WILMINGTON — Whether you are a wine aficionado, looking for a gift, or just enjoy the occasional glass of Merlot, Soif de Vin in Monkey Junction has something for everyone.
Translated from French roughly as a “wine thirst,” the store will hold its grand opening Friday with several vendors, and a wine tasting beginning at 5 p.m.
Owner Amy Siler has been in the wine business for years. After owning the Carolina Beach restaurant Treehouse Bistro, both Amy and her husband Shawn Underwood went to work in the wine industry. Underwood, who works in wine distribution, said he’s not associated with his wife’s business professionally but is supportive.
While it will not operate as a restaurant, snack food and options provided by Veggie Wagon will be available for purchase at Soif de Vin.
“The business is primarily a retail wine shop with a wine bar included, so you can actually buy wine and beer by the glass,” Siler said.
Despite not being officially open until Friday, the reception to the store has been a welcome one from the community. After the closure of Devine Wines, the choices for wine stores in Monkey Junction and the Southern New Hanover County region was confined to grocery stores and few other choices.
Because of their combined experience with wine, Shawn Silar said they have a good idea of what customers are looking for and will have plenty of options to choose from.
“We’ve seen both sides of the business, we’ve seen what customers are looking for and it’s kind of a broad range. You’ll have a really good domestic selection, you’ll have great European wines,” Underwood said.
For Amy Siler, the wine by the glass selection is one she is proud of, offering guests a chance to try new and unique wine options that they might not have normally tasted.
For customers looking for a wine that Soif de Vin might not carry, there are options. Siler said she is more than happy to special order bottles, as long as there is an approved vendor in the state.
For those not wanting to wait on a special order, Siler said she has enough knowledge in her products to recommend a suitable substitution for most any wine.
While some of the wines do carry a higher price tag, the shop will carry value wines as well with a $10 and under selection.
It’s not all about wine for Soif de Vin; beer lovers can breathe easy knowing they will have a chance to enjoy around 40 different beer selections at the store.
“We are more wine focused but we have beer for the people who come in and one of them wants wine, one of them wants beer … we’ll probably have about 40-50 beers, some in can and bottle and four on draught,” Underwood said.
Soif de Vin is located at 5226 South College Road in Wilmington.
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