'Wine Babes' Open New Shop At Worcester Public Market

WORCESTER, MA — A Worcester wife-and-wife duo will hold a grand opening ceremony Friday for their new wine store, a missing piece in the city's adult beverage market.

Canal District Wines will offer a curated selection from a space inside the Worcester Public Market. Friday's grand opening will feature a wine tasting and free wine glasses for attendees.

"Guests can also meet the 'Wine Babes' behind Canal District Wines, and capture themselves among custom portraits of Canal District pets at a fun, floor-to-ceiling selfie wall," a news release about the opening said.

Those "wine babes" are Rachel Scanlon, the artistic director at the Hanover Theatre, and Olivia Scanlon, a public school principal. They had the idea of opening a small wine store after growing tired of traveling far outside their Canal District neighborhood to find good wine.

"After our umpteenth trip to Shrewsbury to stock up on bottles, we decided to create a local wine store where all are welcome," Livy Scanlon said in a news release.

The wine store had somewhat of a tough road to fruition. It took the Scanlons two tries before the Board of License Commissioners agreed to grant them a license to operate. The owners of nearby Kelley Square Liquors and McGovern's Package Store protested a new alcohol option in the small neighborhood.

But Worcester is missing a store focused only on wine after the Wine Vine along Highland Street closed its storefront in 2020.

Canal District Wines will offer a curated selection of 24 wines: eight red, eight white and eight rosé or specialty varieties, with bottles ranging in price from $12 to $28. About half will come from wineries operated by women or Black vintners.

Friday's grand opening ceremony runs 4:30 to 8 p.m.

If you go...

Canal District Wines
160 Green St., Worcester
Weds-Sat, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sun, noon to 4 p.m.
Canaldistrictwines.com