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Disclaimer- I was given a free copy/sample of the product to review and share my experience. All opinions are my own and not influenced in any way.
Fayetteville Wine Cafe Let’s Wine Newbies and Sommelier’s An Equal Place To Breathe
[pullquote]Therefore, I was excited to go out with other local bloggers who were ADULTS last week to the Wine Cafe.[/pullquote]
When my husband and I did leave the house it was to hurry up and get back as quick as possible before the kids lose their crap, or I lose my crap, or people in the store lose their crap. Or it was to go see a movie; but it would be some sort of animated movie with a talking animal in it and a little bit of adult humor thrown in for good measure. I want to try and experience a life where I get to do things for myself. But I don’t know how to do that. I thought maybe hanging out at the Wine Cafe might be a fun experience my husband (and friends) and I could do when we finally do escape the confines of our home.
The Wine Cafe
The Wine Cafe is located in Downtown Historic Fayetteville, NC close to Fort Bragg. The first thing I noticed about Angela, the owner, was her striking play on textures in decor of the shop. There was exposed historic brick on the walls, black matte painted tin on the ceiling and crystal modern chandeliers having from them. She had art installations using wine bottles and seating throughout. All the different textures were not overpowering visually; however, were neutral or matte finishes which made the wall of wine selections stand out. She layered a lot of different textures in her shop and it made for such a calm atmosphere.
The store itself wasn’t pretentious. You did not feel you would drown walking in there not knowing anything about wine, or knowing some things about wine but not what to look for. The experience wasn’t in your face like walking into a library and seeing all these books and not knowing if you wanted to read a thriller or a biography.
The owner is the gorgeous little handful of spirit and spunk. Her passion for wine flowed out of her every time she held a conversation. I was so enamored with her personality. She didn’t have a “know-it-all” personality and she is as down to earth as the girl next door; yet she knows everything there is about wine.
The basic wine knowledge I have is white wine goes with chicken and fish and red wine goes with beef- and that is the extent. I was excited to be taught more grown up information.
I’ll admit when we went back into the wine tasting I was so embarrassed at the little bit of knowledge I had.
I decided I was just gonna keep my mouth shut. But of course I end up sitting right next to our teacher, the owner of the Wine Cafe!
I loved when she started to introduce the wine, she didn’t first automatically go to some foreign wine you can’t pronounce. Baby steps please. She showed us a “made in the USA” wine. I loved that she picked a USA wine to show us that we have amazing wine here too right here in this country.
When she started explaining the wines I felt like it was your basic kindergarten level class. It was like wine class 101.2.
It was awesome because as adults we do know a teeny bit about wine. We weren’t completely naive in wine knowledge. However, for myself, I knew hardly anything. She didn’t necessarily go into information about how the grapes were picked or the culture or the history of the winery. Angela went into basic wine education.
She showed us how to swirl the wine and how you put your hand on top of the glass while doing it. Why? Because your swirling it to get the aroma of the wine and when you put your hand over the top of the glass, swirl and then sniff; the smell is of course stronger because you were containing it. Duh! Why didn’t I think of that.
Then like a kindergarten teacher giving a kid a new pack of crayons; she gave us some tools to teach us how to swirl the wine and not spill it everywhere like my 5-year-old daughter. I thought it was neat that her class wasn’t about what grapes are used or what soil is best. She showed us what wine openers were best, why a wet cork matters, how to swirl wine like an adult and more. She did not talk over your head, she taught you the basics and taught you how to be a better adult when choosing a bottle of wine.
You buy one bottle you are comfortable with and one bottle you are not.
This starts you off in your comfort zone and makes you more confident in trying something new. Now whether it is because you already had one bottle of wine or if you are just the fact that you have confidence in your choices now. This is exactly what her shop is. You walk in and the atmosphere makes you feel comfortable to step outside your box and try something exciting.
The Sanctuary at Cedar Creek
Wine and massage…on a weekday no less. What a treat we all had. As a mom, wife and a million other titles, we all need “me time” when we can get it. Why not take some at the spa? Located inside the DoubleTree Hilton Fayetteville, is a sweet little private and quiet retreat built just for “me time”. The Sanctuary at Cedar Creek offers a wide range of sweet treats to spoil yourself (and are calorie free!); from body treatments to skin care. This February they have numerous offers including couple massages. Take advantage of their treatments and spoil yourself a little.
Sweet Palette
As if wine and massages weren’t enough, we had drool worthy desserts from Sweet Palette. Sweet Palette is located across the Marketplace from The Wine Cafe at 101 Person St. in Historic Downtown Fayetteville. Patsy, the owner, provided the finishing touch to our wine pairing with Key Lime macaroons. On top of that, she surprised us with a sample dessert bar! I love hearing stories of behind the why of starting a small business. Make sure when you stop in you grab a sweet treat and a seat to relax and stay awhile.
Best of all is the fact that all this was planned by Jenny of GoFayetteville and Fayetteville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. Since she is local to the business she is a great source of information when looking to visit Fayetteville or even a recommendation for a night out. However, I can definitely recommend a stop in The Wine Cafe for a glass of wine (yes, you can buy by the glass) and a stop into Sweet Palette’s for dessert to close the night out.