Saugus Advertiser, July ‘06

Wine for ‘the connoisseur’ at OurGlass

For the first time in U.S, history, wine is recognized as the most popular adult beverage seller, and a new Route 1 business is hoping to cash in on that popularity. 

Just in time for the Fourth of July festivities, the OurGlass Wine Company, Route 1 North, will open its doors to sell a wide selection of wines and spirits, many of the of the high-end variety.

Owners Brian and Penny Lamb are not new to the food and wine industry.

In fact, Brian grew up working in his grandfather’s Route 1 restaurant, Augustine’s, which was located in the space now occupied by Orzo’s and Jimmy’s Steer House. The new “OurGlass” Wine Shop is situated on the same parking lot as Augustine’s, poised on the corner of an adjacent mini-mall that today includes the North End Café, Truly Jorgs Pastry and a Subway restaurant.

“OurGlass Wine Company is a store designed to make shopping for wine and cheese a fun, informative and overall pleasurable experience. Wine is in, and America has responded by making it the number one selling adult beverage for the first time in our country’s history. It has outsold beer and spirits in the last few years,” observed Brian Lamb.

“What makes wine unique and romantic is that it is a liquid representation of a perfect place and year. Each wine maker, vintage, and vineyard is different,” explained Lamb.

Noting that the overall quality and world wide selection of wines has continued to grow, Lamb commented, “It is no wonder that we Americans are finally catching on to what the Europeans have cherished for so many years.”

“We found that a very high percentage of shoppers were confused when shopping for wine and felt intimidated by the large selections that the bigger chains offer,” said Lamb.

OurGlass, meaning “everyone’s glass of wine,” aims to bring direct customer service and hand selling to their store. “We want to turn customers on to new wineries they may not have tried, as well as offer a selection of high-end wines for the connoisseur types,” Penny and Brian said.

One customer, Frank Ernst of Soep Durwest, who recently moved to Saugus from Canada, said about OurGlass, “I like to talk wine and have that interaction with my retailer that allows me to just call them up and bring me in a case.”

A graduate of St. Johns Preparatory School and Stonehill College, Brian spent his junior year abroad in Australia at the University of Wollongong where he met his wife Penny, an Australian student at the university, just outside of Sydney. He returned to Australia after graduation, where they lived for the next two years before returning home to Boston to get married. 

“I have been in the food and beverage industry for most of my life. I grew up in the restaurant business. My grandfather, Gus Luongo, owned Augustine’s restaurant for over 25 years, and we all worked there,” he recalled.

Penny has extensive food and beverage experience as a general manager for two fine dining restaurants where she received high accolades for her wine list design. Brian has also spent two years in the wine wholesale and distribution business. 

OurGlass plans to offer other services that they feel will set them apart. They will host weekly wine tastings with wine-related commentary from staff and notable figures in the wine business. They will also offer wine and cheese catering packages geared for family or corporate events. Custom gift basket, designed for any occasion, will be available at the wine and cheese shop.

The store will also have a great selection of spirits and beers, as well as a gourmet foods and products section. “We also plan to have a wine school with fun classes for all levels, as well as take our business online and offer online shopping with local deliveries,” explained Penny Lamb.

The store, which smells of newly cut wooden shelves and hardwood flooring, is designed to bring a comfortable feel to the consumer in look and feel as well as signs and layout. “We wanted a more rustic, vineyard-like feel to the store to make our customers feel as if they are in a Napa tasting room,” said Penny.

“As more and more boutique wine and cheese shops emerge throughout America, we can justifiably say that consumers are looking for an experience when shopping, and that is surely what this shop offers,” she concluded.

OurGlass will be open Monday-Saturday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. On Sundays, the hours are noon to 6 p.m.

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Article by Brian Lamb for the Yankee Food Service Magazine August 2006

Pat Whitley’s NEDINE.com

New England Dine

The Food Hospitality Industry – Tip Sheet

Argentina’s Wine Industry Heats Up

Argentina on Fire!

Argentina’s wine industry started in the sixteenth century with the Spanish missionaries and conquistadores who brought vines with them from Spain. In 1855, a railway was established connecting Mendoza, the premiere wine producing region, with the major commercial city, Buenos Aires, and there paved the path for the future of their wine industry. At that time, European immigrants began to flood into the country and helped to establish their winemaking methods. This region, in the foothills of the Andes, is now producing some really exciting wines, and has created a global splash with its golden-child, Malbec!

Argentinean, Malbec has surely hit a home run with the American palate. There’s something about this varietal that has captured the hearts of wine drinkers of all levels. Maybe it is the accessible flavor profile that is attractive to so many. They tend to be darker in color, fairly lower acidity levels, medium-bodied with tamer tannins. They are a great everyday wine and go with a variety of different foods, especially BBQ. But what my customers continuously ask me is what is Malbec? Malbec is actually one of the five permissible AOC varietals in Bordeaux. It tends to be used in more of a complimenting fashion in classic Bordeaux blends with usually under 10 percent of the blend. But like we have seen with many vine transplants, it has seemed to flourish in its new homeland of Argentina. No one is particularly sure why, maybe it’s the high altitudes of Mendoza, but it surely produces a much more dense wine with great grip and structure. So simply put, Malbec is a grape originally from Bordeaux that has found new fame in a new land. I recommend trying the Alamos Malbec from Nicolas Catena, one of Argentina’s top wine producers, or the Pascual Toso, both from Mendoza and are delicious and affordable!

As well as the Malbecs are doing, I have also found that another, actually native Argentinean varietal, has been doing almost as well, the Torrontes grape. Torrontes is a native Argentinean specialty and makes delightful, spicy, perfumed white wines. It has the flowery aromatic bouquet of a gewürztraminer, with a lighter body, a fun spiciness to the palate with a hint of sweetness. My customers have really flipped out over this wine and have been coming back for more. Try the Torrontes from Pannotia Vineyards from Cafayette, or the Lo Tengo from Mendoza. Lo Tengo features a fun moving label that plays on the famous Argentinean dance! Enjoy.

By Brian Lamb, Owner, Ourglass Wine Co., Route 1 North, Saugus, MA (781) 941-8068. www.ourglasswineco.com 

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