CHSO July 2010 : Page 56
Masters ofDomaine Wild about your vino? Domaine Wine Storage appeals to a new crowd of wine fanatics | By Kate Templin | Photography by Maia Harms | As wine has become less of an insiders-only game and more of an equal-opportunity beverage, wine services have taken on a new, less stuffy character. Case in point: Domaine Wine Storage, a new holding and clubhouse facility opened by husband-and-wife team Marc and Katherine Lazar (ages 33 and 29, respectively) and managed by Christopher Klingenstein, 34. What the trio lacks in years, however, they more From left: Domaine owners Marc and SIPPING PRETTY Katherine Lazar (seated) with Christopher Klingenstein; lockers, corks and the lounge; and a 1985 Rousseau Mazis-Chambertin. than make up for in luxury food and beverage gravitas. Marc is also the president of sister company Cellar Advisors, which inventories, appraises, acquires and liquidates 20,000 bottles of wine per month; Katherine was formerly a brand manager at a boutique chocolatier; and Klingenstein has more than 15 years of experience in the restaurant and wine industry, most recently at Hart Davis Hart. Te three—who met during Klingenstein’s Hart Davis Hart days—joined their bon vivant forces this spring to crack open Domaine, the company’s second location (the first opened in St. Louis in 2006). Located in the industrial neighborhood near Elston and North (best known as the hood of Te Hideout), the business is anchored by a full-service, almost-300-unit storage space that is kept at 53-55 degrees and at 70 percent humidity. (Units hold from 12 to 500-plus cases.) Clients enjoy perks such as after-hours key access, weekly wine notifications, pick-up and drop-off services, drive-in loading docks and a staff on hand to sign for deliveries. 56 | | July 2010 (“We’re like a wine SWAT team,” Marc says.) But the partners are quick to point out that theirs is more than a holding ground, as is the setup at so many of Chicago’s other upscale wine storage outfits. “Te wine storage business will always exist, but we’re the only place that employs wine-educated people,” Marc says. “We can tell the novice wine collector whether he should be drinking a bottle or saving it; we can provide guidance on how clients can move wine around or on how to insure collections.” Domaine’s clients range from the rookie buyer (their youngest client is 21) to established collectors who have outgrown their home cellars. “Tey’re an eclectic group,” Marc says. “Tey’re all interested in privacy and discretion, but it’s more than that. Tey’re also interested in the social aspect of our space. Our lounge is a place where people can come in and discuss wine trends and fads, and we bring in winemakers to expose our clients to new varietals and productions.” Te trio’s vision: A tasting room full of clients who’ve stopped by on any given night, opened their lockers, cracked some bottles and poured their wines (in the Domaine-provided Riedel glassware, natch) while eagerly discussing the next big wine region. “After all, if you’re spending an hour breaking down boxes in your locker,” Marc says, “you’re going to get thirsty.” 1348 W. Concord Pl., 773.252.3300, domainewinestorage.com. the RadaR | WINE
The Radar Wine!
Masters of Domaine
Wild about your vino? Domaine Wine Storage appeals to a new crowd of wine fanatics| By Kate Templin | Photography by Maia Harms |
As wine has become less of an insiders-only game and more of an equal-opportunity beverage, wine services have taken on a new, less stuffy character. Case in point: Domaine Wine Storage, a new holding and clubhouse facility opened by husband-and-wife team Marc and Katherine Lazar (ages 33 and 29, respectively) and
managed by Christopher Klingenstein, 34. What the trio lacks in years, however, they more than make up for in luxury food and beverage gravitas.
Marc is also the president of sister company Cellar Advisors, which inventories, appraises, acquires and liquidates 20,000 bottles of wine per month; Katherine was formerly a brand manager at a boutique chocolatier; and Klingenstein has more than 15 years of experience in the restaurant and wine industry, most recently at Hart Davis Hart.
The three—who met during Klingenstein’s Hart Davis Hart days—joined their bon vivant forces this spring to crack open Domaine, the company’s second location (the first opened in St.Louis in 2006). Located in the industrial neighborhood near Elston and North (best known as the hood of Te Hideout), the business is anchored by a full-service, almost-300-unit storage space that is kept at 53-55 degrees and at 70 percent humidity. (Units hold from 12 to 500-plus cases.) Clients enjoy perks such as after-hours key access, weekly wine notifications, pick-up and drop-off services, drive-in loading docks and a staff on hand to sign for deliveries.
(“We’re like a wine SWAT team,” Marc says.)
But the partners are quick to point out that theirs is more than a
holding ground, as is the setup at so many of Chicago’s
other upscale wine storage outfits.“Te wine storage business will always exist, but we’re the only place that employs wine-educated
people,” Marc says. “We can tell the novice wine
collector whether he should be drinking a bottle or
saving it; we can provide guidance on how clients can move
wine around or on how to insure collections.”
Domaine’s clients range from the rookie buyer (their youngest
client is 21) to established collectors who have outgrown their Home cellars.
“They’re an eclectic group,” Marc says. “Tey’re all interested in privacy and discretion, but it’s more than that. Tey’re also interested in the social aspect of our space. Our lounge is a place where people can come in and discuss wine trends and fads, and we bring in winemakers to expose our clients to new varietals and productions.” Te trio’s vision: A tasting room full of clients who’ve stopped by on any given night, opened their lockers, cracked some bottles and poured their wines (in the Domaine-provided Riedel glassware, natch) while eagerly discussing the next big wine region.
“After all, if you’re spending an hour breaking down boxes in your locker,” Marc says, “you’re going to get thirsty.” 1348 W. Concord Pl., 773.252.3300, domainewinestorage.com.
Publication List
