The Wine Shop in Koloa hosted a monthly wine pairing that was open to the public on Dec. 7.
It included four different wines paired with savory gourmet appetizers. This fun, upbeat atmosphere is great to share with friends as you try different wines from around the world and mingle with members.
Owners Dan and Ellen O’Connell opened their doors with their passion for wine in 2006.
“It’s a family business we started 13 years ago, and starting 2020, the first Saturdays of each month will be reserved only for our members to enjoy our famous wine and food pairings,” Ellen O’Connell said.
The owners were ecstatic to
showcase and preview their new Tasting Room that is adjacent to the wine shop. Daughters Megan Ganzagan and Dani Powers were serving smiles all night long.
MJ Akuna celebrated her “forever 21” birthday with her closest girlfriends as they ate some ono wagyu beef salad and tried some truffle cheese from Italy.
Dan O’Connell is no stranger to food and hospitality. He was a co-owner of the Koloa Broiler from 2002 to 2006. He then opened The Wine Shop in 2006 that included a membership opened to the public.
“The reason we started wine-tasting is to get people out of the box, to get people to try wines they normally wouldn’t drink,” he said.
People enjoy their membership by learning about the different wines and graduate each month with new gratitude of wine expertise. The Tasting Room is a compliment to their wine shop.
They have about 150 members.
Info: dano@thewineshipkauai.com or 742-7305
•••
Stephanie Shinno, staff writer, can be reached at 245-0424 or sshinno@thegardenisland.com.
