Wine lovers know the ideal time to open a bottle of wine. Meant to be tasted young, the Beaujolais Nouveau reaches its peak just a few months after bottling. Bordeaux requires years or even decades to reach its prime.
Apparently, that logic also extends to opening a wine boutique. Twenty-eight years after it was founded, The French Gourmet, 960 Turquoise Ave., is preparing to pop the cork.
Michel Malecot, founder and owner of The French Gourmet, has been buying and collecting wines for years but never had the time to focus on a boutique ” until now. After building an award-winning reputation on its catering, bakery and restaurant, The French Gourmet will add a retail wine boutique to its menu of services.
The grand opening celebration will be Sunday, Oct. 14 and Monday, Oct. 15 featuring ” naturellement ” a wine tasting.
Reservations are available for 5 to 7 p.m. and from 7 to 9 p.m. on both days. The cost is $25 per person prepaid and $35 at the door, subject to availability, and includes an Eisch breathable crystal Bordeaux wine glass and a selection of cuisine.
“We treat the people who come here as the brotherhood of people who like wine,” Malecot said.
Although he had been collecting wine for years, Malecot said he had never done much with it until hiring Gregory Frech, the new sommelier, or wine steward.
Formerly at Blue Point Coastal Cuisine in the Gaslamp District and George’s and Donovan’s in La Jolla, Frech brings his expertise to the project of selecting over 400 French and California wines for the retail shop and restaurant, in addition to other wine-related plans for the restaurant.
“Michel has given me a lot of autonomy, and my heart and soul are in this,” Frech said, taking a quick break from the preparations. “I’m very passionate about the whole wine program.”
That program extends from the extensive collection in the boutique to the 10-page wine list in the restaurant’s menu, to the restaurant’s chalkboard listing seven reds and seven whites available by the glass. The restaurant and boutique have a reciprocal relationship. The wines on the restaurant menu can be purchased from the boutique for home, and the wines in the boutique can be purchased to enjoy in the restaurant with an additional $10 corkage fee.
Frech’s knowledge also flows from boutique to restaurant.
“If you like wine or baseball, you’re never going to get rid of me from the table,” he said.
The wine boutique pours into other innovations. The restaurant will extend its hours to welcome night owls from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, beginning Oct. 16.
Frech said they would offer a tasting menu of appetizers and cheeses in addition to full dinners.
In the future, Frech plans to open doors and bottles periodically on Mondays, when the restaurant is closed for dinner.
“We have a lot of fun things planned with guest speakers and wine makers,” he said.
The first Monday night event will be a champagne tasting on Nov. 5, with seatings from 5 to 7 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m.
Frech also ensures that the newly remodeled blue and yellow French countryside exterior blends seamlessly into the new booths, carpeting and art of the interior. This is similar to how he sees the wine boutique complementing the restaurant, bakery and catering business.
“Change is good, but it’s also important to preserve what you’ve done so well over the years,” he said.
The first Saturday Frech worked, he witnessed the catering department preparing to serve 3,000 people at 10 parties. “It’s just amazing to watch it happen,” he said.
As for Malecot, any changes remain grounded in the reason he first opened his enterprise nearly three decades ago.
“We help people to cultivate the milestones of their lives. We take care of the nitty-gritty so they can enjoy their celebrations,” he said.
To make reservations for the wine boutique grand opening, call (858) 488-1725.