Everyone dreams of owning their own winery. And Monica Beeman wants to make that dream a reality.
The entrepreneur is starting a custom wine-making business called Vines to Vino, and has set her sights on the long-vacant Mama Cellina property in Little Italy.
Beeman's concept is this: You select the kind of wine you want. Let's say, a Chilean Chardonnay. Vines to Vino gets the grapes from the South American country. You press them on site once the grapes come in. Then six months later, you take it out of the barrel and bottle it. Then you bottle it and create your own wine label.
The whole process takes about 6 to 12 months, depending on the varietal. Customers pay anywhere from $450 for an eighth of a barrel to $3,250 for a full barrel. Beeman has tapped Chris Kent, a winemaker at Woodhall Vineyards and Wine Cellars, to help her blend the reds and whites.
Beeman got the idea after seeing similar concepts in New Jersey. She hopes Baltimore takes a big gulp out of the idea. A former director of marketing for the Center Club, Beeman is investing more than $200,000 in the new business.
Initially, she had hoped to open a store in Harbor East. But unable to find the right space, her broker at MacKenzie Commercial Real Estate Services LLC showed her a spot at 300 Albemarle Street that is undergoing a renovation by its owner Steve Himmelfarb. The Washington, D.C., developer paid $1.1 million to buy the property in 2005 from Orioles owner Peter Angelos.
She decided on Little Italy because it was a good location after all as it is close to Harbor East, a swanky part of town whose residents would hopefully be receptive to a custom wine shop. It is also close to the Inner Harbor.
Beeman hopes to open the store in April.
Source: Monica Beeman, Vines to Vino
Writer: Julekha Dash