A Life of Wine and Relationships
In 1980 Eric Bauer made a great decision when he hired Howie Rubin to work in his Newbury Street wine store. Today, Rubin is the person people see as the face of Bauer Wines. Rubin has served as teacher, resource, friend, and merchant to Back Bay wine lovers for 27 years.
The Bauers had been in the fine wine business since the 1950s. Back then, Eric’s father, Frederick, sold wine door-to-door to the carriage trade from Boston to the North Shore. He built a loyal and sophisticated customer base.
Bauer Wines has changed owners three times during Rubin’s tenure, but with his guidance the company continued the tradition of service established by Frederick Bauer. “The soul of the store remains the same... the same way of doing business –not door-to-door any more, but it’s still personalized service, great selection, building people’s palates and teaching them how to pair food with wine, ” Rubin said.
Rubin’s own wine education began in 1975 when he was offered a job at America’s first wine bar, the London Wine Bar, in San Francisco. “Every week we tasted millions of wines and I really got into it!”
He learned the business from the ground up when the folks from Mayacamas Vineyards invited him to work the crush. “It was a great experience –hard, hard work but you really get to see what it’s all about and why people charge what they charge.”
Rubin rounded out his wine knowledge when he was selected to be a sommelier at the Breakers Hotel in West Palm Beach, FL. In this more formal setting he learned about European wine. Simultaneously, he taught them about American wines and placed a few of his California favorites on their list.
When he first moved to Boston, he worked at “A Bunch of Grapes,” a small wine bar in Quincy Market. There, he had the pleasure of serving Julia Child “an enormous amount of Burgundy.” That experience and a later party in Bay Village where he introduced Child to the joys of watermelon margaritas and chatted with her about wines, stand out in his memory. “It was the highlight of my vinous life,” said Rubin.
There have been many highlights in his days at Bauer. He even met his wife Carol through the store. “She was the first female customer I had who was spending money on good Pinot Noir.”
From wine, conversation moved to other topics. “She traveled a lot, had good friends, rented villas, and would be gone for three weeks in Italy. And, I’d be off on my little jaunts and be back and we’d exchange stories,” he said.
It was a neighboring business owner who played matchmaker, nudging the two together at a party. They’ve been together ever since and complement one another’s talents. “My wife is just an amazing, amazing cook. “We have great dinner parties with great friends- most of whom are in the business. We go to Italy together, we hang out.”
Last truffle season the Rubins and their friends bought a couple of truffles, and Carol cooked a four course meal based on truffles and great wine.
Rubin feels that relationships are the best part of a life in the food and wine business. “Relationships are important on both sides of the counter. For me it’s about the relationships and the integrity of the wine.” He also finds that this is a good business to be part of because, “It’s about the joy of life and enjoying yourself.”
This article ran in the Back Bay Sun on October 5, 2007
Photos: © 2007 Penny Cherubino
Contact information:
Bauer Wine & Spirits
337 Newbury Street, Boston MA
Phone: 617-262-0363
Bauer Website:
http://www.bauerwines.com/index.html
Google Street View of Bauer Wines:
View Larger Map
