10 photos to sum up the new Foxcroft Wine Co.

I always feel like I’m reading some scroll of unpronounceable poetry when I’m reading a wine list. The second Foxcroft Wine Co. location, now open at Kenilworth Commons in Dilworth, did not disappoint. I stood in the mellow mood lighting that washed over three different seating areas and scanned the wine varietals on the menu. They included: Ayla Brut Majeur Champagne, Ay, France, N/V. Donnhoff Estate, Riesling, Nahe, Germany 2014. Caffaggio Chianti Classico, Sangiovese, Tuscany, Italy 2013.

Pure poetry. Which I couldn’t pronounce. The best I could do was sample wine and take photos of the new digs.

Walls of wine line the new shop, which occupies the 3,200-square-foot space that was formerly Charlotte Yarn. It features 3,500 different wines, including 40 available for tasting.

I tasted the Alysian Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley of California. A 2012. Wine masters Sharon Balas and Conrad Hunter chose a selection of Alysian wines for Sunday’s media night because, Balas said, “We love it. It’s delicious.” (Fact.)

This also backs up the shop’s philosophy that Balas shared: “We love wine. We love people who love wine. We don’t care what kind of wine you love.”

What I also loved: The patio, its shimmer of lights.

And Balas’ belief that every wine they supply should have a story. This Hendry white wine on the shelf (below) is inspired by the time Balas spent with George Hendry in Napa, where he runs a 400-acre vineyard with only 12 employees. She got to see, firsthand, the brilliance of his work, which she described as “meticulous winemaking, very much trial and error.”

And that’s just one cluster of whites in the store.

Of course, I also loved all of the good stuff going on in the kitchen, where chef Justin Solomon was grating a fresh brick of Parmesan cheese over a flatbread. Balas told me part of the reason for expanding their shop from SouthPark to Dilworth was the opportunity to challenge their chef with a larger kitchen, complete with a wood-fired oven.

“It’s awesome; I love the challenge,” Solomon said.

Hint: the sliders (lamb with harissa, cucumber and chevre, and beef with carmelized onions and gruyere) are the most popular menu items.

The shop staff celebrates a farm-to-table approach with their food. They also carried over that local emphasis into the decor. When you walk through the glass front doors, you are walking on wood panels crafted from oak trees that were “treecycled” from Hunter’s own front lawn.

The walls are made from re-purposed wood as well — they come from old tobacco barns in the mountains.

But I prefer the poetry.

This story was originally published November 23, 2015 at 11:00 PM with the headline "10 photos to sum up the new Foxcroft Wine Co.."