If you live or work in the North End of Manchester, you probably know about Bunny's Superette — it's been there for years, and many of its customers are long-term regulars.

I suspect, though, that not everyone knows that the store carries a goodsized collection of wine and beer.

The owners, Pramod Nyaupane and his wife “B,” oversee the selections, and attend to what their customers are taking home on their end-of the-day stops. I posed a few questions to Pramod last week:

How long has Bunny's been in the North End? Has wine been sold here the whole time?


“Bunny's Superette was started by Bernie Burke back in 1950s and went through second generation before Tom Burke, his son, sold the store to us in 2010. So, Bunny's Superette is like a landmark of Manchester. I believe they started selling beer and wine somewhere in the 1960s.

“Once we took over, we have added wide varieties of new wine and beer and have been doing well for a little grocery store, thanks to our loyal customers.

Most of our customers are regular and have been here for years and years, come out of work, grab a bottle of wine, and a steak, pack of hamburger, six-pack of beer and go home kind of thing.”

How do you go about selecting the wine and beers that are sold at the store?

“I do meet the sales reps from most of the suppliers on a regular basis, go over the most popular wines, new items, trending-up items, and select some from there. And of course we read your article and bring them in when possible.” (Bunny's will also take customer requests and bring in something the don't have on the shelf.) So what's on the shelves?

Here's a quick browse through Bunny's wall of wine: Candia Vineyards wines, Hess Select Cabernet Sauvignon, Rex Goliath Giant 47 Pound Rooster Cab, Clayhouse, Cabernet Sauvignon, Dancing Bull wines, BV Coastal Estates Red Blend, Louis Jadot Pinot Noir, Big Fire Pinot Noir, Sterling Vintner's Merlot, Big Fire Pinot Gris, Barefoot Pinot Gris, Clean Slate Riesling, Stone Fruit Riesling, Relax Riesling, Cupcake Riesling, Good Pinot Grigio.

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Did I leave Bunny's empty handed? Of course not. Here are some tasting notes:

2011 Barone Fini Valdadige Pinot Grigio, Italy DOC, $14.99, 12.5% abv. From the northwest of Italy. An immediate nose of white fruit, pear and white apple greets your nose in this pale gold wine. The palate is dry, with medium body with fruit forward white fruit soon accompanied by herbal notes and hints of grapefruit, giving it some depth and character.

Medium length finish. Good balance of components, with medium flavor intensity, acidity, and alcohol, and flavors that continue on through the medium-length finish. Oak notes on the finish. 83 points.

2009 Big Fire Pinot Noir, Rob Stuart, Oregon, $21.99, 13.4% abv. Oregon has been making good Pinot for years. I haven't had a Rob Stuart wine for a couple of years now, and was happy to find it on the shelf. Medium hue, purple-ruby color, rich fruit nose of classic pinot raspberry, with strawberry peeking out from behind it. Dry palate, raspberry forward, medium alcohol that's well-integrated, low tannin, typical for a Pinot Noir, medium body, good overall balance of components and a flavor profile of red fruit with slight herbal hints in the background, and some black licorice on the finish. Drink alone or with lighter fare.

Some years ago I was in line at the State Liquor Store and the woman behind me told me she was switching from white wine to red. She had a monster Cabernet Sauvignon in her hands. Knowing disaster was in the offing, I said, “Oh dear, nonononononono, come with me.” She left with a Big Fire, and I hope, lived happily ever after. 86 points.

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Reach local wine and beer writer Jim Beauregard at regardingwine@aol.com.