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3 wine shops team up to launch ‘Dayton Wine Trail’ shuttle bus
Three Dayton-area wine retailers that offer drop-in wine tastings on Saturday afternoons will collaborate on a shuttle bus that will take wine enthusiasts to all three destinations for free one weekend each month.
The Dayton Wine Trail is scheduled to make its inaugural trek from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. April 17.
The three wine shops teaming up to blaze the wine trail are:
— Bruning’s Wine Cellar inside Bruning’s Clock Shop & Home Accent Store at 1481 N. Fairfield Road in Beavercreek;
— Bella Vino Wine Merchant & Bar at 495 N. Main St. in Springboro; and
— Culinary Company at 101 E. Alex Bell Road in the Cross Pointe Center in Centerville.
“This will allow us to tap into two other markets, to introduce ourselves to people who may have never been in our store, and vice-versa,” said Bruning’s Wine Cellar owner Mike Yegerlehner. “We’re in three separate markets, so we’re not stepping on each other’s toes.”
John C. Feltz, Bella Vino’s manager, noted that in addition to not overlapping geographically, “We all offer different stuff” — Bruning’s sells clocks and home furnishings, Culinary Company has cookware and kitchen furnishings, Bella Vino has a pizza oven and party room.
“This just seemed like a natural way to make ourselves more attractive to the public, and to make wine-tasting fun,” Feltz said.
The shuttle bus is not a designated-driver program, Feltz said, since wine tasters still must drive home after returning to the wine shop from which they started. “This is not a pub crawl,” he said. “That’s one reason we’re doing it in the afternoon rather than the evening. The emphasis will be on wine tasting.”
Initial plans call for the shuttle bus to run one Saturday per month, but if customer demand supports running it more often, it will, Yegerlehner said.
“I’m sure we’ll go through some logistical issues and growing pains, but people tell us they like the idea,” the Bruning’s owner said. He didn’t rule out adding other stops to the wine trail in the future.
Feltz said the wine shops have a 23-person bus reserved for the first voyage April 17, “and another bus on standby if we need it.”
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Comments
By Jennifer
April 18, 2010 10:07 PM | Link to this
I attended the Wine Trail this past Saturday. I thought it was an incredible concept and was very excited to see what the establishments had put together. With any new venture there are growing pains, this was not an exception. A few points on the experience… Brunnings presented a favorable wine selection but was also the most expensive of the tour. They charged nearly double what the other 2 locations charged for a flight. Nice wine, but over-priced in my opinion. For what an individual paid for the tasting there should have been something there for folks to nibble on to compliment those selections that was a step up from “picked over left overs” which is what I felt we got. Brunnings, you can charge a higher price if you are creating a “WOW” experience. Not wowed. Next, Bella Vino, a disappointment. Though the wine selection was good, and reasonably priced, I felt offended by the chinsey Ritz crackers in the bowl sitting on the tasting bar. I have been attending tastings since we heard about the famous White House blue dress and I have seen everything from classy to not so much. Bella Vino, not so much. I understand the intent is to make sure no one takes a loss on an event like this, however, I know from personal experience with planning tasting events myself showing folks you appreciate their patronage minimally with a small selection of cheeses does not detract from the bottom line to its detriment. Additionally, when the intent is to build name recognition and bolster future business it is important to make the event a bit classier than Bella Vino did. We paid over $6 for 6 tiny fried Ravioli that came with cold marinara sauce that tasted as though it came straight from the jar. I could get this in any bar, unimpressive. I have to say, the highlight of the whole tour would be The Culinary Company. The wine selection was wonderful, not favoring the red or the white connoisseur. A friendly and welcoming atmosphere was an area both other venues did not deliver on as CC did. The delivery of the wine was exceptional. I did not feel as though the Chef had memorized the back label but had experienced it for himself and was able to relay it to me. Last, but very not least, the appetizer selection for patrons to sample was phenomenal. I have no trouble paying for food at a tasting event as long as it warrants a charge, and this did. Not only was there not too much, not too little but the food complimented the wine selections perfectly. Bravo Culinary Company, a “taste” above. It made me want to return.
By JJ
March 30, 2010 9:02 AM | Link to this
Very cool idea!