The Urban Grape

A couple of weeks ago when I was invited to the  media preview of The Urban Grape, a new Chestnut Hill wine boutique, I had no idea what I was in store for. I will fully admit that up until a couple of weeks ago, I thought Chestnut Hill was an hour way. Well, it’s not. By D line, it’s about 20 minutes from my downtown office. No biggie, and it made me feel a little lame about my knowledge of the area I have lived in for 8 years.

Last night I met two incredibly cool, young, nice, and knowledgeable wine aficionados who may just be redefining the way that wine is thought of in the Boston area. The Urban Grape is, at first glance, a gorgeous, sleek wine shop just steps from the Chestnut Hill MBTA stop.

Urban Grape

I met the very friendly Hadley the second I walked inside the store, and she explained the unique layout to me. Rather than being organized by region or varietal, The Urban Grape is organized by the wine’s weight. The long wall of shelves is set up in a way that reflects the body of the wine on each shelf, a unique concept that I had personally never seen before. The Enoline tasting machines are set up so that a taster can taste through wines by how heavy they are, from a light white to a big, chewy, red. That way, even if you aren’t well versed in the world’s wine regions or grape varietals, you can find a type of wine you like, then find many more like it. Everything is marked clearly to make finding “your” wine easy, and they have even marked on the shelves which wines are organic. Brilliant!

Here is a bit of info from their opening press release on this progressive organization of wine:

Terry Peabody, Jr., Managing Director for the award winning Craggy Range Vineyard in New Zealand, believes that The Urban Grape will set a “new benchmark” for wine stores. “Progressive wine lists have been used in restaurants for years but wine stores have not kept up with this customer-friendly trend.  I’ve been in wine shops all across the world and I’ve rarely seen a store with a set up as innovative as the progressive shelving at The Urban Grape.  TJ’s vision for the store is truly exciting.”

“TJ’s approach to wine sales stems from his years in the restaurant business and his love of pairing wine with food,” explains Jeff Gates, TJ’s former employer and a partner at Aquitaine Chestnut Hill, a restaurant neighbor of The Urban Grape.  “The unique ‘progressive’ set up of the store will allow customers to try wines that are similar to the wines they’ve always loved, all while slowly moving out of their comfort zone and experiencing new varietals, flavors and textures.”

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Everything in the store is hidden away behind the walls giving the store a truly  serene feel; there is no clutter here. The furniture and decor is both rustic and modern at the same time, a little bit of Tuscany in the middle of Chestnut Hill.

Enomatic Wine Machines Urban Grape

The Urban Grape offers boxed selections for special occasions, perfect for bringing to a friend’s house or to have on hand at home for a dinner party. They will always be in around the $50 range, and will be chosen by the owners. A great deal and a little element of surprise in each box!

Urban Grape specials

Their special wine cellar (aka the pricey stuff) is available but not front and center. It is kept chilled and humidity free behind a glass door, totally free for everyone to browse, but not at all in the way of the more affordable wines. Yes, I am very interested in this selection and will hopefully have a chance to write more about it in the future. 🙂

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Hadley took me downstairs to the storage room where The Urban Grape has plenty of room to store wine which allows them to buy larger quantities at lower prices, keeping the prices low for me and you. Again, I was impressed by how clean the space was kept and the incredible attention to detail that is evident.

Urban Grape wine and beer

I tasted many great wines throughout my visit and left with 7 bottles (many thanks to the fabulous swag shared with me by The Urban Grape)! With my Castello di amorosa wine club shipment, that makes 10 more bottles in a day! TJ has chosen some incredible wines, and among my favorites were the 2009 Pares Balta Ros de Pacs Rosé, the 2007 Jean-Luc Colombo Cornas Syrah, and the 2007 Piazzo Barbera. Individual reviews to come. . .  image

After my visit to The Urban Grape, we decided to go to the Capital Grille to do a wine tasting which, for $25 was an amazing deal. The wines can all be purchased at The Urban Grape (How cool to be a new store with wines featured at an old Boston favorite!) We also enjoyed their raw bar and great service with incredible attention to detail. It was a long, leisurely Tuesday night dinner, something we need more of.

Capital Grille seafood

The Urban Grape is certainly a wine tasting destination whether you live in Boston or beyond. They will soon start having tasting events which will be good for everyone from novice to expert. Their belief is that if a wine tastes good to YOU, then it’s good. No snobbery, no exclusivity, just pure enjoyment and community building through wine.

Congratulations to TJ and Hadley on building such a beautiful and welcoming space. I certainly look forward to more wine tasting as well as the growth of their beer and spirits selection!

Tags: Boston, The Urban Grape, wine

  1. Michelle’s avatar

    Looks great! And weirdly, like you, I thought it took a lot longer to get to Chestnut Hill from downtown!

    Reply

  2. Daisy’s avatar

    I’m with you and Michelle re: Chesnut Hills location….and I used to live out on Brookline! what the heck….

    I love the name the Urban Grape and their concept. lucky you getting to eat at Capital Grille!!

    Reply

  3. Elina’s avatar

    All these new awesome wine stores opening up lately. Love it!
    I’m in Chestnut hill once in a while (since my parents live in Newton) so I may just have to stop by there. Our usual stop on the way there is the Wine Gallery on route 9, which is one of my favorite wine stores in Boston area.

    Reply

  4. Anne @ the doctor takes a wife’s avatar

    This looks like such an amazing place!! Lucky you 🙂

    Reply

  5. Simply Life’s avatar

    wow, that place looks great!

    Reply

  6. Hadley’s avatar

    Meghan, thanks again for coming into The Urban Grape and for this fantastic write up. “Little bit of Tuscany in Chestnut Hill…” It makes us so happy to know that our vision translated. We can’t wait to welcome you back, we’ll keep the Eurocave wines under lock and key until you can take a better peek!
    Best, Hadley and TJ at The Urban Grape

    Reply

    1. traveleatlove’s avatar

      Thanks for inviting me! It was great to meet you both and to check out the store so early on. I wish you all the best and look forward to many returns! 🙂

      Reply

    2. Shannon’s avatar

      wow, that place looks pretty awesome!

      Reply

    3. Raija’s avatar

      Very excited to visit!

      Reply

    4. Corinne’s avatar

      What a lovely work week evening! The Urban Grape’s concept is so simple yet so visionary! I hope that many other wine outlets pick up on selling wine in this fashion. I am clueless when it comes to regions and years, so this would make shopping for wine super easy. Thanks for a great post! Next time I am in boston I know where I am goinggggg

      Reply

    5. Grace’s avatar

      I have read about the Urban Grape on other blogs. Your photos make it look simply gorgeous, sleek, like a great place to not just buy wine but to hang out.

      Reply

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