Thompson’s Point has a wine bar again.

At the end of September, Rosemont Market & Wine Bar opened in half of Cellardoor Winery’s former space. (Rwanda Bean Coffee has the other half.) If you were a fan of Cellardoor’s ambience, adjust your expectations. The gorgeous long bar (which has hooks underneath) is still there, but the rest of the décor is somewhat stark.

To the left is the market area, but with more of a convenience store vibe than Rosemont’s other markets full of fresh produce. It does, however, have an excellent selection of wine for sale by the bottle. Music plays at a low volume, perfect for conversation.

Service was fast and friendly without being pushy, and our server clearly knew his wines. My friend and I were there during happy hour (3-6 p.m. Wednesday through Friday), which meant a glass of the house red or white was $5. I went with the white, which turned out to be Figuière Mediterranée Blanc, a wine from the south of France that reminded me of a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc because of its minerality and citrus notes. In other words, I loved it.

Rosemont Market & Wine Bar is in in the space formerly occupied by Cellardoor Winery.

My friend ordered the Fall Flight ($15 for three, 3-ounce pours), which featured a 2019 Domaine Pichot Vouvray (100% Chenin Blanc from France’s Loire Valley), a 2020 Crunchy Rôastie “Rainbow” Syrah from Santa Barbara (our favorite of the three) and a 2018 Domaine Diochon Cuvée Vieilles Vignes (100% Gamay from Beaujolais). The flight was accompanied by a full page of notes describing the type of farming practices, the fermentation vessels and aging times, the history of the wines, and their prominent flavors.

The wine bar menu has one page of wines by the bottle and another of wines by the glass, with each glass priced at $9. You can view the entire menu on its website. Some key wine-producing countries (such as Chile, New Zealand and South Africa) are absent; the rest of the list trends heavily in the direction of France and Italy. Rosemont intends for the wine selection to rotate, though, so that might not always be the case. As explained on the website, its wines “are intentionally sourced from around the globe to include only products that offer the best flavor, a great story, and are produced using sustainable practices.”

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We didn’t order any food, but the charcuterie boards are clearly the star menu item. A meat slicer and deli cases are situated right at the bar, so orders are filled quickly, and the presentation was mouthwatering. A meat board is $16, a cheese board is $13, and other options include marinated olives ($5) and Rosemont-made spreads ($8).

The selection of wines in the market at Thompson’s Point is extensive.

Rosemont hopes to be more than just a wine bar and market. The back wall displays art by a local artist (at the time of our visit, Katharine Watson, wife of wine program director Joe Watson), it’s developing a Garbage to Garden compost-fed raised garden space, private tastings are available for up to 12 people, and an events calendar features things like a holiday Champagne event on Dec. 16.

The one barrier to our being able to relax was that we both found the barstools too narrow. There also is no comfortable seating option for groups, and conversation at a long bar is difficult with more than three people. A few cozy areas with sofas would help – they have the space for it.

That said, the two most important things – the wines and the service – were spot on, and that is what matters most. I look forward to seeing how Rosemont’s new venture evolves.

Retired diplomat Angie Bryan writes about Maine’s cocktail bars while making as many puns as her editor allows.


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