The Gourmet Experience

St. Maarten/St. Martin is full of places to satisfy the gourmet in you or get a special gift to take back. If you want to combine a bit of local history with your shopping experience, visit the Guavaberry Emporium, where you will not only find delicious sauces, rums and the famous Guavaberry Liqueur, but also experience architectural history, since it is housed in a historic Caribbean home on the site of an old synagogue.

For your special celebrations, take along a bottle of Veuve Clicquot—which exemplifies an art of happy times with the trademark sparkle of its iconic bubbles—or other celebratory drinks ranging from whisky to tequila from Antillean Liquors. Vinissimo, with three locations around the island, features a variety of fine wines, cognacs, Champagnes and Armagnacs from France. If you want great souvenirs like T-shirts, dolls, tropical clothing, cookbooks, gift items, great island sauces and more, stop by one of the many locations of Shipwreck Shops.

Guavaberry
Sint Maarten’s Old Man Guavaberry Brand releases a new vintage rum, S.M. REPUBLIC RUM, aged in oak for five years, golden, full of flavor, not sweetened, distinguished. Sip it straight from a snifter or make the stellar Republic Rum Punch. Recipe: puree one ripe fresh mango, one fresh passion fruit, a dash of elderflower syrup and 2 oz. Republic Rum per portion. Shake, decorate with fruit, flowers and imagination...
Tel: 599-542-2965
Web: www.guavaberry.com

Wines, Spirits and Gourmet Listings

Antillean Liquors
Orange Grove Road #10
Cole Bay, St. Maarten

Last Stop Rum Shop
Princess Juliana International Airport Departure Lounge
Tel: 599-544 5548
Fax: 599-544-5552
E-mail: info@aqlqnv.com
Web: www.aqlqnv.com
Veuve Clicquot, Bacardi, Dewar’s, Grey Goose, Patron Tequila, Chivas Regal and Jack Daniels, Perrier, Vittel, San Pellegrino, Acqua Panna.

Caribbean Liquors and Tobacco
8 Buncamper Road
Philipsburg
Tel: 599-542-2140
E-mail: info@cltbv.com
Dom Pérignon Champagne, Moët & Chandon, Krug Champagnes, Grand Marnier, Hennessy, Hpnotiq, Ponche Caribe, Disaronno, Cuervo Tequila, Coors Light, Evian and Volvic Mineral Waters.

Guavaberry
8-10 Front Street
Tel: 599-542-2965
Fax: 599-542-4598
Web: www.guavaberry.com
Island folk liqueur, Blackbeard’s Rum, Vanilla Rum, Old Orangestad Rum, Republic Rum, Gourmet hot pepper sauces, vintage rums.

Shipwreck Shops
35 AT Illidge Road
Front Street, Marina Royale, Marigot and other locations
Tel: 599-542-2737
Tropical gifts, souvenirs, Antilles Spice Clipper condiments, spices, cookies, hot sauces and Caribbean cookbooks.

Vinissimo Boutique
Corner 1 Rue de Low Town and JF Kennedy Marina
Marigot, St. Martin, FWI
Tel/Fax: 590-590-87-70-78
E-mail: vinissimoshop@wanadoo.fr

Vinissimo Warehouse
3 Zac de Bellevue, BP 1117
97062 Marigot, St. Martin, FWI
Tel: 590-590-87-00-72
Fax: 590-590-87-88-97
E-mail: vinissimosxm@wanadoo

Vini’s Vino
By Vinissimo
6 Puerta del Sol
68 Welfare Road Simpson Bay
Tel: 599-587-WINE (9463)
E-mail: vinivinosxm@gmail.com
Fine wines, Champagnes, cognacs and Armagnacs from France.

Wine
St. Maarten/St. Martin has something to offer both wine novices and experts. Thanks to the island's cosmopolitan population and various European, American and Latin American influences, St. Maarten/St. Martin boasts an impressive availability of wines and Champagnes. If you are overwhelmed by all of these choices, have no fear; there are a number of knowledgeable and helpful sommeliers on the island who can help guide you through the process.

A sommelier is a wine expert who is employed by the finer restaurants and wine shops in St. Maarten/St. Martin. He or she is trained in wine tasting, pairing wine with foods, wine purchasing, wine storage and creating wine lists. A sommelier's main goal is to help diners to pair wines with their dishes. Becoming a sommelier involves a great deal of studying and training. St. Maarten/St. Martin restaurants are known to send their sommeliers to France in the off-season to choose new wines and Champagnes for the new season's wine list, guaranteeing a continually renewed wine selection on the island. For expert advice on wines to take back home with you, be sure and visit the in-house sommelier at Vinissimo Boutique in Marigot on the French side. Vinissimo has an excellent selection of fine wines, Champagnes, Cognacs and Armagnacs from France. Stop by on Thursday evenings to enjoy lively and free wine tastings. Vinissimo also has a location in Anguilla.

Sommeliers have the following tips for selecting and enjoying the perfect wine for any occasion and budget:

Lift the glass:
Lift your glass by its stem so that you don't warm the wine in the glass bowl.

Examine the color:
Look at the color of the wine by holding your glass against a white background. It should be clear and not cloudy. White wines change from light straw with tinges of green to darker shades of yellow as they grow older. However, red wines change from darker to lighter when they age.

Swirl:
Swirling the wine allows it to breathe, which gives you a better bouquet and lets you examine its consistency in more detail.

Smell:
To smell, or "nose" the wine, put your nose into the fume chamber of your glass. Try to identify the wine's unique characteristics and qualities.

Taste:
Take a big sip of the wine, hold it in your mouth and swish it around to appreciate the taste. Take note of the wine's finish, or in other words, how long the flavor lasts after you swallow the wine.

Practice:
The great thing about understanding wine is that the best way to learn more about it is to practice. Attend wine tastings and always remember to ask sommeliers for help.

Exotic Fruits

Though you may not want to try and take any home, you should at least taste some of the tropical fruits common in St. Maarten/Martin while visiting our island. Many of these come from neighboring islands and nearby South America. Some of these you may have seen in supermarkets in your home countries, such as mangos and papayas, while others may be completely unfamiliar to you such as soursop, sea grapes, sugar apples, guavas and guineps. You can see and buy most of these at the island's roadside fruit stands, as well as in the supermarkets. The Marigot Market on the French side is another great place for finding them, in addition to a variety of island spices and souvenirs. Be sure and ask if they sell chilled coconut milk served right in the shell - there's nothing more refreshing on a hot day!

You can spend days shopping in St. Maarten/St. Martin and not visit the same store twice! So much to buy — so little time... visit our Shopping Guide and get full details about each merchant before you go. Print our shopping maps and take them with you.