In our culture, drinking wine has always been reserved for special occasions like catching up with friends you haven't seen in a while, celebrating that promotion, your S.O. finally popping the question, and other major life events. There's also this stigma about needing to know a lot about wine and getting all the flavors and notes right—basically being a connoisseur—before you can enjoy it. But that hasn't always been the case. Back in the day and even up to now in some places, wine has always been casual. No need for big celebrations or expert tasting knowledge; just bring out the bottle and drink (responsibly, of course). And this is precisely the kind of mindset that Project Vino is going for in their new wine shop in Poblacion.
Check out Poblacion's newest wine shop that's out to make wine-drinking more casual.
Not necessarily new to the wine space—having been purely online since—Project Vino is your newest neighborhood wine shop. This September, they recently opened their physical store along Kalayaan in Poblacion. No need for penguin-suit-clad wait staff here, just casually dressed bar tenders and servers ready to take you on your wine adventure. In a less intimidating setting, of course.
Their Poblacion store is modest in size and appearance. You'd barely even notice it from the outside if you weren't looking for it. But don't let this fool you because inside are shelves upon shelves of wine bottles from all parts of the world. In addition, the store has a sleek modern industrial vibe that makes it feel like a neighborhood drinking place rather than a fancy-schmancy wine club. They even have a secret wine cellar that can be reserved by groups who want a little more privacy while drinking.
Aside from buying bottles of wine from their curated selection to take home, customers also have the option to wine and dine in-store. Guests can choose from their wines, wine cocktails, and charcuterie to pair their drinks with. Feel free to sit and chat with friends over glasses of sangria or a bottle of a crisp and refreshing Beaumont Chenin Blanc.
Still overwhelmed and unsure what to get? Feel free to reach out to the staff if you want to know more about the wines or scan the Q.R. codes on the pricing labels to learn more about the wine and the stories behind the wineries they come from. Project Vino is also planning to have wine tasting sessions in-store, so if you're interested in discovering new wines for your table, you'd want to be on the lookout for announcements regarding these events.
The brainchild of wine enthusiasts Steven Ticzon and Rob Martin, the shop's wine selection is based on their own personal wine journeys. That being said, don't be intimidated by all the bottles you see upon entering their store, as their mantra is all about letting you have your fill of wine—without having to feel like a pretender. Through this experience, they hope to make wine more accessible and more of an everyday drink for those needing a break from anything and everything. To that, we say cheers and pop that bottle!
Project Vino is at 8485 Kalayaan Avenue, Poblacion, Makati. For more information, visit the Project Vino Facebook Page or Project Vino Instagram account.
*This story originally appeared on Spot.ph. Minor edits have been made by the Preview.ph editors.
Hey, Preview readers! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Tiktok, and Twitter to stay up to speed on all things trendy and creative. We’ll curate the most stylish feed for you!
