PHOTOS: Urban Grape Celebrates Two Years in Chestnut Hill, Preps for New Location

The following is a press release issued by :

The Urban Grape, a modern boutique wine store in Chestnut Hill, will open its second location in Boston’s South End at 303 Columbus Avenue (between Clarendon Street and Dartmouth Street) this September. Featuring over 800 wines that are uniquely organized by weight, rather than varietal or region, the Urban Grape features their method of Progressive ShelvingTM, allowing the customer to focus on the body of the wine. Owned by husband-and-wife entrepreneurs and South End residents TJ and Hadley Douglas, the Urban Grape emphasizes unparalleled, concierge-style customer service coupled with a “no wine snobs” mentality.

The Urban Grape South End will feature an EnoRound Elite Tasting Machine, allowing guests to taste half-ounce samples of 16 wines that range in body. This allows them to work with The Urban Grape’s staff to build a unique customer profile based on their preferences within the Progressive ShelvingTM system. Once a personalized palate profile is determined, the guest can then shop within the corresponding section of the store or can utilize the staff’s expertise to experiment with something new. The Urban Grape South End works with over 50 distributors to feature competitively priced, favorite and unique small-production wines, as well as biodynamic, organic and kosher bottles.

In addition to wine, the Urban Grape South End will also feature a wide selection of beer, sake and spirits. The beer and sake sections will be larger than that of the Chestnut Hill location, with nearly 400 beers and 60 sakes. Beer manager Ben Bouton will stock the shelves with a variety of local and regional nano and micro-brew beers, while ensuring that refrigerated cases always carry an array of old school favorites. Nancy Cushman, sake sommelier and co-owner of Boston’s famed O Ya restaurant, will once again be consulting with the Urban Grape to highlight an interesting collection of sake. The spirits section will feature a wide variety of artisan, small-batch liquors, with particular depth in whiskeys and tequilas.

The South End location of The Urban Grape will follow suit in the design principles of its sister store in Chestnut Hill. Designed by the South End-based Oudens-Ello Architecture, the 2300 square foot space will boast clean lines, chic design elements, and a new, modern take on The Urban Grape’s signature “wine wall.” Central to the design are two locally manufactured chandeliers made of 1600 empty wine bottles. A grand-scale butcher-block table anchors the tasting area and emphasizes The Urban Grape’s mission of creating community through the experience of wine. The tasting area will be utilized for daily tastings and the store’s popular weekly onsite events.