OC Wine Mart

OC Wine Mart http://OCWINEMART.COM Mon, 13 Feb 2012 15:30:21 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 Craft Beer in Irvine? At a Wine Shop? Why wasn’t I notified? http://OCWINEMART.COM/craft-beer-in-irvine-at-a-wine-shop-why-wasn%e2%80%99t-i-notified/ http://OCWINEMART.COM/craft-beer-in-irvine-at-a-wine-shop-why-wasn%e2%80%99t-i-notified/#comments Wed, 30 Nov 2011 00:42:02 +0000 Jarrett Gucci http://OCWINEMART.COM/?p=299 Us 27 years ago at Farrels in San Berdoo. I’m sporting the red stripes, Fitz on the bottom left. Kid on the bottom right is a total jerk. Adam, the guy in the Mickey shirt was also at the big 4-0 party! Cheers to old friends! “Don’t worry, they have beer” says Fitz. Yay. Blue Moon? Guinness? Maybe a Stone Pale Ale if I’m lucky? If the beer selection is bad, should I drink wine? (Funny that I make wine, yet I rarely drink it.) My wife was pretty excited as she’s a regular wino, ahem, wine “enthusiast”. As we arrive, the place is the size of the average mini-mart in a small Irvine-approved strip mall. Inside sits a classy modern decorated tasting area with a bar and a few chairs. Surrounding the tasting area is an adequate and well balanced selection of wines from all regions and styles. Coolers adorn the walls filled with delicious beer. READ FULL POST HERE

]]> http://OCWINEMART.COM/craft-beer-in-irvine-at-a-wine-shop-why-wasn%e2%80%99t-i-notified/feed/ 0 Great Article on WendyfulWorld.com http://OCWINEMART.COM/great-article-on-wendyfulworld-com/ http://OCWINEMART.COM/great-article-on-wendyfulworld-com/#comments Mon, 26 Sep 2011 18:23:47 +0000 Jarrett Gucci http://OCWINEMART.COM/?p=294 SEE FULL POST HERE

]]> http://OCWINEMART.COM/great-article-on-wendyfulworld-com/feed/ 0 Top 20 Women To Watch in Orange County http://www.ocmetro.com/t-00CoverStory_20_Women_to_Watch01Julie_Lim0311.aspx http://www.ocmetro.com/t-00CoverStory_20_Women_to_Watch01Julie_Lim0311.aspx#comments Wed, 20 Apr 2011 20:13:59 +0000 Jarrett Gucci http://OCWINEMART.COM/?p=274

]]> http://www.ocmetro.com/t-00CoverStory_20_Women_to_Watch01Julie_Lim0311.aspx/feed/ 0 OC Wine Mart & Tasting Bar — a new wine concept in Irvine http://OCWINEMART.COM/oc-wine-mart-tasting-bar-a-new-wine-concept-in-irvine-2/ http://OCWINEMART.COM/oc-wine-mart-tasting-bar-a-new-wine-concept-in-irvine-2/#comments Wed, 03 Nov 2010 00:52:57 +0000 Jarrett Gucci http://ocwinemartblog.com/?p=226 READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

]]> http://OCWINEMART.COM/oc-wine-mart-tasting-bar-a-new-wine-concept-in-irvine-2/feed/ 11 Irvine shop debuts self-serve wine bar http://OCWINEMART.COM/irvine-shop-debuts-self-serve-wine-bar/ http://OCWINEMART.COM/irvine-shop-debuts-self-serve-wine-bar/#comments Wed, 03 Nov 2010 00:51:21 +0000 Jarrett Gucci http://ocwinemartblog.com/?p=223 OC Wine Mart has been open only since December, but it’s bullish about the local market. How bullish, you ask? Optimistic enough to spend $50,000 on two new enomatic wine bars — Italian-made contraptions that keep wine in an oxygen-free environment after it’s opened and automatically measure out one-ounce pours to those who want to sample. “Most of the time you find these only in big wine stores,” said Don Duckworth, the store’s general manager. “It’s a considerable investment on our part.” OC Wine Mart, located in a former convenience store, isn’t huge: about 1,700 square feet of retail space. Argon and carbon dioxide are injected into the bottles, which helps prevent oxygenation and keeps the vino tasting like it should for up to three weeks, Duckworth said. “The better the quality of the wine the longer it will last.” The enomatic machines dispense wine from as many as 24 bottles. Reds are served at room temperature; whites come out at around 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Prices appear in a digital display above the bottle. So why did a small store that’s just getting on its feet decide to take the plunge with something this fancy? READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

