Michael's Beer and Wine Studio

Liquor stores usually work the same simple way: a shelf, a fridge case and a till. A name like Michael's Beer and Wine Studio suggests something a little different, since a studio generally means a place to make something rather than just buy it off a shelf. Whether that describes this shop exactly is worth asking about directly rather than assuming from the sign.

If it does turn out to be a hands-on operation, ask up front how long the whole process takes from start to finish, since projects like that usually run to weeks rather than a single visit, and ask whether bottles, corks or caps are supplied or need to be brought from home. If you are working toward a wedding or a holiday, count backwards from the date and build in a cushion. If it operates more like a standard liquor store instead, the useful questions shift to what is carried locally, what can be special ordered, and how best to store bottles once the car has been sitting in a hot dry summer sun. Either way, calling ahead of a first visit saves a wasted one.