There once was a girl who was invited to meet an old friend at a wine bar in Montclair. A wine bar in Prince William County sounded preposterous to the girl. It couldn't possibly be a place worth her time but she hadn't seen her girlfriend since high school and had nothing better to do that night so off she went.
The wine bar, named Winestyles, was in a strip mall and it was attached to a family restaurant named, Giorgios, run by two Greek brothers. Upon walking through the doors, the girl's life instantly changed for the better. She was in disbelief that something this chic, this fun and trendy could be 10 minutes from where she grew up and 15 more minutes from the ghetto in which she currently lived. She had just quit her job of 14 years in Old Town Alexandria and had a week before she started her new job in Prince William County. She wouldn't miss working for the City of Alexandria, but she already missed the friends she made there and the restaurants/bars of Old Town and Del Ray. While she would lose the horrendous daily commute and no longer work for an evil heartless dictator, she feared losing her social life and becoming a recluse or "dog lady".
Walking into Winestyles that one evening, changed everything for her and she knew she had just happened upon something special. What she didn't know though, but would have confirmed each year after, was that by finding this little wine bar, a whole new world was opened up for her. She enjoyed and learned about wine, she was privy to some of the most delicious dishes she'd ever tasted and she became part of a friends and family network like no other.
One of the first people she met and was instantly drawn to was Keith. Keith was the manager of the wine bar and soon became a certified sommelier. A sommelier (Sahm-uhl-yAy) is a trained and knowledgeable wine professional, normally working in fine restaurants, who specializes in all aspects of wine service as well as wine and food pairing; a wine steward. Not only did the girl learn an enormous amount from Keith but more than anything, she was entertained by him and felt as if she was the most important girl in the world every time she walked through the door of that wine bar. Keith became a wonderful friend to her and to her parents.
Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end - to an extent. Keith left the wine bar and moved on to bigger and better things for himself. He now operates Mom's Wine Shop in Occoquan which is part of Mom's Apple Pie Bakery. The girl was sad because she didn't get to see Keith every time she walked through the door of Winestyles anymore but she now treats herself to a visit every so often at his new place of business!
Along with running Mom's Wine Shop, Keith also started his own consulting business.
Corradi's Beverage Consulting
With 17 years of full restaurant/bar experience, many of which were spent in prestigious NYC establishments, Keith has donated his services to the fundraiser in support of Denny's Shotgun Riders!
So, start thinking of a girls' night outing, a dinner party at your home, an office holiday luncheon, any event of your liking where you want a certified sommelier to guide you through a unique and exciting wine tasting experience! Even if you own a restaurant or café and need education services, this auction would be for you!
The girl who found that little wine shop in a strip mall cannot brag enough about her dear friend, Keith, and his many talents!
There is also another sommelier who this girl met at Winestyles, but he first started out as a waiter on the Giorgios side. It wasn't long that he was also moving on to bigger and better things and yet he and the girl continued to keep in touch. Don is now an Italian Wine Specialist for Vinifera Imports, Mid Atlantic, which is the major distributor of fine Italian wine from Italy's most prestigious estates and regions.
In 2014, Don started his own business, known as
The girl knew that her buddy was an established certified sommelier and as if that wasn't impressive enough, now he was expressing his artistic talents in other ways!! She felt so very lucky that he has decided to support Denny's Shotgun Riders with this unique pieces of work!
Make sure to check out more of what Don creates here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheSommShop
There once was a girl who was invited to meet an old friend at a wine bar in Montclair. From the moment she walked through the door, she knew this place was special but truly had no idea how very special it would end up being. Five years later, it has come to be known as her "happy place" and continues to be magically full of old friends, new friends and friends who have become family.
Thank you for your support, Keith and Don!
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