| Jay Murrie with Piedmont Wine Imports pours wine for customers at Wine Authorities |
By Jen | Jan 15, 2014
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On Saturday, Jan. 11 the Triangle was greeted with overcast and rainy weather, but that didn't deter wine and beer lovers alike to visit the new Wine Authorities open house, located in the Person Street Plaza at 211 E Franklin Street in Raleigh. A full schedule of events from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. included several wine and beer tastings, food trucks, local product demos and even a magician for the kids! When we arrived shortly before noon, the store was already abuzz and the wine and beer was already flowing.
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We made our way towards the wine bar to pay a visit to Jay Murrie and Luc Suèr from Durham's Piedmont Wine Imports to sample two of their wines. Murray was pouring both a red and a white from the Piedmont region of Italy. Jay always tells great stories to go along with each pour and he definitely did not disappoint on this gray day. Just down the bar from Jay was Jen Viecelli of The Country Vintner. She was also pouring a red and a white, but from Wine Authorities' unique wine keg. A different experience to say the least – to have your wine poured from a keg rather than a bottle!
The open house also featured local product demonstrations from Wine Authorities neighbor, Yellow Dog Bread Co., as well as Durham's Scratch, Toast and Pie Pushers – a pizza food truck – providing sustenance for visitors during our visit. We unfortunately did not try a pizza from Pie Pushers, but I can attest that the aroma was nothing less than wonderful! According to the schedule, the rest of the day also featured Ponysaurus Beers with Keil Jansen, Bruno’s Wine Without Borders, Counter Culture Coffee and cheese samplings.
The store features three of the infamous Enomatic machines, hosting 24 bottles of wine to sample in various size pours. Wine Authorities will also feature wine-by-the glass menus, cheese and meat plates, ample stock of wines and beers for purchase, local products, indoor and outdoor café seating and much more. My first impression – I would say Wine Authorities has a great concept and location to serve the Oak City – and may just become a regular stop on my way home.