Shopportunities: Wine Cellar of Wisconsin

It's one of the first traffic-clogging snowfalls of the month, yet Wine Cellar of Wisconsin is doing a brisk after-work business.

Joel Freeborn and his wife, Gail, have owned the Elm Grove shop for 2 ½ years, and Joel estimates they stock upward of 1,000 wines. "We try to cover the whole world," he said.

European and South American wines are displayed by country; domestic wines by variety. However, champagnes are all in one place. This time of year, isn't that what you're really interested in?

Freeborn takes us on a tour. First stop: Veuve Clicquot ($37.99), a crowd favorite. "We'll sell 10 to 12 cases this season," he says.

He also recommends the Duval-Leroy ($32.99), beloved by Wine Spectator. He stops at Paringa Sparkling Shiraz ($9.27), a style that's getting more popular. But his best tip is Gruet Brut ($12.96). The winery is based in New Mexico, but the sparkling wine is bottle-fermented, an expensive method typically used for French champagnes.

Freeborn says sharing information is what his shop is about. "Everything would collapse if we didn't find the good stuff and recommend it," he said.

Wine Cellar of Wisconsin, 12910 W. Blue Mound Road, is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday. It hosts a champagne tasting at 7:15 tonight for $20. Reservations are recommended. Call (262) 754-9463.