Anfora Wine Merchants, 128 S. Marion St., is a combination retail shop enoteca (wine library), named after a two handled terracotta vessel used in Ancient Rome to store or transport wine.
Since opening three years ago, the Pleasant District storefront has become a regional wine destination and captured national attention because of press received from the James Beard award winning drinks publication, Punch.
“Our approach to wine at Anfora is not how a standard sommelier would approach it,” said Adrian Weisell, co-owner of Anfora Wine Merchants “Wine is about more than taste to us. We look at wine drinking through a cultural and historical lens.”
The Marion Street shop honors and celebrates, particularly, but not exclusively, Italian wines; a country with more indigenous grape varieties spanning well beyond the more well-known international varietals.
A welcoming retail space engages customers upon entry, floral murals cover walls and terracotta pendant fixtures hang from the ceiling.
Wooden shelves house bottles of wine and a set of double doors give way to a cozy room with a counter suitable for hosting small classes and enjoying a glass with friends.
Anfora’s knowledgeable staff strive to make the shop a festive gathering space where people come to select a bottle to open at home or enjoy a bottle of wine onsite with friends.
Anfora has a dynamic wine by the glass list, but Weisell is quick to point out the entire shop is available to be enjoyed for a modest corkage fee.
The shelves are a retail wine list filled with unique offerings, where you’ll find bottles for the everyday, celebration, or collection.
Anfora is building a deeper sense of community through its wine club, annual store membership, and Sunday tastings.
Between their monthly wine club, and the annual store membership, the shop welcomes hundreds of local wine-lovers each month to pick up their curated collections, or to an exclusive monthly wine tasting for annual store members. Approximately twice a month Anfora hosts $5 Sunday afternoon casual tastings, which are open to the public to taste through five wines the proprietors love right now.
The best way to learn about Anfora’s events is to sign up for its email list (anforawinemerchants.com), or to stop into the shop and check out the monthly calendar.
Anfora Wine Merchants is a social destination where people embrace the thoughtful approach the entire staff takes to curate a wine tasting experience no matter if it is a private event or casual outing with friends.
