One of the other things that makes our work unique is that we focus specifically on what we like to call “farmer” wines. Put simply, almost all of our wines come from producers who farm their own grapes or from those who purchase grapes from small, family grape farmers.

These are the producers that subscribe to the notion that great wine is made in the vineyard with good, healthy, carefully grown grapes. In a sense, we offer a “farmer’s wine market”, and if you’ve ever shopped for your vegetables at one of Asheville’s many farmer’s markets, we think you’ll agree that the tomato purchased there far surpasses the quality, freshness and deliciousness of the one purchased at the grocery store. This same premise applies to wine!

We also feature Asheville’s largest and most focused selection of wines produced using organic, sustainable and biodynamic agricultural methods, but very few of the wines in the store are labeled as such.

Many producers have been farming their vineyards this way for many years, but prefer not to spend the thousands of dollars it takes to get this designation printed on their labels. To them, organics is a necessity, a philosophy and a way of life, not a grand marketing scheme. We could go on and on, but the best way to learn more about these types of wines is to stop by the store and have a conversation with one our wine-loving consultants, and make sure you’ve got extra time on your hands!

I must be honest. I got into this business by accident while I was enjoying my post-college “sabbatical” in Aspen, Colorado……aka goofing off before I had to join the real world. It was 1998 when I took a job at a wine shop/pharmacy called Sundance Drug and Liquor in Snowmass Village because the job provided me with a free ski pass. From there, store owner Barbara Wickes became my early mentor in the business. She gave me my first copy of Wine for Dummies, and I started shifting from a beer drinker to a wine drinker. These were blissful, heady days and it was in Aspen that I met Lynn, who is now my wife.

My introduction to wine was the result of a true small-town connection. I returned to my hometown of Black Mountain after graduating with a degree in English down in Georgia. I was set on finding a job at a public library but was stymied by the slow-turning wheels of bureaucracy. In the meantime, I needed a job to pay the bills. My mother told me that the owner of our small town’s wine shop, who used to be a first-grade teacher when I was in primary school, a logical career progression he always maintained, needed a new employee. At the time, it would have been miraculous if my wine knowledge had filled a

My entry into the world of wine was through restaurants, as I worked my way through college and beyond, eventually ending up in fine dining establishments in New York City and Napa. I fell in love with the wider world of wine, however, while traveling through Europe, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and parts of South America. I noticed that through learning about the wines and the foods of a region, I was able to understand a lot about the culture and history of the place that I was in, and I was

Growing up good wine and good food were always present in my life. My father was a chef and restaurateur and I learned from a young age how food could transport you to other places and cultures. When I was old enough wine was added to this equation and a whole new world was opened up to me. My knowledge of grape varietals, regions, and producers was limited. However I managed to pick up, almost by osmosis, how flavors complement one another and how food and wine are the best ways to experience a place, short of