The Local in Middlesex, VT
The Local in Middlesex is not a pub, but it acts like one. It draws in people from the community—to talk, listen to music, try some bread and cheese, and oh, to buy a bottle of wine or some beer.
Travel around Great Britain and you’ll hear people refer to their local: the nearby pub they flock to for fun and a pint or two. British pubs are not American bars; pubs take on a more public social purpose that engages people, that makes them, as a researcher says, “participators.” In that sense, The Local wine and beer shop is the perfect “local.”
The name, according to owner Sam Rosenberg, came from a conversation with his wife, Sarah. They wanted to enhance the hub of the town, and the store’s location was perfect: right between Camp Meade (whose motto is “community – creation – collaboration”) and the renowned Red Hen Baking Company, which draws hundreds of hungry, happy people daily, many of whom pop in to explore The Local.
The appeal of The Local starts with the wine selection, curated by another Sarah, wine savant Sarah Nagle. She traveled to Italy and France in her previous work for wine distributors, so she knows and supplies wine from small farms that hand-pick their grapes and produce distinctive wines. She prices wines reasonably—even having a display of wines less than $15.
Sarah often greets customers by name as they enter. For people seeking something new, she might mention a Nerello Mascalese from near Mount Etna in Sicily, a grape she compares to a nebbiolo. Beer curator Derek Bennett orders an eclectic selection. For visitors from outside the state clamoring for Vermont IPAs, he stocks, for example, The Nameless IPA by Foam and River Roost Mas Verde. Non- Vermont beers include Weird and Gilly IPA and Pabst (why not?).
The Local team believes that education enhances the pleasure of wine.
But perhaps Louisa Wilson, a partner and the tasting room coordinator, is most crucial in drawing in the participators noted by the British pub researcher. She organized daylong activities to celebrate The Local’s first anniversary. First up: people could do yoga at the nearby Yoga Lab and before (or after) have a mimosa and croissant. That event sold out immediately. Then, midday, The Local featured tasty sandwiches, wine, and beer, with a DJ pumping reggae over the Camp Meade picnic area. Special guests Edward and George appeared—those being the names for a pale ale and a brown ale from the famed Hill Farmstead Brewery in the Northeast Kingdom.
In the evening, the anniversary celebration concluded with ticketed wine tastings drawing 20 people at a time to sample Jasper Hill cheeses, Red Hen bread, and wines from around the world, all in the cozy, cave-like confines of The Local’s tasting room. People sampled Dorf Dorf Dorf, an Austrian red made from St. Laurent grapes. One sip of it suggests that dorf, dorf, dorf must mean “buy this wine!” The tasting notes describe “impressions of raspberries, sour cherries, and bramble [that] intermingle with spicy notes.” Okay, not all drinkers might pick up bramble, but still, yes, dorf.
In addition to this anniversary celebration, The Local has hosted a wide variety of events. “Winemaking is farming,” says Sam, and locals appreciate learning the biodynamics of winemaking in talks. Michele D’Aprix, the only American winemaker in Bordeaux, drew a rapt audience. Her commitment to terroir is so strong that the chemical formula for the vineyard’s montmorillonite clay graces Pentimento’s label, a current offering at the store.
Participators also appreciate a story. Louisa cites Johnathan Grieve, nicknamed Jonty, of Avondale Wine in South Africa, who told of his ducks that eat snails, which in turn fertilize the vines, creating a unique terroir for a particular wine called, of course, Jonty’s Ducks.
In a bit of irony, the prime movers behind The Local harken back to other parts of the country: Sam from Boston and Brooklyn and a career in film and television; Louisa with degrees from Fordham and Villanova and work in higher education; Sarah from Philly and work for wine distributors; and Derek from Massachusetts teaching health and wellness (a clear transition to beer). Coming from other regions they gained a special appreciation of the uniqueness of Vermont that makes The Local, established 2022, a wonderful place to visit, local or not.
