Airing between regular episodes of the VinePair Podcast, “Covid-19 Conversations” takes an inside look at how the coronavirus crisis is impacting all areas of the alcohol business.
In this installment of “Covid-19 Conversations,” VinePair podcast co-host Zach Geballe speaks with Mario Enriquez and Eric Prato, co-owners of Garagiste Wine Room & Merchant, a company born from the desire to bring specialty producers and brands to the Las Vegas wine market. The innovative wine establishment is aptly named “garagiste,” a term that literally translates to “garage owner” and refers to small-scale, entrepreneurial winemakers.
Enriquez and Prato discuss how Garagiste Wine Room & Merchant is filling a void in the Vegas wine market by seeking niche varietals, providing wine selections surrounding casinos don’t, and appealing to a largely local clientele. The co-owners attribute Garagiste’s success in part to Nevada’s flexible and comprehensive liquor license, which allows for both on- and off-premise alcohol sales, making the pandemic-era pivot to curbside and off-premise sales fairly fluid. They additionally attribute their survival at this time to a high concentration of wine professionals in the Las Vegas area, as well as support from the local community.
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