Wine Press Fenway is officially two years old. 

For their second anniversary, the team celebrated with discounts rather than blowouts. While they would have liked to invite their friends and customers to a massive party, 2020 had other plans. 

The team pivoted, something they have been doing since March. Even though this year has been a curveball, Wine Press Fenway is very much open, operating and enjoying a second successful year in our neighborhood.

Owners, Jyoti and Aaron, speak below about their anniversary, the impact of COVID-19, and wine (obviously). Check it out, along with the details of our upcoming Wine Press giveaway. 

QUESTION 

By the time you opened Wine Press Fenway in Pierce Boston, you already had one very successful shop in Brookline. What made you decide to expand Wine Press to The Fenway neighborhood two years ago? 

ANSWER

We’ve always prided ourselves on being a “neighborhood store”. Up until 3 or 4 years ago, we felt we had a huge customer base from The Fenway area. As more and more development happened, we realized that The Fenway was becoming its own neighborhood and we wanted to be a part of that. We wanted to give folks in The Fenway a Wine Press store that was their own, something that could be a part of what was being built there.

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QUESTION

If you had to make a list of ‘learnings’ from the last two years of operation, what would the number one be on your list?

ANSWER

Be a part of the neighborhood! Mariana is the face of that store. She knows everyone that comes through those doors, and if she doesn’t, she will! We’re incredibly proud of how well she works with all the customers and other businesses in the area.

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QUESTION

Assuming you don’t have a crystal ball, what changes (if any) should we expect to see in the third year of Wine Press Fenway?

ANSWER

We’re working on making it easier for people to have the Wine Press Experience from the comfort of home. And that’s not just online ordering. We still want to be as interactive as possible. We’ve started a blog and our own YouTube channel as a way to give our customers a dose of wine knowledge and a space to talk about what’s on our minds right now.

QUESTION

How did you react when the city orchestrated its stay-at-home advisory back in March, and what have you since changed to adapt to the current situation?

ANSWER

It was a lot of uncertainty, but the whole team just dug in and did whatever needed to be done. It was our opportunity to show that we really were a neighborhood store. I’m so proud of how we’ve been able to keep our staff and customers safe while still providing a high level of service.

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QUESTION

Are there any practices that you’ve implemented since the stay-at-home advisory that you’d like to continue in a future, post-COVID world? 

ANSWER

We’re so proud of the new website and our new e-commerce site. They were both born out of the chaos of the last few months. But starting a YouTube channel is something we’ve always wanted to do, it’s a lot of work for us and the staff, but we’re excited to see where it goes! We hope to continue to innovate new ways of staying connected with our customers no matter what’s going on in the world!

QUESTION

We’re going into fall, what are your top 3 favorite wines (if you have to choose) for this time of year? 

ANSWER

Drink Beaujolais – It’s delicious and refreshing if you’re ready to drink reds, with a slight chill this is a perfect red for a variety of fall dishes.
 
Fuller Bodied White Wines – Time to ditch the Sauvignon Blanc for something with more texture. Try a White Rioja (Bodegas Inteus Aviadores Rioja Blanco). It’s a wine that will hug you back!
 
Sherry – Perfect time of year to start exploring the world of sherry, a nice Amontillado will give you a good starting point to see what Sherry is all about (Emilio Lustau, Rare Amontillado Escuadrilla Solera Reserva Sherry).

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QUESTION

What’s the best wine experience you’ve ever had, and why?

ANSWER

We’ve been very lucky to travel and meet amazing people in this business. But so far nothing will top our trip to Rioja where we got to spend the day with Telmo Rodriguez at Remelluri. Telmo gave us a tour personally and then we all had lunch featuring boiled vegetables from his biodynamic garden (yes boiled vegetables were that memorable), seasoned only with olive oil from the property and salt from a salt mine 40 miles away. We’ve been privileged enough to eat some amazing food.   We also tasted through some late vintages of Remelluri, which were absolutely stunning. We spoke at length about everything from how he started in the wine business to the state of the Rioja DOC and the emergence of natural wine. No matter where we go from here, that will always be a special visit.

THE GIVEAWAY

2020 has changed a lot of things, but not everything. It certainly hasn’t stopped us from giving away FREE stuff.

To celebrate two years of our favorite wine shop, we’ll be running an trivia contest on Friday, September 18th. If you want a chance at the prize(s), just do this: 

1. Join us on Instagram next Friday, September 18th. 
2. Answer three questions. No, we won’t tell you the questions in advance. Yes, they are about wine.
3. We will pick TWO winners and put them in touch with the Wine Press Fenway team to collect their prizes.