Ownership and name change for this small local wine shop in roughly January 2023 when Erickson Fine Wines became Eagle Wine Merchant with Kent Schmidtke at the helm. If you recognize Kent when you walk in, it probably means you've been a regular shopper (hand raised) at the remarkable Boise CoOp Wine Shop at that Boise downtown store where Kent was on staff. Wine Merchant in the new name for this Eagle neighborhood store is apropos with Kent as new owner as he is a man who knows his stuff about wines to source good ones across all price points and recommend them to buyers.
CUSTOMER CARE: It took me a beat to place Kent when we walked in here for the first time since the name change given he was out of context from the usual place we'd see him at the CoOp shop. That he recognized my husband and me instantly and greeted us warmly might tell you two things: first that we were frequent shoppers for wine at the Boise store and second that Kent has excellent customer care skills. The latter is definitely a true thing!
ENJOYABLE SHOPPING LAYOUT: The shop seems lighter and brighter with layout easier to navigate. Wines are organized by country for foreign and for domestic wines by state and there are ample shelf / hang tags with information on many of the wines. All of this makes it easier to hunt if you're on a mission for something specific and fun to gather if you're wanting to browse for something to strike your fancy.
EXPERTISE MATTERS: Kent is in the house every day to provide as much assistance as you need or to leave you to your own devices if you just want to wander. On a recent "we need whites" visit he was helpful in recommending two wines to complete a mixed six pack we were buying; bottles we might not have considered without his first hand knowledge of drinking them himself. There are a lot of places in Eagle to buy wine, a good number of them grocery store shelves, but the reason to shop at store run by a merchant like Kent is for the knowledge that comes along with the great customer service.
SATURDAY TASTINGS: Saturday afternoons there is wine tasting between 2p and 4p. Sign up for Kent's email when you're in the shop and you'll get a heads up on what is being poured each week and other new finds he's added to inventory. Our first visit was, serendipitously, on a Saturday and we got to sample Day Wines, boutique bottlings by a woman winemaker in Dundee who has been getting NW wine press coverage, Brianne Day. (Oregonian wine writer: "... working with 25 grape varieties from 32 vineyards in the Willamette Valley and southern Oregon. "I don't have strict regulatory systems like they do in Europe telling me what I can and can't make. I'm a wild card with the freedom to satisfy my curiosity," Day said.") This coming Saturday when we pop in to pick up a bottle of Portteus (Rattlesnake Hills AVA) that is a fav of my dad's to tuck in a gift for early Father's Day visit to him, we look forward to trying one of the wines being poured, a WS 93 pt Syrah from Unnamed Series.
PRICE POINTS: 10% discount on six or more bottles. Pricing is competitive and we noticed, as one example, his price for Robert Sinskey Vineyards Abraxis was two bucks lower than the competition.
TIMING IS EVERYTHING: For a new merchant building inventories, your business matters now. Vote for local expertise with your feet and wallet!
LOCATION: In a strip mall next to nail salon and across a double wide parking lot from The Griddle breakfast / lunch eatery.
ACCESSIBILITY: Shop is level in the door and all on one level with ample floor spaces to look at, taste and pay for wines. Just right for ADA compliant equal access for shoppers like me (I have had MS since college days) who might be winos using wheels...umm...oenophiles with mobility challenges.
PARKING: The private lot is generously sized.
ACCESSIBLE PARKING: Lot violates ADA. This is the lot owner's error to fix not the store owner's. The only accessible parking spot in entire lot and is around the corner tucked in a side alcove of the building requiring disabled persons to travel further to get in the door. Per US ADA and Idaho code there should 2 spots in the main lot (given the number of total spaces) so shoppers with disabilities have the same equal access route to the building door.
NICE GUY STORY: When in store one afternoon, a couple of young women walked in at brisk pace, laughing together then stopped short and went silent once the door closed behind them. I thought they might just be enjoying the wine "ahh...roma" but Kent intuited right away that they were lost. He asked, cheerfully, if they were looking for someplace else. They asked if he sold tequila. He explained Idaho liquor sales were by state run stores (there are two Hilton hotel chains nearby that get out of state visitors) and provided directions to the nearest one. :-) read more