Couple opened wine shop amid COVID-19 Leave a comment
Kristine M. Kierzek
An empty storefront in the midst of a pandemic, paired with Emily Laga’s longtime love of food and wine, created her once in a lifetime opportunity.
After Laga’s husband, Luke, called and learned about the open storefront, the couple decided to open a wine shop. They renovated the retail space and found Jake Hansen to work as their general manager and wine buyer, allowing Laga to focus on local foods to offer for sale plus a pairing menu highlighting charcuterie, dips and cheese.
In November 2020, the Riverwest residents officially opened Scout Wine Merchants, 4512 N. Oakland Ave., in Shorewood. Focusing on bar seating and displays of wine and food upfront, they added hand-painted murals and a fireplace plus a cozy back room for tastings. Their next event will be a sparkling wine tasting Dec. 14.
Laga talked with us on a recent afternoon while helping customers in the shop.
Opening a wine shop
The pandemic was happening, so we were between things and had more time on our hands. This space opened up. My husband used to have a clinic across the street. The buildings are owned by the same owner. My husband called and asked, “Hey what is going on over there?”
I know a little bit about wine. I’m passionate about food. We knew we needed a wine expert to make it happen, and we found Jake Hansen, our general
manager and wine buyer. It was off to the races.
Creating community
Previously I was doing work as a personal chef. Before that I was an elementary music school teacher. I have a ton of restaurant experience and hospitality experience from earlier in life. …
I feel like my experience as a teacher paid off, because teachers have to do all the things and they’re running their own communities. This is how we look at Scout. This is not just a shop where people come in, it is community.
Why she loves wine
Wine is so special because it is a representation of a specific time and place. Nothing else really in the beverage industry does that. Spirits are distilled to taste the same. They have special releases, but wine changes all the time. Even sitting in the bottle it is
changing.
To me, wine is inherently authentic and interesting. That is what we tried to go for in terms of creating Scout.
Beyond the bottles
The wine has a global focus, with a price point that everyone is going to find something, and hopefully people will branch out a bit. Summer season has ended, but one of our most popular this summer was a sauvignon blanc from Argentina, not New Zealand. Most of the food falls into two categories: creating the perfect charcuterie board at
home or things that will make your pantry and home experience in your kitchen a little more interesting.
The similarity between our wines and food, it is all curated. It is things we stand behind. With wine, everybody has their preferences, but there are no favorites here. There is no bottle I cringe when somebody grabs it. Everything has been selected for a reason and with intent.
Wisconsin wines
We have some American Wine Project out of Mineral Point. They are working with grape varietals that are cold hardy. They are not just Wisconsin winemakers, but they are grape growers and farming as well.
There’s one made with Marquette grapes and there are some customers who really love that one, called Sympathetic Magic.
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Bottles and your budget
A 1985 Barolo from Italy for $625 is our most expensive. Jake, who knows so much about wine, will talk about a $9.99 Chenin Blanc from South Africa the same as he will the Barolo. We just want to make the perfect match.
Podcasts and pours
I’m listening to a ton of podcasts. I really like the podcast Wine For Normal People. I
love that it is a female voice in the wine industry, informative but not overbearing.
If she could drink only one varietal
Probably pinot noir because it expresses itself so differently in different places. It just has a lot of versatility. You can find a great everyday drink and then one that will make you think with every sip.
Casual or curated
Tastings fall into two different categories. We have our open house style tastings, we try to do two a month. Those are typically $5 to $10 per person, about five different wines usually. Those have been fun, casual. People can just come any time during the open house. Other tastings, people make a reservation for our tasting room, give us a price range to stay in, and we will curate something for them.
It is three different levels. You get two wines per month, delivered the first of the month. First level is sightseer, with known varietals not going to throw any curveballs. That is $45 a month. Next level is traveler, $60 per month, definitely our most popular, with maybe some unusual varietals, maybe an interesting place they’re from. Third level is expedition, $150 per month, cellar builder exceptional wines.
It is not only a great thing for people who want interesting bottles, but really a great gift. We give it to people for weddings.
Menu must
Blakesville Creamery in Port Washington, I knew I wanted to have her fresh chevre. This January we’re going to do a wine and cheese tasting with her and she’ll come down for that. When we opened it was still pandemic and she was actually delivering the cheese in person herself.
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Making the menu
The menu was what people can buy here in the shop and also (foods to) take home. We want to represent all these products we believe in with our menu. When people are sitting and drinking, they usually want something to munch on.
We have a very small kitchen. I was very emphatic when we opened, we are not opening a restaurant. … We have local chevre, local Potters Crackers, local preserves, a beet ricotta hummus that has been a longtime favorite of mine. Then the smoky carrot dip, and two meat and cheese boards. … It was thinking about what would pair well with
different wines.
Fork. Spoon. Life. explores the everyday relationship that local notables (within the food community and without) have with food. To suggest future personalities to profile, email psullivan@gannett.com.
