A chance encounter with a retiring wine shop owner led this husband and wife to embark on a new venture.

My husband Chris, who always dropped by University Wines for any special occasion, went there last November to pick up some wine for our Thanksgiving trip to Spokane. I loved Gordon’s wine selection because he always stocked wines which were lower in alcohol, and he would recommend wines which tasted lovely. As usual, he struck up a conversation with Gordon, the owner, about life, wine, and their plans for the future. Gordon casually mentioned that he was definitely retiring by the end of the year. We knew he’d been talking about it for a while, yet it was still exciting. He was finally making a move to enjoy his retirement years and new home his son was building. Gordon told Chris he still hadn’t decided who to sell the store to yet had a few options. Later that night, Chris came home and asked me, “So, wanna buy a wine store?” I immediately said yes. 

I was absolutely thrilled with Gordon selling University Wines to us. He has been an incredible mentor, he believed in me and believed I was the right person to continue his legacy. I traveled to France with Gordon in February to meet the incomparable Jeanne Marie, the woman responsible for connecting Gordon with many fabulous French domaines. We all hustled to meet with as many of our Burgundy and Champagne wine makers so I could taste a whole slew of incredible wines. I learned so much from him, and I’m committed to providing exceptional wines at a reasonable price. I’m finishing my final year of teaching at my home Montessori and then I’ll be working at the store full-time starting July 1st. I invite you to come down and explore our selection!