PORTLAND WINE WEEK 2024 FEATURE: SOMMELIER NIKALINE IACONO OF VESSEL & VINE
Sponsored by Buoy Local.
Introducing the Portland Wine Week Sommelier Showcase, brought to you by Buoy Local. Portland, Maine, may be a small city, but it has an outsized reputation for wine and food thanks to the talented culinary stars behind its mouth-watering menus. When it comes to wine, Portland is dominated by women wine professionals who work hard to bring you the best bottles from across the globe. This series spotlights 10 women Sommeliers pouring phenomenal wine all Portland Wine Week-long!
NIKALINE’S Portland Wine Week Events:
A 30-minute drive or $4 Amtrak ticket north from Portland and you’re in charming downtown Brunswick. “Maine” Street is picturesque, the historic Bowdoin campus perches on a grassy green and food trucks line the park in the center of town. Across the street from the old record store and around the corner from one of the best little greengrocers is Vessel & Vine, a wine shop, market and after-hours bar called Caballeras. We joined Nikaline Iacono, the owner of the two nestled businesses in the single space they share, to ask her about what it’s like being a sommelier and business-owner in Maine.
The shop is a maze of perfectly curated wine and market items, with a wide selection of ciders, beers and vermouths alongside their vast wine offerings. You can pop in before heading to girl’s night for a bottle and some charcuterie, pick up fresh pasta on your way home, or grab a barstool and have the bartender walk through their vermouths menu with you. Nikaline aims for the retail side of things to focus on boutique, imported products from Italy, Spain and France; products rich with tradition that can be hard to find outside of Portland or even Boston.
Every other week, Nikaline hosts wine tastings in the store. Oftentimes, winemakers or importers come to Vessel & Vine to participate and help educate about their wines. Beyond the tastings, Nikaline teaches porchside wine classes for the serious oenophiles. “(The class) is a really nice way to start your evening, you can come, take the class, and then stay and have dinner afterwards.” Although Nikaline is throwing down some serious wine knowledge, she exudes kindness and makes all levels feel welcome.
Vessel & Vine also has a wine club – perks include in-house tastings exclusive to wine club members, once a month. “It's a really fun way to meet people in the community that are interested in wine and have a desire to continue learning about it.” Says Nikaline, for whom community is at the heart of many goals. Regarding the mission of the business, and the many shapes it takes, Nikaline’s goal is simple: “We hope to offer people the opportunity to add a little something special to their evening, whether it's by purchasing a bottle of wine, or that little special ingredient that they didn't know that they needed, or whether it's by sitting down at the bar and having a taste of something that they've never experienced before.”
Nikaline will be joining us on the Grand Opening Women In Wine Dinner: Who Paired It Better? Sponsored by Bangor Savings, to open up Portland Wine Week. We are so grateful to have her competing alongside the nine other fantastic sommeliers and five chefs. See her in action at this phenomenal dinner or visit Vessel & Vine at 4 Pleasant Street in Brunswick, Maine. Stay updated on upcoming wine tasting themes by following them on Instagram (Cabelleras too).
