Customers at Kinsley’s ShopRite in Brodheadsville can now pick out a Galen Glen Stone Cellar Chambourcin to pair with their pepper steak, or maybe a Blue Ridge Red Raspberry for desert, all without having to leave the store.

“It’s a one-stop shop, a convenience for the customer so they’re not running all over town,” store manager Marie Bisbing said.Thanks to the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board’s passing of Act 39 in August, ShopRite was able to obtain a wine extended permit, allowing for wine sales in the local store. Kinsley’s currently has a vast wall of reds, whites, and more, with a few additional stand-alone displays, all located between the main store entrance and the beer store.One may question why the supermarket would open a wine shop with a state-owned Fine Wine and Good Spirits in the same complex, but Kinsley’s has the advantage with a sizable selection of local offerings like Galen Glen and Blue Ridge.“The state stores, they don’t sell local wines. So that’s one good benefit for us,” Bisbing said. “The way I look at, you’re helping the local businesses. It’s locals helping locals.”Prices are comparable to buying directly from the businesses, with the advantage of not having to trek out to Saylorsburg or Andreas before the wineries close for the evening.Creating partnerships with the local wineries has helped to expand customers’ palettes, exposing them to a number of vintages crafted in their own backyards.“I have customers that come in and say, ‘Wow! I’ve never heard of that winery before,’ when it comes to Galen Glen, because they’re out past Lehighton, and they may not make it out there very often,” Bisbing said.“I think it’s a great new thing. There are so many selections, so much to offer,” Pottsville resident Margot Rennick said as she checked out a bottle of Potion X, a pumpkin spice wine from Franklin Hills. “It’s wonderful. I’ve heard great things about Franklin Hill, and now I can actually find it.”Bringing together a wide selection from eight local wineries has broadened options for customers who want to explore new tastes, and sales are certainly reflecting the enthusiasm.“This past week, we sold more local wine than what we get from the state store,” Bob Kinsley said last week. “I think it’s a good thing, and the local wineries like it, too.”Kathy Matson, tasting room manager at Galen Glen Winery, was pleasantly surprised with the success of the new venture.“For us, this is the first store we are being featured in,” Matson said. “It’s kind of neat to walk in a store and see your wine on the shelves, where previously you would have had to visit the winery. It seems like a variety of our wines are selling well, from sweet to dry to holiday, they’re all selling very well.”Matson said that the partnership has been mutually beneficial, with Galen Glen delivering several cases to the grocery store each week. Furthermore, it has allowed fans to pick up their favorite wines throughout the week — the winery itself is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, but Matson and the Galen Glen family has been using social media to direct customers to Kinsley’s ShopRite.The store currently hosts tasting tables from the wineries over the weekend, but there are plans to expand the program throughout the week. Matson mentioned that Galen Glen will conduct tastings as well, and perhaps explore pairings with local food producers featured at the store.“We do a lot of food pairings with local businesses,” Matson said. “We can look to Kinsley’s for future pairings.”Kinsley’s ShopRite is at the forefront of supermarkets with wine extended permits, and many others are following along.“We’ve seen a lot of interest from grocery stores, Wegman’s, Giant, Giant Eagle, Weis, and Acme,” PLCB spokesman Shawn Kelly said in regard to the permits.Lehighton’s Giant is looking to get in the game, with Samantha Krepps, Giant/Martin’s manager of public and community relations, confirming that the store is applying for a liquor license. Weis Markets in Brodheadsville is also interested in adding wine to its already established beer store, according to Brian Smith, category manager of Beer/Wine for Weis.Each store in a chain will have to apply for an individual license, with an initial fee of $2,000 and an annual renewal fee amounting to 2 percent of the establishment’s total cost of wine purchased from PLCB stores during the previous period.Stores can also deal directly with local wineries that hold a limited winery license, which covers businesses that produce up to 200,000 gallons of wine per year. The new venture has been panning out quite well for Kinsley’s ShopRite, their customers, and the local wineries, but the store will not be resting any time soon. “We’re making space, we’ve got more shelving units coming in, and we’re looking to put more wines out,” Bisbing said. “That’s our goal, to get more local wineries in here.”