The 'Wine Goddess' Is In, Hopes To Make Wine Approachable

Evanston resident Diana Hamann spent 20 years working in the wine and food business, the last nine as wine director for The Chopping Block cooking school in Chicago. Now she's sharing that expertise at The Wine Goddess, which opened at 702 Main St. in December.

Wine can be intimidating, so Hamann is working to make people as comfortable with it as possible. The center of her store resembles a living room with a comfy couch and plush chairs. There's also a play set and craft table so kids can stay entertained while their parents shop and chat.

“I want this to be a wine hang, kind of an epicenter," Hamman said. "I want people to come in and sit down on the couch and tell me whether they are a seasoned wine professional or a total newbie. I want them to feel really comfortable about relaying their level of experience and interest.”

The walls are covered in shelves stocked with bottles from around the world, ranging in price from $7.99 to $150. The selection will change seasonally, and as new varieties come in, Hamann hopes to film the winemakers talking about their products to create a series of YouTube videos so that customers can buy a bottle and share a tasting with the expert from the comfort of their own home.

“Really what I’m looking to do is connect grower with guzzler," she said. "I think it helps to put a face to the bottles.”

Also in the works is a series of full-page write-ups on each bottle similar to what Hamann did when she worked at wine.com. They'll be placed on the shelf so customers can get a better good idea of what to expect and then emailed to buyers so they can remember what they bought and exactly what they should pair it with.

The shop hosts tastings of five wines for $3 from 5-8 p.m. Fridays and 2-5 p.m. Saturday. But Hamman said the best way to learn about wine is to take one of her 90–minute Thursday night classes, where she offers tons of information on where the wine comes from, how to taste it and what to pair it with and devotes time to answering all the students' questions.

“We’re really trying to teach people wine-speak," she said. "I’m trying to give people the tools to talk about wine so they can make better decisions. Wine isn’t cheap and it’s a bummer when you spend $45 on a bottle that tastes like potting soil if that’s not your thing. When you learn to talk about it, you can become a much more satisfied wine camper so you’ll know what you’re getting.”

Evanston already had two wine shops, WineStyles and Vinic, before The Wine Goddess opened, but Hanamm said she's not concerned with having competition.

“They’re good shops. They’re the real deal," she said. "But as I did my demographic research I found we have 78,000 people in this town. This is an educated town. It is a town that enjoys good food, good wine.”

Hanamm's goal is simply to convince more people to share her passion.

"I want people drinking wine every day of their lives," she said. "Some people think of wine as a special occasion entity, but it’s really part of a healthy lifestyle. Wine is such a great part of the symbiotic relationship between food and family.”