Food, Wine or Retail Shop: Newport Wine Cellar & Gourmet
Maria Chiancola made some hard decisions in 2019. Her beloved Newport Wine Cellar & Gourmet went through a big transition, in this case downsizing, as she learned that being successful sometimes means changing course to be more sustainable.
“When you try to do everything, some part suffers,” Maria said, adding that the business has evolved since opening in 2008, but has always focused on supporting independent, responsible food and wine artisans. “We’ve gone back to our roots and, while 2019 was a real challenge for me, receiving recognition like this means a lot to our small business.”
Today, they focus on the pairing of artisan wines and cheeses and offer fresh soup, salads, sandwiches, pizza and quiches, all made with local ingredients.
“I entered into 2020 feeling really good about what we’ve done,” she said. “2019 was a year to reinvent ourselves. We’ll probably have to reinvent ourselves again next year and that’s the excitement of this journey.”
