Cheers to Wine Night
The third Friday of each month has become known as 'Wine Night" in the Kennebunks.
Couples and friends, along with wine amateurs and connoisseurs alike, gather at Bel Cibo da Cherie on High Street, a showplace for unique food and wine that has built a reputation by attracting small local wine distributors to showcase their wares.
Last Friday, the spring evening was filled with laughter and good conversation. Behind the counter, owner Cherie Davis of Kennebunk sported a rhinestone embossed shirt that said "Wine Chick" — a perfect reflection of her casual and spirited attitude toward her new passion and the shop's focus.
Davis transformed her 12-year-old Cherie's Bakery business in 2007 to reflect her interest in gourmet food and wine. The store provides guests with the chance to socialize and learn in a hip, upbeat environment that has been reserved until now for more metropolitan areas.
As I stepped into the store and up to the counter, I was handed a colorfully printed tasting menu, loaded with wine history and flavor profiles. Cases of the boutique bottles piled high in the front of the shop, and guests started to make purchases almost as soon as they tasted their samples. Reds and whites were separated by room — whites in the back wine grotto and reds at the front counter, paired with a bowl of dark chocolates.
Everywhere I turned, from the inside and then onto the street, there were smiling faces. People snacked on the likes of pepper toasts with caramelized onions and capers, all the while discussing their opinions on the new flavors they had tasted.
DaVine Wines sponsored the night, bringing with them a selection of varietals from the south of France. I overheard one guest sharing a poignant story of her first time trying these wines. The wines took her back to her blissful student days in France.
This sentiment was echoed by DaVine Wine's owner David Joseph. "This is what the experience is all about. Wines bring you back to the tastes, smell and feeling of travel. You get to relive a great experience through you first sips and get to know what they really mean by, 'deja-vu.'"
Guests that evening were surely reliving cherished memories, and also creating delightful new ones around the social power of food.
During regular weekday hours, when you enter the shop you come face to face with plates of colorful salads, antipasto platters and specialty pastas. You see a case filled with stuffed peppers, fresh cured olives, and plump marinating mozzarella, and are able to hand-select the amounts from each.
Turn around and you are presented with the Cherie's baked goods that have been the cornerstone of her food business. Cherie has a devoted following who have celebrated how the shop has transformed. "I needed to make a change to show off my own life and enjoyment of food," she says.
Bel Cibo is housed in a restored home that has been appointed with new siding and a villa-feel interior, complete with sun-colored plaster and brick arches.
The tasting nights are all about consumer education, with the hope of providing guests with a warm environment ripe for trying new things. The front French doors open onto the brick patio, pouring the night's tasters onto the sidewalk and into lounge chairs. During the tasting, guests can sip their wines and soak in the warm night air or delve into the shop to center around the selection of gourmet hor's d'oevres.
As a bonus to Friday night's reminiscences and revelry, I was able to purchase delicious and complex wines that I might have otherwise overlooked or been afraid to try. Each of the wines showcased were reasonably priced. I felt giddy to be bringing home what felt like new culinary treasures to be enjoyed with my friends and family.
Bel Cibo is successful in creating an upbeat and casual place for foodies and wine-lovers to gather and celebrate. Call 985-1200 for information or to join the mailing list for upcoming dates.
