With its cozy 100 square foot size and array of boutique wines Down the Rabbit Hole Wine boutique in Sayville might be the most unique wine store in New York State and doubtless one of the most unique in the country. Owner Suzanne McDonald was an accomplished figure skater in her teens and early 20's until an injury put her on the sidelines; from there she moved in the direction of one of the other passions in her life which was wine. Ms. McDonald took classes, worked in wine stores and generally familiarized herself with the vocabulary of viticulture while developing her palette.
Flash forward to 2008 when Ms. McDonald set up her small, charming shop on Sayville's Main Street. The selection is carefully curated by Ms. McDonald. Lynn and I have particularly enjoyed discovering the wines of the Shinas Estate in Australia such as "The Innocent" and "The Guilty" (George Shinas, the owner of Shinas was a barrister in his first career). Perhaps owing to the fact that most of DTRH's wines are organic, and small production items the wines can be expensive, however, some of the wines start at around $12.00 and many are around $20.00. Ms. McDonald typically has at least one bottle open for tasting so there is the sense that visiting the place is a bit of a learning experience as well. Ms. McDonald's tasting notes are quite helpful and written in a wry and common sense manner. Ms. McDonald likes to say that her artisinal wines are characterized as such because "art is in all"; the same might be said for the entire DTRH operation.
M&L
