating 17 years of excellent service and an impeccable staff of over 65 professionals. Purchase a holiday gift card from Merrimack Valley’s “Best Day Spa.”

116 Pleasant Valley Street / Methuen, Mass. / (978) 682-9772 / Nijoli.com

Red Antler Apothecary

Red Antler Apothecary specializes in Herbalist formulated soaps, body care, scrubs, non-harmful cleaning products and other holistic remedies! Foraged seaweed and juniper berries top a cooling peppermint and evergreen soap that smells as much like the New England winter forest as it does the rocky summer beach. Red Antler Apothecary is your shop for clean, environmentally friendly holiday giving. Choose a beautiful gift box in stores, or a monthly “Suds-scription” for the gift that keeps refreshing!

Mill No. 5 / 250 Jackson Street. / Lowell, Mass. / (978) 656-1366 / RedAntlerApothecary.com

Robert Jason Salon Beauty Bar

Brought to you by the award winning Robert Jason Salon, the Robert Jason Salon Beauty Bar offers you the finest in manicures, pedicures and makeup.  Gift certificates for pampering are always available and make the BEST gift for the holidays! At Robert Jason Salon, we strive in our commitment to deliver you a safe and strictly sanitized space, and our patent-pending ventilation system helps us guarantee a clean and harmless salon environment.

96 Main Street / Andover, Mass. / (978) 470-3103 / RobertJasonSalon.com

Quiet Pleasures Jewelry

Happy Holidays to our customers, old and new! Without you, we would not be here and we thank you for your business. Visit Quiet Pleasures Jewelry to find an always changing selection of well-priced classic, contemporary or artistically funky jewelry designs and great gift items, too! These beautiful cuff bracelets will take you from one end of your day to the other. Whether shopping for others or for yourself, don’t you deserve something fabulous today? 

24 Chestnut Street / Andover, Mass. / (978) 474-0390 / QuietPleasuresJewelry.com

MVM Cookbook

For more than a decade, Merrimack Valley Magazine has been the region’s premiere source of information about regional food, dining and drink, plus the people who live, work, play and make our area great. Along the way we’ve curated a great collection of personal recipes the region’s top chefs. We are publishing our first-ever cookbook featuring the very best of these recipes. The MVM Cookbook – First Edition is a great addition to your recipe library, and it makes a great gift!

Pre-order copies at: MVMag.net/cookbook

Restaurant Gift Cards

Give the gift of a great meal this holiday season by buying gift cards from the Merrimack Valley’s best restaurants! A night on the town is always a welcome gift and mvm’s restaurant partners won’t disappoint. Check out participating restaurants in our dining guide or on MVMag.net/dining

  • Angelina’s Italian Restaurant
  • Buono Bistro
  • Burtons Grill & Bar
  • Butcher Boy
  • Cafe Azteca
  • Capri Seaside Italian Grille
  • Chowder Factory
  • Cobblestones Restaurant & Bar
  • Copper Door
  • Dream Diner
  • Grazie Italian Restaurant at Four Oaks Country Club
  • Horseshoe Grille
  • Jocelyn’s Mediterranean Restaurant & Lounge
  • Lowell Burger Company
  • Moonstones
  • Orzo Trattoria
  • Phoenician Restaurant
  • Sand Trap Bar & Grill at Merrimack Valley Golf Club
  • Seaglass Restaurant
  • Seoul Kitchen
  • Tuscan Kitchen

 

Sole Amour

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Acclaimed Shoe Store Broadens Approach While Retaining Main Street Vibe (Sponsored)

As SoleAmour prepared for its grand opening at a Main Street location in Andover, two women stopped in front of the display window and peered in commenting, “Oh, this is the place my friend was talking about that has really great shoes and clothes. We’ll have to come back and check it out.”

Downtown Andover has long been a destination spot for boutique shopping, but more recently, there is a new energy in the air. The number of exceptional cafes, restaurants and specialty clothing stores has increased, bringing a Newbury Street quality and vibe without the big city stress. And people are noticing.

Situated at the heart of Andover’s revitalization is SoleAmour, owned by Stephanie Sipley. The store’s recent move to 4 Main Street has increased visibility and brought in new customers. “We are seeing new faces on a daily basis,” says Sipley.

Photo by Emily O’Brien.

Back in 2011, Sipley noticed Andover lacked a downtown shoe store that offered accessible fashion-forward shoes. Using her depth of fashion experience and knowledge — beginning from her early days in her hometown department store to a decade-long stint in the Visual Merchandising Department at J. Crew in New York — Sipley took an opportunity to fill that niche.

To Sipley, Andover has become a great destination shopping town. Not everyone is a mall or online shopper … there are many who are looking for what a boutique has to offer. Shopping is more personalized … a social experience.” At SoleAmour, Sipley strives to provide a “coffee shop type of environment,” where customers can stroll through the racks of clothes, shoes and displays of jewelry. Sipley, who easily becomes friends with many of her customers, is usually in the store and has an uncanny knack for remembering birthdays, anniversaries and shoe sizes.

SoleAmour offers a wide range of shoes with a focus on comfort and style. Some unique brands are 5yMedio from Spain, German-based Kennel & Schmenger, and Cordani, made in Italy (and owned by Andover locals Michael and Allyson Ciccia). The jewelry that SoleAmour carries is meant to be worn and has a modern flair — Sipley calls much of the collection “diamonds with an edge.” Sipley even designs her own line of jewelry, AvaLila (named after her two daughters).

