I attended a wine / cheese / chocolate tasting and thoroughly enjoyed Svetlana's story. She very…read moreinteresting and delivers to your door !

WineNot is a hidden gem in Nashua--it's so easy to pass by and not even notice it…read more If you enjoy wine, it's such a treat. Bored with the tired old brands in the supermarket? Head over to WineNot and talk to someone who knows about wine and will help you find what is right for you. Better yet, go to the free tastings on Friday and Saturday afternoons - you don't get to try before you buy at Shaw's or the state store. You taste 4 or 5 interesting wines with no obligation to buy anything - although you'll be happy if you do - great conversation, too. The good news is that many super wines at WineNot cost about the same as you are paying elsewhere (maybe less in many cases), but the service is unbeatable. Want to learn to appreciate wine more deeply? Check out their tours to the great wine-growing regions of the world and their wine education courses. Think it's too snobby? Nope - I always wear t-shirts and shorts and never feel out of place there. Good wine is for everyone!

We took a two hour class on cheese, chocolate and wine pairings and it was absolutely amazing! The…read moreinstructor had an amazing ability to blend facts, humor, history, geography and culinary knowledge into an absolutely interesting and insightful and riveting adventure. The wines were a mix of French, Italian, Portuguese the chocolate was a mix of Italian, American and Dutch. The cheeses were French, American, Dutch, in Spanish. I will be looking for the next class the instructor teaches at Formaggio cheese shop and I'm actually going there today because he inspired us! If you have ever wanted a cheese and wine class, don't hesitate, take one of these!

We had a great time at our 2 hour wine tasting class. We enjoyed sniffing the different bottles of…read morescents trying to guess what scent it was. I just wish the educator was a bit more informative and educational. When we were guessing the flavors and scents of each wine it seemed she agreed that every fruit/tastes that we each tasted was present in the wine. I wish she would've been more direct in what she tasted and what we should be tasting to better direct our senses of taste instead of agreeing that we taste everything. I liked the wine tasting chart that they gave us, we took them home with us in hopes to use them in our future when we try more wines. Fun date night and entrance class into wine tasting!

"Walk in as strangers, leave as friends."…read more If that's not a saying that makes you want to head there now, then I don't know what is LOL! Obviously, there is more to the new renovated location of La Cantina than this saying but I will say I was pretty impressed when I saw it and knew I had to add it to my review. Let's just say it is pretty accurate. We did leave as friends since we made a few at the bar and then some. Just saying! La Cantina winery in Franklin, MA used to be a small wine bar that offered wine tasting flights and minimal food. BUT, now it is in a stunning new location (not far from their old stomping grounds). Fun Fact: It used to be a Mechanic garage. Well, wait until you see how it has turned from fixing cars to wine making and tasting. YOU HAVE GOT TO COME HERE! Parking is easy with plenty of spots. They have a lot of room at their gorgeous bar, but they also have high tops and tables for families or a large group. And, they host events here too; birthday parties, bridal showers, and anything in between, this place is it. I actually want to hold one of my milestone birthday parties here but well keep the number a secret for now. Service: Alana was our bartender and she was wonderful. Always asking us what we needed and how were doing. You don't get this upscale service any where else. And, when I wanted another sample of something she gave it to me without a fuss. Always with a smile on her face, she was the best. Wine: They have an excellent wine menu to choose from and they offer flights for about $25 pp. Flights are the best way to try multiple wines. I personally loved most of the red wines with Petit Sirah being my favorite. My husband loved their Barbera! I did sample their Sauv Blanc too which was nice but it was too cold to have a full pour. Food: Their menu is great with a ton of options from charcuterie, to tapas and some entrees. I will say some of their items can get expensive but definitely worth it. We started with a few cheeses and prosciutto. Then we ordered one of their popular pizzas called La Cantina. Everything was fresh, made in house with their beautiful pizza oven right smack in the middle of the bar. You have got to see this thing, its huge! Overall: If I could give this place 10 stars I would. We had the best time and we can't wait to go back. Franklin is not far from where we live but still a good 30 minute drive and also not far from the Wrentham outlets. We didn't have to make a reservation for a Sunday afternoon but I bet Saturdays can get pretty busy. I just loved everything about this wine bar and I know you will too! Cheers~

