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I always appreciate a bit of nostalgia, even for times I never lived through. Toledo Wine Share, tucked behind in the alley at 23 N. Huron, wants to escort you back to a place full of that nostalgia. Just remember the password at the entrance door.
The establishment, opening for tours and tastings on September 13th, will be the first speakeasy set in downtown Toledo since the days of Prohibition. Owners Angel and Kathryn Tucker are looking for a cleaner, classier joint that, instead of bathtub hooch, will opt for an array of wines made in-house; the first wine manufacturer located downtown since the 1880s.
“This started about 15 years ago. After my husband retired from law enforcement on the Oregon PD, he began making homemade wine with the guidance of a fellow detective,” said Mrs. Tucker, “Over time, the wine continued to improve and people kept asking for more. We decided, why not? He always said it was his dream to, one day, be able to make everything that’s on the table.”
She led me on the tour which visitors will receive as part of the attraction: through the flowery draped entrance, into the lounge area and, as a specialty, into the fermentation and cooling rooms where the final product is stored. The venue is still in its infancy as far as visual allure, but improvements have been consistent since renovations began in January of this year.
“Boochy Mama’s Kombucha warehouse was here, so it already had a fermentation room, where we’re already manufacturing and shipping all of our wine,” Tucker said, “The rest of the room was a slab of concrete when we found it, and finding it took about a year and a half, but we’re finally finishing renovations and I’m moving more décor in.”
According to Mrs. Tucker, Toledo Wine Share will feature nearly a dozen varieties of wine, opting for a mix of whites and reds. Of the bottles I saw in the lounge and cooler, the prominent selections are a Cabernet, a Syrah, Chardonnay and Riesling.
The quality of the grape is arguably the most important part of creating vino. With choices available from all over the world, it was the Pacific Northwest that was deemed fitting for Toledo Wine Share’s creations.
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“We mainly get our grapes from the state of Washington. The producer is a like a silent partner in this venture,” Tucker said, “Sometimes we’ll experiment with grapes from Chile, and we’ve dabbled with Italian varieties, but the grapes from Washington have been excellent for what we’ve wanted to create.”
The continued rise in demand for the Wine Share’s products has expanded to the local markets. Not only can you shop their collection online, but you can find their brand in stock at Joseph’s Beverage Center, both Churchill’s locations, Sautter’s in Sylvania and even the Tiffin and Fremont marketplaces.
“Even this early in our business, we’re experiencing more demand than we anticipated,” Tucker said, “What we thought would happen is we’d open and be predominantly retail. But it’s flipped. We’ve yet to open and we’re already in with about a dozen local retailers. The business is taking on a mind of its own, and we love its direction.”
That direction will lead all takers to the Wine Share’s website (listed below) where they can sign up for their intimate tours of the facility or for any upcoming events. With their tours, Toledo Wine Share wishes to give customers a memorable experience.
“You’ll sign up and receive a password the day of. After you find the venue in the alley, we’ll tour the facility and sample some of our selection,” Tucker said, “We’re looking to do five or six tours a week, in groups of eight to ten. We want this to be an intimate venue where people can learn about our process and the history of that era. We want to be a representation of the city we love very much.”
September 13th has four separate events, beginning at 11 am. Book your event or for upcoming Toledo Wine Share’s events at: https://toledosshare.com/book-your-experience
Toledo Wine Share is located at 23 N. Huron St, downtown.
Shop online or learn more about Toledo Wine Share at toledosshare.com
