Wine lovers, have you ever imagined a place where you could shop specialty wine, artisan cheeses, fresh-baked baguettes and all the charcuterie necessities you could dream of? Brace yourselves.
The new 3Tails Wine and Cheese—opening tomorrow, June 12—brings just that. After 11 months of planning and preparation, Scott Higgins is opening his wine and cheese shop inside Square 46, the same mixed-use development that houses White Star Market.
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“For me particularly, the [local] cheese and charcuterie world had a hole that needed to be filled,” Higgins says. “I feel like most shops carry a lot of the same stuff. I like having the ability to share a different product with a different story. At least 50% of the artisan wines I carry, you probably haven’t seen on the shelves.”
A New Orleans native, Higgins is also the managing partner of White Star Market’s cocktail bar, Mouton, and just opened its newest food stand, The Rutledge. But 3Tails, just across the breezeway from the food hall, may be his biggest project yet.
Inside the bright and chic space, every shelf is packed with carefully chosen white, red and pink wines. Unique gifts and charcuterie essentials like wine books, Italian pasta and Freeman Handcrafted cheese boards fill the tables. At the register, customers can purchase cut-to-order meats and cheeses, and baguettes from popular New Orleans bakery Bellegarde. For quick bites like olive medleys and small orders of cheese, visitors can shop the grab-and-go fridge.
Higgins is intentional about everything at 3Tails. He sources his cow, sheep and goat cheeses from high-quality, small-batch creameries and farms like Jasper Hill Farm in Vermont, Cowgirl Creamery in California, Bellwether Farm in Ohio and Rogue Creamery in Oregon. He hand-picks meats from family-owned farms including Olympia Provisions and The Spotted Trotter.
Higgins has tasted almost all of his artisan wine stock, which he curated based on color, weight and quality. Prices are handwritten on the front of each bottle so customers can shop within their budgets.
“There’s a place for every taster,” Higgins says. “It’s not about me. It’s about you as the guest and trying to find the best wine for your palate and budget.”
But it’s not just wine and cheese at 3Tails. Next to the entrance, there is a beautifully organized section for cocktails with recipe books, ice molds, glassware and spirits like vodka, whiskey and rum.
Starting in July, Higgins will begin offering at least one event a month at The Annex event space above White Star Market. His events will include wine and cheese pairing classes. Higgins will also be partnering with Robyn Parker from Bites and Boards to offer lessons on plating your own cheese and charcuterie board. At the end of each class, everyone will leave with their own wooden board and 3Tails meats and cheeses.
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3Tails will be having its soft opening this Wednesday, June 12, and its grand opening on June 29. Hours are Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Sunday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. It is closed on Mondays.
Also open this week in White Star Market …
Back at the food hall, Higgins also just opened the all-day cafe, The Rutledge, in the former Counterspace booth. Working with former Gov’t Taco cook Jenn Breithaupt, the two plan to offer unique breakfast fare while showcasing some of the cheeses and meats from 3Tails in their dishes. The Rutledge will serve breakfast and lunch for its first two weeks in business before rolling out its dinner menu, Higgins says.
