Stock the bar with these 6 affordable sips from Calandro’s Supermarket – [225]
from Maggie Hayne Richardson
In Calandro’s supermarket on Government Street, shoppers can’t help but pass the wine, beer and spirits department on their way in. This is a significant part of the store, which has grown steadily since the late 1970s.
Wines from around the world stand on tightly packed shelves, while stacked cases containing particularly popular selections form ad hoc aisles of their own. There is always something new to discover.
In many other states across the country, grocery stores cannot sell beer, wine, and spirits. But in Louisiana, supermarkets are a reliable source for all adult babies.
“We sell a lot of French wine,” says Charles Calandro, who took over liquor sales at the Mid City grocer in 1977 and has since helped make it one of the retailer’s defining characteristics. He later helped establish Calandro’s Perkins Road wine division, which is also going strong.
“We taste everything,” Calandro says. “It has to taste good and be priced right to sell it.”
Wine, beer and liquor account for a third or more of the Mid City store’s sales, Calandro says.
Along with local and international wines, both Calandro locations are known for their deep bench of bourbons. The stores also have an abundance of local beer, stout, spirits, boutique mixers and a growing selection of non-alcoholic products. calandros.com
By james art 
