Wine Classes

Wine Classes: For those interested in attending informal training classes, i.e., "Wine School", classes will (hopefully) begin Wednesday, October 12 and repeat each Wednesday in the month. I will schedule different topics each month unless popularity changes that. All classes will begin at 7:00pm (store closing time) and run one to two hours depending on discussion. Pricing will vary, but generally run around $30. Each class will include wine tastings that follow a theme associated with the topic. At least four students must register to hold a class, and I will limit the class size at first to six students. October's topic is "Basic Wine Fundamentals" just to establish a good base knowledge that will make other topics more meaningful and interesting. Suggestions, comments and questions welcome.

Lowell

8/4 Update

Well, the countdown has begun.................there are only 32 more days left to prepare for opening on September 6th.  There's probably a 75% chance of making that target.........still lots to do.

My wine racks are in place.  I've obtained the wine lists from seven local distributors so far...........Epicure Wines, The Country Vintner, Johnson Brothers, American Premium, Freedom Beverage, Haw River Wine Man, and Fine Wine Trading Company.  There are lots of choices from these listings, and there are many more distributors out there.  Hopefully I'll begin to place my orders for my initial inventory within a couple weeks.  

Northstar is the marketing firm that is helping me develop my "brand" or logo.  They have been very patient with me and we're definitely making progress.  The credit card processor guy met with me today to initiate a contract.  The painters are busy scraping and painting our porch columns, windows, and shed pergola.  

That reminds me...........we need to name the shed...........it's turning out really cool too.  We moved out the refrigerator today to make room for the cellar whenever it arrives.  My point-of-sale system hasn't arrived, but I have received a link to my new system to begin working with my wine database.  

Captain Dick Aldridge is busy helping me develop my facebook page, and my good friend Mary Alice Hinshaw is busy helping me develop my blog.  There's so much going on right now, but it's all so much fun that I can't stand it.  If I get frustrated, I just have to remind myself that this is my dream job and it's not brain surgery, so everything will be just fine, after all, we still have 32 more days to go.  

I can't wait to begin tasting wines and making my final selections.............how fun will that be?

-Lowell

Welcome To Our Blog

Hi, welcome to our blog.  We hope you visit often!

Yes, we do sell wine, but that’s only part of our mission. Our main focus is WINE EDUCATION. We want to attract and cultivate WINE ENTHUSIASTS, i.e., folks that love wine and have a genuine interest in learning about wine.

We may not carry what you find in the grocery store, but we will provide “QUALITY” alternatives at “VALUE” prices. We do not want to attract, and certainly do not want to create any wine snobs. We want everyone to ENJOY and APPRECIATE wine, and have FUN learning and DISCOVERING wines that they may never have heard of. We want to talk about what YOU like and encourage you to attempt to discover WHY you may like or dislike a wine.

Our passion is wine. It is our mission to make sure that you leave knowing more about wine than you did when you arrived. We will hold regular Friday evening “THEME” tastings, regular weekly CLASSROOM instruction, and offer “FLIGHTS” daily to make it easy to taste and compare side-by-side and not only enjoy, but LEARN. We will offer wine by-the-glass, and a comfortable porch or patio to enjoy it. If we can sell you a bottle of wine, then we’ve done well. If you go away happy having learned just one thing that you didn’t already know about wine, we’ve done great.

Do feel welcome to drop by and just talk about wines. Bring me your toughest wine questions and challenges...........I “might” even know the answer, and if I don’t, you can bank on us discovering that answer. If you have ever wondered how many different categories of wines there are, or if you can make a white wine from a black grape, or does liking a wine have anything to do with wine quality, or just what defines a quality wine, or what to do with the cork that your waiter hands you in the restaurant, or how to pair wine with foods, or what to order when you get stuck with the wine list, then you owe it to yourself to visit us.

We know that you have lots of choices, so just know that we appreciate your business.

–Lowell