A New Wine & Cheese Shop in RI Wants to Supply All Your Cocktail Hour Essentials

A New Wine & Cheese Shop in RI Wants to Supply All Your Cocktail Hour Essentials

There is a new “one-stop” wine and cheese shop opening in Rhode Island — which wants to provide customers with all their “beach, boat, and baseball” eating and drinking needs, and more. 

“Cocktail Hour Essentials” in West Warwick is the brainchild of Karen Ventrone Moore, who up until this year, was a fourth-generation teacher in Rhode Island.

Now, she is a small business owner, and wants to tap into her Italian, Armenian, and boating background to supply Rhode Islanders with unique wine, beer, and cheese offerings. 

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“We’re opening in the Quaker Valley Mall — there’s really nothing like it in the area,” said Moore. 

 

Embarking on New Adventure

For Moore, the decision to leave teaching and start on a new career path in her 40s was not an easy one. 

“I never thought I wouldn’t be a teacher,” said Moore. “Everyone fantasizes though about what they would do if they were ‘on the other side.’”

For Moore, coming up with "Cocktail Hour Essentials" was the combination of a number of passions — and experiences.

A lifelong boater — and a lifelong learner — Moore knew she could be uniquely positioned to curate a specialty provisions store. 

“I love food, sharing food, talking about food,” said Moore, who consistently pursued continuing education after graduate school. “I took a cheese class at the University of Vermont.” 

Cocktail Hour Essentials will feature 75 artisan cheeses, and Moore hopes to introduce new ones to customers.

“There will be hard-to-find cheese and show stoppers. For instance, we’ll have a Negroni cheese that has vermouth and bitters and candied orange,” said Moore. “And we’ll have Ubriaco — it has hints of rose petals.”

And cheese is a family affair. 

“My son loves the espresso BellaVitano Sartori cheese,” said Moore. 

 

Wine and More 

“We were fortunate to get a class B license,” said Moore, who will be able to sell wine — and beer — at the location at 697 Quaker Lane. “I want to help people to find the right pairing with their libations.”

“The wines I plan to carry aren’t ones you’ll find everywhere,” said Moore. “I’ll have the traditional faves, but I want to introduce people to new things, including Italian and Armenian ones.”

“I’ll also have the entertaining things people need, from chilled wine carriers to edible glitter. I’ll have the smoker for an old-fashioned,” she said, of also having nuts, jams, and crackers for a complete cheese plate.

And for Moore, it’s all about putting it all together. 

“We’ll be here for ‘boat, beach, baseball, and go,'” said Moore. “People can call ahead and I’ll put together the perfect picnic basket for any occasion.” 

Moore said a website and social media channels will be up soon and that she hopes to open in the fall.