Montrose’s New Old-School Shop is a Temple to Wine and Cheese in All the Right Ways

Whether you’re a connoisseur with a soft spot for Spanish wines, a collector who follows wine futures in Bordeaux, or a neophyte yearning to learn more about the sniffing, swirling, and gazing that often accompanies the opening of a good bottle, Montrose Cheese & Wine is the place for you.

This small old-school shop from Peter McCarthy, David Keck, June Rodil, and Felipe Riccio of Goodnight Hospitality (Goodnight Charlie’s, Rosie Cannonball and March, which is set to open next year) has a wine sommelier on hand to guide you. Stocked in the quaint 800-square-foot shop are 125 different bottles, with many selections under $40, as well as premium wines for cellaring.

Wine director Ryan Cooper balances classically styled wines (their grapes born from the soils of Sancerre, Burgundy, Chianti) with imports from less established regions all over the globe, often crafted by small producers who value quality above quantity.

Cooper’s made it his mission to learn more about the farming practices employed — organic, sustainable, biodynamic — and can curate a gift box or help you select a glass to enjoy at the 10-seat wine bar inside. Then there’s the cheese side of this venture.

General manager Shannon McCracken’s passion for all things fromage leads her to curate 12 to 15 rotating varieties from notable cheesemongers the world over, as well as some from Houston’s own backyard. Select a three-cheese plate ($18) or a cheese-and-meat board ($32) to pair with your Pinot, or drop in for a sandwich to go or a midday pastry and coffee.

Don’t forget to head next door, where Bailey McCarthy has her home-design shop Biscuit, which proffers all the accouterments any turophile and oenophile would savor. How utterly civilized.

To read Shelby Hodge’s exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the bustling scene of Montrose Cheese & Wine, click here.

Montrose Cheese & Wine, 1618 Westheimer Road, 832.380.2461.