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An artist's rendering shows what Art of Cellaring's San Antonio wine club will look like.
The new Art of Cellaring satellite, located at 2810 N. Flores St., west of the Monte Vista Historic District, will include a secure, climate-controlled facility for clients to store and preserve wine. The nearly 9,000-square-foot space also will include a swanky members-only lounge that operates around the clock, an open-to-the-public retail space and classrooms for wine education.
The Current got a sneak peek of the space Thursday and chatted with Thomas and Art of Cellaring founder Liz Palmer about the concept.
"What I love about {Art of Cellaring] is that it's super inclusive. There are other bougier concepts in big cities like Dallas and Houston that are way more expensive and have really crazy perks," Thomas told the Current. "But if a group of four servers want to get together and split a membership so they can attend classes, winemaker events and store some wine, that's completely acceptable here."
The Art of Cellaring team expects to have the retail space up and running by the end of June. The members-only lounge and storage lockers will follow soon after.
In 2019, Wine Enthusiast Magazine recognized Maverick Texas Brasserie as one of the 100 Best Wine Restaurants in America. That recognition came while Thomas served as beverage director for the lauded Southtown dining spot, although he left during the pandemic to spend more time with family.
Now, Thomas is ready to take on a different kind of wine venture. He said extensive travel during his career helped him realize San Antonio lacks any kind of storage facility geared toward serious wine aficionados — hence his partnership with Art of Cellaring.
Art of Cellaring's San Antonio members will receive perks such as 24/7 site access via a secure app, a temperature-controlled and -monitored storage area backed up by a generator, access to the members-only lounge and private outdoor garden along with invitations to special wine events.
The second floor of the building will be dedicated to the Texas Wine School, which offers classes to students seeking Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) or Wine Scholar Guild certifications. The school also will teach one-time classes that its website bills as "a two-hour night out in which you will learn about and taste through a variety of wines."
Art of Cellaring founder Palmer said the upcoming business already has begun scheduling classes for June. While the rest of the building is being renovated, wine scholars can enter the school via an entrance on Woodlawn Street.
Those interested in applying for a membership can subscribe to the business' newsletter via the Art of Cellaring website.
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