Avon Wines and Spirits Reopens with a Focus on Wine Appreciation

Avon Wines and Spirits at the Riverdale Farms shopping center opened on Aug. 11, under new ownership. The shop will focus much more heavily on wines than a traditional package store.

Completely renovated and remodeled from its previous incarnation, owned by Nikita Patel and operated by her husband Pi Patel, the wine shop is dedicated to bringing in a selection of wines of the world, and hopes to serve as an education center for wine appreciation.

As a computer systems engineer, Pi Patel related how attending events and functions in the computer business sparked the passion for wine.

“At different luncheons and dinners and events, that's how the interest in wine developed, tasting and sampling, sometimes that's how it happens.”

Patel said he was looking for a business that allowed him to further his interest in wines as well as one suitable to a family. The Patels have three daughters, and found that the gas station or other retail businesses had hours that were not suited to a family life. He is pleased with the liquor store business because the hours and calendar are regulated by the state.

The Patels entered the liquor store business two years ago with the purchase of 66 Super Liquors in Plantsville/Southington. The Southington location is much more established as a package store with a 15-year history, but Patel said the vision for the Avon store is different. He wants it to take on the character of a small wine shop with exceptional customer service.

“There is a lot of competition with the big stores on 44, but there was no small store which could offer this kind of personal service.”

The store carries a wide selection of wines from all over the world, and has many spaces reserved for the latest offerings, and customer requests.

“As long as a requested wine is available in Connecticut, we can get it,” said Patel.

Patel studies wines with the aid of famous wine critic Robert Parker's magazine Wine Spectator, as well as using online resources. “There is a lot of information about wine. We want to help people understand that and make suggestions based on their palette.”

Local wines are featured in the store, and Patel said he has visited about half the vineyards in the state, but would like to eventually visit them all. He has made friends with some of the Connecticut producers such as the Degrazia Vineyards in Brookfield and the Sunset Meadows Vineyards in Goshen.

Though not yet fully stocked with the local brands, Patel said, “we will have full section dedicated to Connecticut wines.”

The first order of business in the new store is to develop a reputation and increase walking traffic to the location. Because the prior business was primarily known as a package store, Patel and store manager Charul Kothari make sure to greet each and every customer as they walk through the door and provide excellent customer service.

As they get better known in the community, Avon Wines and Spirits wants to branch out into community events, assisting with charity wine tasting events as well as beginning a wine club, with tastings every Thursday, Friday and Saturday. They also plan to offer classes in wine appreciation as interest develops.

Only three weeks into the new business, Kothari said they were judging improvement based on seeing “new faces” in the store as people discover that the management has changed. A photographer by trade, Kothari said he developed an interest in wines at art galleries, where wine and cheese are staple fare.

Patel said the satisfaction comes from being able to talk to customers who come in on a recommendation. He is happy to share his knowledge and passion and earn the trust of the wine-drinking community in Avon.

“I try to pick wines from small wineries, hard-to-find wines. We have quite a few wines in the store that are hand-picked wines that may not be available in surrounding stores.”

For any questions about Avon Wines and Spirits you can contact the store at awssales@avonwines.com or visit the website at www.avonwines.com.