The Raleigh Wine Shop Opening Soon

April, 13, 2011 , by Stacey

If you’ve been on Glenwood South lately, you may have noticed signage for The Raleigh Wine Shop. Located just down from 518 West and next to Revolver and Mosaic, the quaint space has had bright red paper plastered on the windows for a little while now, indicating that it’s opening soon. You may have even seen one of the three owners diligently running in and out of the location, hustling to get the final touches in place for the impending grand opening.

The owners, Jeff Bramwell, Seth Hoffman, and Ryan Fulkerson, have a wealth of experience in the wine industry – about 30 years combined. Jeff has worked as a manager at Seaboard Wine, has experience in wine distribution, and is the author of the cookbook Vinoburger. Seth also served as a manager at Seaboard for seven years and has experience as a wine buyer and director for restaurants in New York. Ryan has worked in wine distribution, is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park, and worked at the well known restaurant Alinea in Chicago. The three of them were kind enough to open their doors in advance to New Raleigh so we could share a sneak peek of their new store.

These guys have big plans for the Wine Shop. It’s now in the final stages of development, and they recently acquired their ABC license, so the wait won’t be much longer. The store will offer 12 wines on tap at all times for tastings, and will sell wine by the bottle or by the glass. It won’t be a straight up wine shop though; they will also be selling hand crafted beers, packaged coffee, and provisions, including pasta, olive oils, and local meats and cheeses. The owners will be working with Counter Culture Coffee, Hillsborough Cheese Company, and Farmhand Foods for some of the products carried in the shop, and there is talk of occasional sausage wagon appearances for lunch crowds as well as a periodic pop up butcher shop and CSA deliveries. In addition to all the tangibles, the owners also mentioned that they will host a variety of wine classes for those who wish to become more educated on the topic.

While the idea of a wine shop may be intimidating to some who aren’t well versed in vino, the owners have stressed that they wish to be accommodating to people of all knowledge levels. “We have a great respect for wine,” said Hoffman, “but we don’t think there’s a need to be snobby about it. There’s no reason to take that attitude with anyone.” As a result, the shop will offer a diverse selection of wine at different price points, ranging from under $10 to the hundreds. And they are truly knowledgeable of every product they offer; they will be the only employees at the shop, and have personally tried thousands of wines to settle on the hundreds of options they will carry. Their emphasis on quality and local products is something they take to heart. “We want to carry wines that are honestly made by people who care about the grapes they are tending,” says Hoffman.

From the custom shelving to the soft lighting, it’s evident that an enormous amount of attention has been paid to every facet of the store’s development, and the owners hope to draw a crowd of downtowners to sit, mingle, shop, and drink. We think this is going to be a great addition to the Glenwood strip and look forward to seeing the final outcome of all their hard work. The photos we’ve taken are obviously pre-opening, but we thought we’d share them to give you and idea of what the space will look like. The Raleigh Wine Shop plans to have a soft opening sometime later this month, with the grand opening to take place in May. After that, the store will be open Mon-Sat, from 11am-7pm.

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miamiblue
04/13 10:10 PM

This should be a great addition. Since moving to Raleigh about five years ago, the only thing I miss from Miami is a weekly Friday night wine tasting that featured 10+ wines and information about each for $10 per person. It was how my husband and I learned about some of our favorite wines, and it was a great social gathering as well. Maybe the Raleigh Wine Shop will start something similar.
furrysaurus
04/13 10:29 PM

it would be nice if they stayed open later - say - 9 or 10pm. raleigh can transform to a late night town, one wine shop at a time.
Kim Underwood
04/14 12:09 AM

I had the pleasure of meeting the owners at a friend’s gathering in February and, WOW, they are incredibly knowledgeable, down to earth (just like New Raleigh depicts - they are not snobby), helpful, genuinely interested in the people they are conversing with about wine, food, travel, hobbies, etc. And their business concept sounds so unique as compared to the regular wine shops. Welcome to downtown Raleigh! We can’t wait, especially since we can walk from home!!! Bring on the unique, well-made, fine tasting, and affordable wines. Kim U.
sally
04/14 11:54 AM

I’m really looking forward to this. Seth - with his friendly personality and vast knowledge - was the main reason we kept shopping at Seaboard. This sounds like it will provide even more reasons!
wayne
04/14 11:56 AM

Very excited to see this. I also think they need to stay open later (say ‘til 10), especially Thursday thru Saturday.
Tyler Durden
04/14 02:35 PM

Furry, Wayne - I too, share your sentiments. Staying open later is going to be key for them. Pie Bird is a breath of fresh air because they’re staying open until 10 PM. With wine, you don’t want to feel rushed, and I’d feel rushed to do any wine tasting before 7PM on a given evening. Looking forward to the meat and cheese (Hillsborough Cheese Co) for sure!
Panda Balls
04/14 03:39 PM

Yes, they need to have later hours, at least on Friday and Saturday. I don’t know how many times I’ve wanted to pick up wine only to find it’s closed by 7 on a Friday. I’m just finishing work by then many days.

This should be a good shop though. Cool guys with a very down to earth approach to wine. Looking forward to it.
The Raleigh Wine Shop
04/14 05:13 PM

Hey everybody! Thanks for all the great comments. We really look forward to being a part of the Glenwood South community. We’ll definitely be open late on nights like First Friday, and we’ll be discussing longer hours once we see what the demand is. Stop on by if you’re in the neighborhood to get your own sneak peek of what’s going on.
Matthew Haeck
04/14 09:45 PM

I got a chance to meet one of the owners the other night at Foundation & he couldn’t be nicer. It’s easy to spot people with a passion for what they do… Combine that with their obvious knowledge and you’ve got a great recipe for success. It’s stores like this that can spotlight the great sense of community that Raleigh sometimes hides. I look forward to stopping by soon.
hbomb
04/15 12:08 AM

still waiting…hurry up guys! i can’t wait to shop before i go to work (on glenwood). and i also agree later hours, but since there will only be three of you, i guess we can understand!
John G
04/15 12:16 AM

Wow! I saw the signs on the window but had no idea everything this shop was going to be. I’m very excited to see them join the downtown community. I’ve always been more of a beer drinker than a wine drinker so I’m excited to see that they will be offering craft beer. More so though I’m really excited about the wine classes and the opportunity to learn about wine and try different wines.
Mary Trebble
04/15 12:41 AM

What a good idea to have this shop. I hope it will last till mid night so that after the theater we can stop by there and have a couple of wine…. Good luck guys!!!!
Jonathan Parker
04/15 06:26 PM

Sounds great!

I live two blocks from the store, and I’m positive that if the selection is good that I will be a regular customer. To the owners, I know you want to gauge the market, but please consider staying open later on Fri/Sat, like 10pm or even later—especially if you are serving by the glass. The street has lots of foot traffic until late at night, so you will be missing out on a big opportunity by closing up early.
Candy
05/09 10:48 PM

Can’t wait for this! A non-douchey place to have a drink on Glenwood South is just what I need. And I’m tired of walking to get “wine” at that place next to Dive Bar. Yippee!

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The Raleigh Wine Shop Opening Soon