The only reason this place gets a 4 instead of a 5 is the initial service. We were seated at a…read moretable along the side of the room, which was otherwise void customers. No one came to address is for severance minutes and then choose to move to the bar. Here, Alna, the main bartender, greeted us immediately and made us feel welcome. She explained the wine flights and offered a sample of Reisling to my girlfriend, who preferred Moscato, which La Cantina doesn't offer (though no one trait does in New England). Thankfully Alna had a similar palate to that of my girlfriend, and they quickly made a connection. Love that! I chose a flight of reds and ultimately preferred the Clone 8 above those that I tried, thigh the Cab Sav Reserve was a close second. The Drunken Goat cheese sample was delicious too! The menu definitely has us eager to come back for food. And for those who aren't wine drinkers they have a small selection of beer and a cider. The atmosphere is lively and open, and looks like they'd open up the large bar doors on a nice day. Come enjoy a flight, or a glass, you can't go wrong!

Major kudos to the owner, she does not miss. Her suggestions have been fantastic, we don't come…read moreoften but when we do she has just not led us astray. Unique options too that have all been excellent even the non trad options like orange wines. Great job and keep up the good work!

Went in for the first time tonight and got one of the best customer service experiences I've ever…read morehad. The owner(?), Samantha, talked me through glou glou style wines and recommended something at exactly my price point. I went home and drank it over dinner: she was spot on. So good.

It's with a heavy heart I write this review…read more There's so much promise in a Taking The Bite Out Of Whiskey dinner, and knowing how I do adore that dirty water, KG peeled two bills for a pair of admissions to the tasting. Perhaps the curriculum was new, or perhaps there was evidenced a severe disconnect between the pair of instructors (one, Jonathan Alsop, the proprietor of the school, and the other, a buyer from the attached liquor store, who led our class) on the use of a photo slide show through the duration of the class, or perhaps it was the less-than-interesting bourbons, ryes and blends sipped, or the hour long wait for the class to even begin... The entire experience just left us underwhelmed. The space is beautiful - studious, comfortable (even at folding tables and chairs) and inviting. A common reception housed 40 students, who mingled over store-bought cheeses, apricots, pistachios and toast points while awaiting the class start. Fine for 10, 15, hell even 30 minutes, as the congenial hosts tasted barrel cured or bourbon-inspired beers before the show began. But it didn't stop there, as we awaited late comers and began the class almost an hour after it was set to start. Our group split in to two, with half traipsing through the attached liquor store and the others staying in the sweet study of a classroom. Fortunately, we're in the latter. A candid conversation begins with the upfront admission that there's no real agenda, aside from the tasting schedule, so "ask questions as we go." It quickly became apparent that the second instructor, while extremely knowledgable on whiskey, had very little understanding of Jonathan's intended curriculum, or if he did, then the subject matter was loose and disjointed. A limited portion of the cheese we'd been eating was served to accompany the flight, and the bottles tasted (from white whiskey to scotch) were "economically feasible," none of which eclipsed a $20 bottle retail. Two and a half hours after the ticketed start time, we're presented with dinner - a single trip (read: no seconds) down a serviced buffet of Blue Ribbon BBQ - and that was that. So, $100 a head got us 3 oz of well whiskey, a $6 scoop of BBQ, a Trader Joe's cheese plate and a Wikipedia article on distilling corn. I came to understand from our peers that this place is constantly offering 50% off deals through the usual suspects, which would've made the experience a little more fair to the dollar. But at full sticker, we were fooled once. Shame on us.

What a hidden gem! I had lived up the street from this place for years and never gone in. Little…read moredid I know it's not just a liqour store... it's a whole experience! This place is located on Comm Ave where there's the big flashing sign "Brookline Liqours". It's adorable inside and the classes are so cool! We took a "Burger and Wine" class and the teacher/owner was very knowledgeable, personable, and fun. Laid back class, nothing snooty about it. We all learned something and had delcious food and wine. Definitely a fun thing to do as a girls night or with a date. Try it out!

