Wine Storage - Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary - North Carolina (NC) -The Triangle Area - Page 2 - City-Data Forum

kimmieyky · 12-28-2006, 10:20 AM

When you turn this into a business - contact me! I have a hobby that includes making charms for wine glasses, and other items for wine consumption.
I got the idea from my parents who have become wine connoisseurs themselves! I would love to add to the 'charm' of your business - as mom says the items in winery gift shops bring in quite a bit of business. A touch of Tuscany and jewels, anyone?
I love to do this sort of thing! I'll send you some as a belated Christmas present if you like!

KimmieyKY

Redrover · 12-28-2006, 11:33 AM

What a lovely offer! However, if we (him really) do get into the wine business once we arrive it will not likely be a retail operation. It will probably be teaching wine appreciation and collecting at a beginner and then advanced level. Who knows, with the total lack of stoage facilities in the area, maybe we should create one ourselves. As we would not be in the business of selling wine, we could work hand-in-glove with retailers at restaurants and wine bars. The more people learn the more they want to buy and consume so it would be a win-win situation.

NewUser · 12-28-2006, 11:47 AM

Regarding your husband's business idea. . . . .

There is a guy here in Raleigh that started his own business teaching beer appreciation. He originally started out as a champion for lifting NC's 6% ABV limit on beer, but soon found that there was a need to also educate consumers and businesses about good beer and pairing beer with food. He now organizes beer festivals, beer dinners, etc. His organization is called "Pop the Cap" and his name is Sean Wilson. Your husband may want to contact him to learn how he can do something similar for wine.

Redrover · 12-28-2006, 12:17 PM

Thanks NewUser, I will pass on the information.

kimmieyky · 12-28-2006, 05:08 PM

I think you are absolutely on the right track - building your own would be the way to go - and in my family business experience, it is always better to work for yourself!

It does sound like a win/win situation, and I wish you all the best. Sounds like a wonderful business to be in.

How did your husband begin teaching? Was teaching his background to begin with? I am very fascinated by all of this! I love the wine tasting events and such, and I do know the arena has exploded recently. Kentucky is mainly a liquor state - Jim Beam, etc. but wineries are so classy. Would love to have one in the area.

Too bad you're not coming here!
KimmieyKy

Redrover · 12-29-2006, 11:10 AM

For many years my husband was an indifferent wine drinker and mostly chose wines by how much he liked the labels. He never spent any real money on what he picked and didn't think it mattered. Then one day back in the early 90's he happened to pick up a big red cabernet priced at $50 and just decided to see if there was any justification for the high price. That bottle was the beginning of his love affair with wine - his epiphany! He began to read everything he could get his hands on about wine and started subscribing to Wine Spectator. He began to spend his Saturday's at a place here in Houston that has the biggest selection of wines in the city - Spec's Warehouse. He asked endless questions and began choosing some of the recommendations he received. He began to make friends with many of the wine retailers and then the distributors. We started going to tastings and wine dinners and meeting others who were wine-savvy. When he'd read about a wine that was not available locally he would contact out-of-state resources, especially for some CA, WA, OR wineries that don't ship to Texas. So gradually over the years he has become passionate about the whole subject. Then one day several years ago his company (he is a software developer) told its employees that they could use company facilities if they wanted to start interest clubs. When he proposed starting a wine club it was filled immediately. He held several class series and then some of the "graduates" began asking him for more advanced information so he then started classes for apprentice/collectors and those have been filled as well. He has been doing this for about 5 years and so far has not run out of interested people. Since he can't have alcohol on the premises he takes the classes to local restaurants several times (after work) for tastings. He doesn't pretend to be an expert but he is very knowledgeable. The one thing he doesn't pretend to know is what all the wine "flavors" are. Neither of us can drink a wine and comment on the tastes of things like black cherry, tobacco, grass and all those other flavors some seem to be able to discern. But we do know good - and bad.

We have made several winery trips over the last several years. Most recently we went to Oregon over the Memorial Day weekend. That is when all the wineries in the state have an open house so we managed to hit 16 of them in just over two days. Mind you, we taste, we don't quaff... We have also been to Sonoma and Napa. Next year we are planning to visit the Washington state wineries (not all, but enough). There are so many wonderful wine producing locations that we will likely never get to such as Chile, Argentina, South Africa, Australia and many others but we do plan to eventually make it to Italy, probably after we retire. Oddly though, Texas has a large wine industry but we have not been impressed with anything yet. There is just so much great wine (at many price points) in the world that there is just no excuse for drinking bad wine...

As for Kentucky, we actually considered it when we were looking for a place to retire. But your state has very unfriendly alcohol importation laws and we doubted that we would be able to bring our sizeable collection into the state. Sorry.

Adream · 12-29-2006, 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redrover

It will probably be teaching wine appreciation and collecting at a beginner and then advanced level. Who knows, with the total lack of stoage facilities in the area, maybe we should create one ourselves. As we would not be in the business of selling wine, we could work hand-in-glove with retailers at restaurants and wine bars. The more people learn the more they want to buy and consume so it would be a win-win situation.

I am the wine lover in our family, however my DH appreciates them as well. We thoroughly enjoyed discovering Italian wines during our trip to Rome and other towns in the fall of '05. We still enjoy discovering Tuscan wines here, and I enjoy trying the (relatively) new Argentinian Malbecs.

The Raleigh area is on our radar screen for "re-wirement" (not retirement

) in 3 years or so. I will be interested to know what you and your DH create in the pursuit of this interest. Keep us posted!

kimmieyky · 12-29-2006, 06:47 PM

It surprises me that Kentucky - the bourban capital of the world - would be so picky about importing. That just doesn't seem right!

I would much rather have a nice glass of wine than the harder drinks any day.
I am so sorry to hear that.

I am very intrigued by the way in which your husband got into this - and it has given me some ideas of my own. I am not sure which venues I will take, but I would love to put my passions to daily work.

I love antiques, and have learned quite a bit - my grandparents were dealers when I was young, my father taught me the art of auctions, and just today I rented a booth at a shop in Bardstown. I start moving in Tuesday.

I am going to have to do some investigating with the art of wine. Funny you should mention the labels - that's a big draw for me, too, but I have tasted 'robitussin' better than some of those!

Well, now at least I know why Kentucky doesn't have what you are proposing, but I wish you well, and would love to visit when you get set up! I don't think I can picture 900+ bottles of wine!

KimmieyKY

Tracy_Santrock · 03-26-2007, 09:27 AM

I had no idea that you were into wines also. Obviously you have good taste. My parents(who live in Dallas) and my sister(that lives in San Antonio) have temperature controlled wine cellars. It started off as a hobby and just developed from there. My father's wine collection is worth quite a bit due to his investment in the right wines...

In fact, he was on the original distribution list for Harlan Estates wineary which now has over 8,000 people on the waiting list. He also has several Bordeaux verticals, etc.

Personally I have visited Napa, Umbria, Tuscany, and have also travelled to the Australia vineyards. I'm lucky, my husband is from Australia.

I did want to let you know that the largest distributor of Australian wines is called Carolina Wine Company off of Hillsborough Street in Raleigh. They also have the largest temperature controlled wine cellar on the East Coast. I'm not sure if they have room or would be willing to work with you on a temporary storage arrangement but I can pass on Jake(who I work with over there) if you would like more information.

spmcorn · 02-04-2015, 08:44 AM

Hi! What ever happened with storage of all your wine when you moved to Raleigh? Did you find a place and did everything work out? I think there are now storage facilities available.
Just curious...