“I really look for things that are unique and special. I find brands from around the world but my ears really perk up if something is made in the U.S.,” says Sipley. “I like working with family-owned vendors who really put a piece of themselves into their products which is reflected in the quality and craftsmanship. I want people to love what they buy and it’s nice to be able to tell them more about who made it and the story behind the brand.”

Photos by Emily O’Brien.

Clothing runs the gamut from hand-dyed cashmere sweaters by Galadriel Mattei, to tailored blazers by Smythe, and even a brand that donates 10 percent of sales to help fight domestic violence. There’s also a range of accessories — from men’s underwear and socks by Stance, to S’well water bottles, to heart-shaped artisanal bowls. “People come in for a pair of shoes and before they know it they’ve crossed off half of their Christmas list,” says Sipley.

Sipley strives to keep the store fresh and new by changing the selections often, rotating in and out of new styles quickly. “I buy very limited quantities of the more unique pieces making them special. If you take too long to think about an item, it may be gone.”

SoleAmour expanded to Winchester in 2016 and has found its own group of enthusiastic followers. Now, people are asking, with the success of the two stores, is it time for a third? “Oh! I’m having a lot of fun with the stores. Who knows what the future will bring? But it’s a nice balance right now, I enjoy seeing new and familiar faces. I love what I do and I expect to be doing this for a long time to come.”

With such a great selection and easygoing vibe, we imagine we’ll see SoleAmour around for quite some time.

 

 


SoleAmour
Andover, Mass. | (978) 409-1541
Winchester, Mass.| (781) 721-5300
SoleAmour.com

Style Profile: Meet Jaime Sloan

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Dani Kaye’s “Anti-fashion Fashion-girl” (Sponsored)

A women’s lifestyle boutique, North Andover’s Dani Kaye offers contemporary fashion, fine gifts and jewelry. The store, which opened in 2017, reflects owner Jaime Sloan’s unexpected journey from the Merrimack Valley to Montreal to New York and back home again.

The vision for Dani Kaye began years ago when Sloan went to McGill University in Montreal. In “La Belle Ville,” she found a way to maintain her sense of style even in the harsh Canadian winter. She learned from fashionable locals who dressed for winter in a way that seemed effortless and chic, and she began to think more about the relationship between couture and the environment. The seeds were planted.

A classically trained opera singer and performer, Sloan found her way to New York, another city of extremes. She balanced her time between rehearsals, auditions and performances at night with her day jobs in some of the most well-known department stores in the city, including Saks Fifth Avenue and Bloomingdale’s. Before leaving the Big Apple, she worked on the main floor of Tiffany & Co., where she sold gold and diamond jewelry, as well as the dazzling Blue Book couture pieces favored on the red carpet by Hollywood’s elite actresses.

Intoxicated by New York’s “frenetic energy” and constant, creative pulse, Sloan would sometimes take the N train a few extra stops down from wherever she was headed, just to walk the city blocks and take it all in.

She did this while still singing opera at night. Whether performing or swept up in the whirlwind pace of city life, she needed to master the quick change and seamless transfer. She realized quickly that her fashion choices needed to be reflect her highly individualistic personality, but also be comfortable and functional. A self-proclaimed “anti-fashion fashion girl,” a light bulb went off in her mind, and the idea for Dani Kaye was born.

Photos by Brianna Moran.

Sloan, with her background in fine jewelry, turned her eyes to women’s fashion and realized there was an untapped market for women such as herself. This realization happened to coincide with the rising popularity of the athleisure trend, in which stylish and elegant workout clothes provide the foundation for clothing worn in a variety of settings. It was a perfect style for goal-driven women who play multiple roles as leaders and mothers. Exemplified by brands such as Wear It To Heart and Terez, athleisure is the fastest growing segment of women’s fashion and yet, few area women’s clothing boutiques were offering it. Sloan decided that needed to change.

Fashion, to Sloan, is filled with transformative potential. It can amplify the best parts of our personalities. At the same time, “High fashion can be scary and unapproachable,” Sloan notes. This is one of the great benefits of a neighborhood boutique where cutting edge European design meets neighborly hospitality. Dani Kaye is where you’ll find the sleek, modernist home decor and tableware of Denmark’s Georg Jensen, but isn’t so stuffy that they can’t offer mother and daughter Star Wars leggings before the premiere of “The Last Jedi.” All these contrasts are connected by a sense that this is a place for an active and engaged clientele. Dani Kaye is a store for busy people.

Looking for a hostess gift? An eye-opening swap present? Dani Kaye offers a range of gifts that reflect Sloan’s love of hospitality — wine supplies, cheese boards, holiday ornaments. While others brave the mall during the holidays, Dani Kaye presents the alternative — a serene setting, friendly staff and everything you need — located on a quiet section of North Andover’s Main Street. No traffic. No chaos. No lines.

It was a long journey for Sloan to find home again, and that is ultimately what makes Dani Kaye feel special — a sanctuary in an otherwise too busy world.

Dani Kaye
North Andover, Mass.
(978) 341-4200
DaniKaye.com 

12 Days of Holiday Gift Guide – Day 3!

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Dino International Furs

Happier Holidays in a Dino Fur or Accessory. We invite you to our fabulous new store in the Bridal Center Building in downtown Andover. Whatever your style there’s a fur waiting for you at Dino’s from casual to elegant. Browse our best ever selection of accessories… capes, vests, ponchos, scarves, hats and gloves. We can help you select the ideal fur for your lifestyle or a gift for someone special. You’ll love our styles, selection – and yes, prices.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1 Main St.
Andover, Mass.
(978) 470-3344
dinofurs.com
info@dinofurs.com

 

Check back tomorrow for another Holiday Gift Guide feature!

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