We recently connected with Paula De Pano and have shared our conversation below.

Paula, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So, let’s start with trends – what are some of the largest or more impactful trends you are seeing in the industry?

There have been a few things that I’ve noticed after moving on from the restaurant industry to retail, the most prevalent being consumers being more in-tune with where their money is going and how it is being produced. While my shop is located in Chapel Hill, and it has been considered a progressive town, I found it refreshing that this curiosity translates even to wine.

There is also an uptick in interest in non-alcoholic/zero-proof alternatives and that it can’t just be a hodge-podge of random ingredients. Consumers are savvy, they want the same intention and craft behind something that doesn’t have alcohol, and why shouldn’t they? I think it is harder to produce a non-alcoholic product because more thought goes into it as opposed to wine where it’s made from a single ingredient, which will naturally ferment.

I also thought that the orange wine wave had tapered off in the last few years, not really gaining so much traction here in NC. Well, that was something that I didn’t expect – how so many folks are interested! I couldn’t move glasses of orange wine when I was working in restaurants, but in retail, I can’t seem to keep them on the shelves.

Paula, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

We are a local wine shop and bar dedicated to finding the most terroir-driven wines of the world, from far-flung regions of Argentina to the steep hillsides of Germany. We are partial to high-acid wines, believing that it is more important than alcohol levels.

We are accountable for all the wines that we put in front of you. We support wines made by real families, not board members. We care that our producers make wines ethically and put environmental sustainability as a priority. We amplify the voices of all the women, immigrants, people of color, and LGBTQ+ members of this industry.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

Laura Francis and I used to work at Fearrington Village together. When she left her previous employment, I brought her name up to my then General Manager as a prospective hire. Her personality hooked me despite how different we are from each other. While she’s gregarious, open, and vivacious, I tend to be content and a bit more reserved. To say that we balance each other is an understatement.

When I announced that I was opening up the shop, she came to me and told me that she was going to work with me. No questions – she stated that she was going to work with me. No ifs or buts about it. To have someone want to be with you during the hardest bits of opening and operating a shop, someone you trust and believe in, is an absolute boon. I am forever grateful to have her by my side.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

I am not interested in scaling my business. I don’t foresee this happening, but I am not closed off to the idea.

The wine shop is a retail operation – we sell a product to people who believe in what we do, but I have always been adamant that people come back because of how they feel about purchasing a product. We are a different kind of retailer because we find that wine is very personal – we need to listen to every person who comes through our doors and navigate them towards the bottle they want.

We are a small team in the shop and we all bring in a very distinct quality on how we take care of our clientele. I believe that we are in the business of relationship building and that takes time and effort to cultivate so we are not in a hurry to expand. We want to focus on what we have in front of us and let our work speak for itself.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rocksandacidwineshop.com/
• Instagram: @rocksandacidwineshop

Image Credits
Daniel Turbert Photography