Wine and food lovers club offers grape opportunities

By Lissa Bell

news@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

A love for fine wine and local food has turned into a business venture and a dream-come-true for two local wine enthusiasts.

Recently Brian Fry and John Webster, with 30 years of combined wine experience, co-founded the Mahoning Valley Wine and Food Lovers Club and held their first event at Station Square Ristorante this past April with an overwhelming response.

Membership is free and includes a bimonthly e-mail newsletter, which includes information on the date and location of upcoming wine- and food-tasting events and a list of wines to be presented.

Members are invited to taste five new and exciting wines for $15 and are encouraged to enjoy the dinner at the chosen restaurant.

Tasting notes for each wine include a list of two or three menu items that will pair well with each wine, so members can see how magical a wine can be when paired with the right food, along with a description of the wine, a history of the winery, what happened during that particular vintage year, what techniques were used in the making of the wine and personal stories.

“We are excited about this new venture,” said Fry. “This is a great opportunity to bring Valley wine lovers together for a fun evening and a great meal.

Fry and Webster share a passion for discovering and enjoying new wines from around the world and sharing them with their friends and local residents.

According to Fry, Station Square was a good choice for the first event since he shares a close working relationship with the owners, stemming from his first job in the wine business.

“This is exactly the kind of restaurant we wanted to introduce to our membership,” said Fry.

Pat Esposito, co-owner of Station Square, said partnering with the club was an easy decision. “We have worked with Brian and John separately over the years, and both of them bring a high level of professionalism and passion for wine to the table.”

The co-founders of the club have traveled to California wine country three times over the past few years and always manage to find great new wines to bring back to the Valley.

Fry and Webster focus on holding their events at locally owned and operated restaurants because there is a large and diverse array of area restaurants to choose from.

Fry is a 1992 graduate of Youngstown State University, which he attended on a tennis scholarship, earning a degree in English literature. He has worked on the wholesale side of the wine business and has over 10 years’ restaurant experience.

Webster has written the “Wine Guy” column in the Metro Monthly magazine for the past six years. He has been working with local restaurants and retailers for over two decades and began his study of wine under the late Richard Alberini.

“This is something we have talked about for years,” said Fry, explaining that the two of them have been to over 400 wine tastings over a combined total of 15 years.

The co-founders set a goal of 40 members for the first event and were pleased to see 51 people and a continually growing membership.

They were also happy to report 55 reservations at Caf Cimmento downtown, 58 at Five Points Wine and Bar in Poland and an overbooked event at Springfield Grill.

The next tasting will celebrate Ohio Wine Month on June 26 at Shaker’s Bar and Grill.

According to Fry, their membership is quite diverse, including ages from 20 and up. “Some people even come solo,” he said. “It is far more diverse than most wine-tasting groups. Just about anyone who has a job can afford to come and we intend to keep it that way.”

The co-founders are committed to doing about two to four wine tastings per year for charity events and are pursuing several other partnerships with local restaurant owners, hoping to generate business for local restaurants.

“A lot of area restaurants bought wine from me over the years, and I want to help them in return,” said Fry.

The club holds two events per month and is always looking for new local partners. “We are absolutely open to anyone who is interested,” said Fry.

Anyone interested in joining is welcome to e-mail Fry at brianfrywineguy@juno.com.

“I’m so amazed,” said Fry. “Real life has far exceeded our vision, and club members have made it all come together.”

Fry and Webster also provide restaurant wine-list consulting and training to restaurant and wine wait staff in serving, promoting and proper pairing.