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"From the beginning, we wanted to be at the intersection of coffee shops, cars and restaurants." Co-owner Allison Nelson explains The Local Vine concept in one easy sentence. "It’s a lifestyle thing." Although just opened in Belltown on July 6, 2007, the plan has always been to open more locations over the next several years. Considering their start—people waiting on the sidewalk to come in on day one and so many customers they’ve run out of several wines each evening—they’re clearly onto something.

Like a coffee shop, the Local Vine is where you go to relax and read, work on your laptop (free Wi-Fi) and talk with others. Consider it the "after-hours coffee shop" with an added bonus of great wines to enjoy and learn about.

Pacific Northwest and California wines are showcased; global wines will be stating their case as well. Nearly 100 wines are available by the glass. And here’s the kicker—glass prices range from $5 to $350. "We have a number of customers who are serious collectors," says co-owner Sarah Munson. "They like to taste the wine they have cellared to get a preview."

In a purposefully flagrant departure from "normal" wine menus, The Local Vine categorizes their wines as "openers," "bubbly," "refreshing," "statuesque," "engaging," "lush," etc. In addition, they have a key with icons for wine they love, local wine, female winemaker, critics’ choice, cult wine and organic or biodynamic wine.

Sarah and Allison were put in touch with Chef Jason Wilson of Crush. After one conversation, all three knew they were on the same page. They spent a lot of time putting together a menu of small plates that pair well with wine and are, literally, easy to eat. Much thought went into how people would sit next to low cocktail tables, the bar or a regular table and comfortably eat. "We want a food menu that supports this environment," explains Sarah. "It has to taste good, of course, but we always ask ‘how would people eat it?’ to make sure it works. We specifically purchased plates that fit on our tables."

The menu will continue to evolve. Just as the wine list will have an approximate 15% change rate every few weeks, the food menu will also stay fresh. One example is the "phantom fig season," a short timeframe when figs are available prior to the "real" fig season. "We had a fig dish on the menu for four days," says Sarah. The food menu also offers pairing selections that match wine categories, i.e., "pair with succulent or cheerful."

Endlessly discussed before opening was the question of what’s more important, the wine or the environment? Both, naturally. Because they wanted to create an atmosphere where people would talk with each other, tables can be moved around. As group size changes (people do come and go throughout the evening), furniture can be moved closer in or further out. They looked specifically for a corner location with large windows providing lots of natural light. Outdoor wining/dining has appeared in the last month. Inside, waves of wood slats dropped from high ceilings hang over dark benches and chairs, softening the warehouse feel of the room. The set-up is working as planned. Both Allison and Sarah agree that so far the vibe is "unlike Seattle" in that people may come in together, but they’re branching out and interacting with others throughout their visit.

Guest winemakers and local experts offer tastings and workshops on a weekly basis. Although there is a charge for tastings, it gets credited back to the customer on their next visit. Additionally, Local Vine wine-swipe cards will be available to track guests’ drink choices and, based on these preferences, offer recommendations for other wines. When wine isn’t your drink choice, there is beer available as well as a nice list of nonalcoholic drinks: espresso from Caffe Vita, DRY Soda, pop, Pinot Noir and Gewürztraminer grape juices.

Who are these two women and how did they know what would work? "Anytime you start something new, there’s a bit of luck and timing involved," admits Allison. "However, we both have the business experience to know what to concentrate on and how to follow through." Sarah agrees. "Wine is our passion but it is a commodity. If you can sell a $30 bottle of shampoo, you can sell a bottle of wine." They have worked together twice before and understand the strengths each has to offer. Having no restaurant experience, they knew enough to surround themselves with experts to gain insight into all aspects of their business.

Sarah has worked as general manager of Beauty.com and senior director of merchandising at Drugstore.com, as well as executive director of product development and marketing for Bumble and Bumble, creating more than 30 products for Estee Lauder and managing it all from concept through manufacture and launch. She’s worked in San Francisco, Johannesburg, London and New York City. Having lived near wine regions all over the world, traveling and tasting, she is a self-acknowledged wine nerd, loving even the details of soil. She is currently in the Wine & Spirits Education Trust Diploma Program working toward her Masters in Wine.

Allison has launched and managed several companies, including co-founding and acting as president of Bookmarks Publishing. She has been a senior vice president of business development and corporate strategies as well as general manager of QRS Corporation and was a management consultant with Bain & Co., a retail industry investment banker for Kidder, Peabody & Co. and an equity analyst for Credit Suisse First Boston. She opened the Dubai office for Far East Exports and managed their manufacturing, importing and retail operations. While living in Marin in the San Francisco Bay area near Napa, she developed a love of wine, deciding it is "the perfect way to spend time alone or with others." Both women hold MBAs from Harvard Business School.

With their hard business background and emotional love of wine, they’ve hit on a wine bar concept that is just right for its time. When you take a look at the range of customers on any given night—female/male, 20s to 60s in age, culturally diverse—you know they’ve given us all just what we wanted.

Connie Adams/September 2007

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