]]> http://OCWINEMART.COM/irvine-shop-debuts-self-serve-wine-bar/feed/ 5 OC Wine Mart & Tasting Bar in Irvine http://OCWINEMART.COM/oc-wine-mart-tasting-bar-a-new-wine-concept-in-irvine/ http://OCWINEMART.COM/oc-wine-mart-tasting-bar-a-new-wine-concept-in-irvine/#comments Fri, 29 Oct 2010 02:18:06 +0000 Jarrett Gucci http://ocwinemartblog.com/?p=204 So when I came to OC Wine Mart the other day for its grand opening, I wasn’t terribly excited about the prospects of the wines themselves, but rather, the curiosity of having an independent wine seller in Irvine. However, when I got there, what I encountered was something completely different! Julie Lim, owner of OC Wine Mart has installed a system called the “enomatic tasting bar” which allows shoppers and wine aficionados the opportunity to browse for wine and sample some while doing it. This tasting bar has bottles of red and white wines (in separate systems) set up with a price indicator — reasonably priced might I add — and customers can walk around and select their own wines to sample. How this works is, you buy a card which has a dollar amount on it, you slide it into the slot on the machine and select the wine you want, place the glass under the selected bottle and voila — a 1oz pour magically flows into your wine glass.

I was highly impressed with this because it suits me to a tee — I don’t necessarily know what I like and often, I’ll buy a bottle and bring it home, open it and then find out I don’t really like it at all. With this tasting bar, I can sample whatever tickles my fancy (usually it’s a label on the bottle — yeah I know I’m a dork), and if I like it, I can bring a bottle home to enjoy.

About the author

Anita Lau: International food writer/author who has resided on 3 continents but currently calls Orange County, California home.

]]> http://OCWINEMART.COM/oc-wine-mart-tasting-bar-a-new-wine-concept-in-irvine/feed/ 23 Review of the “OC Wine Mart” http://OCWINEMART.COM/self-pouring-wine-tasting/ http://OCWINEMART.COM/self-pouring-wine-tasting/#comments Sun, 13 Jun 2010 20:05:36 +0000 Jarrett Gucci http://OCWINEMART.COM/?p=284

Owner, Julie Lim of the OC Wine Mart

So you may be asking your Author, what the hell are you describing and how did you find it? Very simple, this is the story about finding a hidden gem of a wine boutique that features a unique wine tasting system… but let me tell you the story. My wife has developed an unhealthy obsession with social purchasing sites such as GroupOn, LivingSocial, Screaming Daily Deals, Dealster ect ect. In fact she has become a member of over 20 different sites, resulting in a flood of emails every morning at about 6am. Every day I get home from work, she tells me about a new social buying deal. At this point I have come to accept it, and now understanding that I am just along for the ride . If you like these types of deals, keep an eye open for a future post about social buying sites that my wife belongs to…do use caution! they are like crack cocaine once you get started!. There is a bright side to my wife’s social buying groupie like behavior, it’s highly beneficial to my food blogging activity. The OC Wine Mart One was on of these latest deals she purchased off LivingSocial.com. For $20 dollars, we received $40 worth of wine tasting.

READ FULL ARTICLE

]]> http://OCWINEMART.COM/self-pouring-wine-tasting/feed/ 0 Old liquor store gets a fancy facelift http://OCWINEMART.COM/test-post-1/ http://OCWINEMART.COM/test-post-1/#comments Wed, 02 Jun 2010 00:27:27 +0000 Jarrett Gucci http://ocwinemartblog.com/?p=22 OC Wine Mart. OC Wine Mart, Irvine “Every liquor store I went into had the same feel: cluttered, full of grocery racks and Lotto machines. I wanted to make it more inviting, more like a gourmet wine shop,” Lim says. She has stocked her store with gourmet wines for the corporate crowd in the neighborhood but also lots of beers for the nearby UCI students. BEFORE: ocwinemart-4

AFTER:

Lim is no stranger to business ownership. She has owned gift shops in Los Angeles area casinos for years. But when she lost the lease on one of them, she decided to diversify. “Liquor stores are recession-proof,” she says. What do you think? Is there room in the marketplace for attractive liquor stores? Do you know of better or different styles? Tell us.

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