It was standing room only at Vino ‘e Vita’s last Friday evening (May 18) as over 65 local residents poured in for the grand opening Taster’s Club tasting event.  (What is the Taster’s Club, you ask?  Keep reading to find out.)  Vino ‘e Vita is Bridgeport’s newest culinary adventure- a wine specialty shop.  Please do not confuse this with your standard state licensed liquor store or one-stop shop for all things alcohol.  Vino ‘e Vita’s is in a class all of its own.  Owners Bernie and Barbara Teyssier have both received training and certifications from the International Wine Guild, including experience in food and wine pairings.  Quite simply, these folks don’t just sell wine.  They know wine.

 

Of the over 175 wines the Teyssiers carry in their shop, 44 of those are labels from about a dozen different West Virginia wineries.  Bernie has reached out to just about every winery in the state and is hoping to carry even more local wines at his shop in the near future. In fact, their inaugural wine tasting last weekend featured 2 wines from Vu ja de Winery located in Spencer, WV- a semi-sweet Riesling aptly named First Kiss and a dry red called Our Journey Together.  I had to get a second tasting of the First Kiss just to be sure that it was my favorite of the two.  At last knowledge, both wines were still available at the shop but there is a very limited quantity of each label left in stock.

 

You can stop in at Vino ‘e Vita’s any time they are open to sample a few wines (granted you are of legal drinking age), and peruse their vast selection of wines from all over the world as well as the Mountain State.  The shop is open Tuesday-Saturday from 11am to 7pm, and is located in the shopping center on Johnson Avenue across from the Sheetz.  Bernie and Barbara will be more than happy to help you find a bottle of vino to suit your tastes and your menu.  Don’t see the wine you were looking for?  Just let the Teyssiers know and they will try to get it in the store for you.  On your way to a dinner or barbeque, or just a quiet evening at home on your deck? Call Vino ‘e Vita ahead of time and they can have your bottle of white or rose chilled and ready to go before you get there.  They go above and beyond to provide customer service with the bottle of wine.

 

If you are interested in attending their next Taster’s Club tasting event, then click on over to their website and sign up for the Taster’s Club- http://www.vinoevitawv.com/index.php/wine-tasting.  Most tasting events will be held every Friday for a nominal fee.  Last Friday’s tasting event cost $10 per person and included generous wine tastings and an array of cheeses, smoked salmon, asparagus, steak slices, and spicy sausage stuffed mushrooms.  But you have to get on the email list to get the scoop on the tastings.

 

For information on Vino ‘e Vita, including in-home wine tastings and wine catering, visit their website at http://www.vinoevitawv.com/  ,or give Bernie and Barbara a call at 304-842-VINO.