10. Before we opened the store, Glenn had a list of almost every wine that we were going to start the shop with. The list was made over a ten-year period of tasting each wine and noting the “best of the best”. If he didn’t rate it 90 or above in his tasting notes, we didn’t carry it. The 1^st wine we ordered was Michele Chiarlo La Court. The 1^st wine we sold was Moussiere Sancerre Rouge.

9. Emily and Glenn are “obsessed” with the Dave Mathews Band. You can find different DMB quotes around the store and most days you can listen to the band playing when you come in to shop.

8. Emily and Glenn have been collecting signed bottles for 20 years. The store has many of them displayed in the wine cellar. Our most prized is from Michael Grgich the icon that made the Chateau Montelena Chardonnay, the wine that won the Judgement of Paris.

7. Our son was the first to see the new store. He spontaneously picked up a paintbrush that had been left by the previous owners and pained “Basser’s Fine Wine” on the walls. Of course, Emily caught a picture of it… and it lives in our cellar.  (He will own the place one day)

6. Basser’s Fine Wine had 10 different names (all of them settled on). When we signed the paperwork with the state, we panicked, and when they asked our name we just went with our last name. So much for creativity…

5. When we found out we only had only 1500sq ft to work with, we worked with a master carpenter to construct a shop that could hold as much wine as possible. We now get over 900 wines and 300 beers in our cozy space.

4. Before we opened the store Emily was a teacher. She got her degree at the University of Rhode Island and her master’s degree at Iona University.

3. Before we opened the store Glenn represented some of the most iconic wines in the world. They included Grgich Hills, Sassicaia, Ornellaia, Luce, Dal Forno, Joseph Phelps, Cakebread,  Dom Perignon, Chateau Margaux, and many others. He has been in the wine industry since 1996.

2. Basser’s opened its doors October 1^st, 2019. The pandemic hit about 5 months later. We didn’t take it as a bad omen. We just figured sometimes to make something special you need to overcome great challenges. We went from a small family wine shop to building out a full eCommerce website and delivering country-wide in 30 days.  (We are still tired)

1. Every wine that is sold in the shop is tasted by either Emily or Glenn (Or both) before it goes on the shelf. We decided on day one, the only factor we use for carrying a wine in the store is quality. If it’s amazing, we want it. That’s why we feel confident saying “Come in…drink better”