Easiest 5 stars ive ever given. We were here for a raclette and fondue class that was after hours,…read moreso we were able to shop with no one else in the store!! I loved the cheese. Staff was so kind and answered all of our questions. I left with many many things of cheese! We tried the cookies and chocolates, some premade goods, some shelf-stable things, and of course, cheese. My one complaint was that they did not heat up raclette for us, rather gave us raclette cheese at room temperature. I think it wouldn't have been too much to ask for it to be cooked, since they were able to do that with the fondue. I wish there was a way to do the class without the wine pairing and save a few dollars... I would sign up much more often!!

My favorite neighborhood store with the best homemade scones ever. I also love that they fly in…read moreauthentic French bread from France. Everything tastes so fresh and homemade. It feels like you are shopping in your grandma's kitchen. The staff is extremely friendly and helpful. So grateful to have this little gem in my neighborhood

Staff was great. I forgot her name but really she was great…read more I went with 3 friends to cook Thai. We get Thai takeout, and I was excited about learning the specifics of a good pad Thai and fresh summer rolls. The pad Thai recipe was simply not tasty. I brought most of it home and my husband didn't complain, but really, it wasn't great. May be because they use no nuts, which is great for most families. But also, it didn't have any bean sprouts in it, it just wasn't good at all. We also made chicken satay that I have already made again, and that was pretty good. However, I learned how to use rice sheets and make summer rolls which was wonderful. I made different ones when I went home but they were a huge hit. Huge. Lots of fun to hear about them and how to most easily handle them. To me, it was like when I originally heard how to handle puff pastry, or phyllo sheets or make my own sushi. We had a great time, it was expensive, but it is a luxury and it was a great time. Everyone had fun. Their staff was just amazing though.

Just had an amazing class with Alex and Liz. So clean, organized, well instructed and a lot of…read morefun. Can't wait to go to another! Classic French Countryside was the theme!

This place has super yummy cheese, olives, nuts, meats and beers. I highly recommend the sopressta…read moremeats that come in hot and miles ( it's pictured) they were fabulous. And we got it sliced in the store!! The clerks are super warm and helpful. And the wine selection is impressive! They have some things chilled and the rest are just waiting to be opened! Come check it out and take a look!

I love Grand Trunk for one stop entertaining- wine, cheeses, fresh baguettes, Marcona almonds,…read morechocolates and everything for antipasti- speck, salami, did O say WINE?? The new location is gorgeous and charming- a must destination if you are local or visiting Newburyport!! Supporting a local business is a bonus.

We did our department holiday event there this year and Chef Gary was awesome and so funny! Team…read moremade pizza, dessert, mozz balls and salad. So fun! Thank you!

I went to an italian date night class in Boston and loved the mix of pre-made food and hands-on…read morecooking. We got demos for everything that wasn't made by us but enjoyed the foods that our chef chose for us to make, such as the burrata! We had wine, cheese, meat, and focaccia when we got there and made our dessert, burrata, and pasta before assembling the whole meal. There was plenty of food to take home and we left stuffed! Our class happened at the start of a snow storm so only about 14-16 out of 20 people came which helped create a more intimate setting.

Came here while exploring the area. Best decision ever! We arrived about 20 minutes before they…read moreclosed, but the cheesemongers were so friendly and helpful. They did not rush us off. We got to try and buy some fabulous cheeses and other gourmet products. The shop is well-organized and inviting. I wish I had more time to explore here. BTW, they will ship products, including cheeses, to you in the mail. Are you kidding me?!?!? How awesome is that? They even hooked us up with some baguettes since they were closing, and they baked the bread fresh every day. Win-win!!

Walk in with a meal, an occasion, or a bottle of wine in mind, and you'll leave with the perfect…read morepairings of cheese, charcuterie, more wine, bread, crackers, olives, cornichons, etc. And the family that runs the place is the best! I think everyone who works at Wasik's has been there for many years. When you shop there, you're part of the family as well. A true gem - ambiance meets expertise, slathered with fantastic taste.