There are roughly 200 different types of wines on the shelves at the newly opened St. Pierre Wine Shop and Bar in Raleigh’s Iron Works. While there are many common varietals on offer, like merlot and pinot noir, that will be familiar to most, there are also wines that I’ve never heard of— including the cinsault I’m currently sipping on.
It’s outside of my norm to be drinking wine at 10 a.m. on a Thursday, but I’ve crashed one of shop’s weekly tastings that owners Anthony and Brett Guerra—also the duo behind the popular Oakwood Pizza Box and newly opened Capital Pizza Box—and partner Scott Hardiman, former sommelier at The Umstead and the opening general manager at East End Bistrot, hold to figure out whether wines make it onto the shelves or not.
“We’re really trying to have our wall of wine be alive,” Anthony says. “You’ll see it rotating and shifting, and you’ll see some fun and different things.”
In the retail portion of the space, which opened September 10, shoppers will find four shelves of wine, with a heavy emphasis on wines that are under $60. Price points generally start around $25–$40 for the lowest shelf, under $60 for the next shelf up, with two more expensive shelves up top.
“The hardest wines to find are the ones on the bottom shelves,” Anthony says.
Hardiman agrees. The goal, he says, is to “find wines that overdeliver [at a lower] price point and are all in their own categories so you don’t have four wines that are competing really for the same kind of person.”
Each section of a shelf only has room for 10 different wines, so competition is stiff. Each pick needs to be purposeful and delicious and fit the desired price point.
But while Anthony and Hardiman both agree on making sure St. Pierre is full of high-quality wine, there’s plenty that they don’t agree on, which can make deciding what wines pass the test even harder.
“Scott and I have opposite palates,” Anthony says, laughing. “I know the [wine] reps get a kick out of the two of us together.”
“Scott loves merlot and I can’t stand it,” he continues. “Big, oaky, woody, fluffy, chubby reds are not my thing.”
Hardiman smiles in such a way that it’s obvious that the two of them have had this conversation before, noting that Anthony’s interest in Italian white wines is something he disagrees with.
“I’d rather stay in France,” he says. “Italy should just focus on reds—that’s my hot take.”
Today, we taste 11 wines. (It’s hard work, but someone has to do it.) Some of the wines are automatic no’s for the store, some are a maybe that the team will keep in mind for the future, and a select one or two get the stamp of approval.
As for the cinsault? It’s a strong contender to show up on the shelves soon, or at least be waiting in the wings. It’s a light, easy-to-sip red wine and one that I would have never picked out myself, but a variety I’ll be on the lookout for moving forward, because of how much I liked it.
This is one of the goals Anthony and Hardiman have—to introduce people to varieties they’re unfamiliar with, varieties that could quickly turn into favorites. It’s a requirement for St. Pierre staff to be passionate about wine and excited to chat with customers, so that they can help them figure out the perfect bottle to buy.
In addition to the large retail section that takes up the length of one wall, a sleek white marble bar where you can sit and sip a glass or two runs the majority of the opposite wall.
St. Pierre is teaming up with popular chef Vivian Howard to bring in snacks, starting in the coming weeks, via Howard’s Viv’s Fridge business. Anthony has been a longtime fan of Howard. So is Anthony’s lovable golden retriever, Pierre, for whom the bar is named.
“My first memory of a Viv’s Fridge, Pierre is a puppy,” Anthony recounts. “We stopped at a Viv’s Fridge and me and the dog are eating her pickled shrimp, driving home. Pierre loves food, so I would eat a shrimp and he would eat a shrimp.”
Those pickled shrimp may make an appearance, just like the cinsault—but if not, rest assured that you’ll find something to love at St. Pierre.
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