A Virginia Tech geography professor and his partner who’ve traveled the world, researching interesting wines from different regions, are bringing them home to Blacksburg. Two months ago, they opened “The Wine Lab” on Turner Street. And they’re looking to foster a community of education and experimentation around the world of wine.
“Wine Lab” proprietor John Boyer makes a special point of not calling his new establishment a ‘bar.’
“I call it a restaurant but what I really have been stressing is that this is a wine focused community center and I’m only saying that half tongue in cheek because I wanted to build a place that brought people together from the community," Boyer says.
Boyer teaches a popular class on wines of the world. Five years ago, it got so big that it has to be taught online now. But he wants the Wine Lab to be more like an old fashioned, face to face gathering place.
“We had a term for it a long time ago it was called ‘Public House.' Pub for short. So, I wanted to have a community lounge that you could come here and play chess if you want or bring your book club to or have a business meeting in and all of these things are already starting to happen,” Boyer says.
Each month the "Wine Lab" features tastings from a different corner of the world paired with just the right food. Just as important to the experience. The plan is to bring in artists and speakers for that month’s feature, a way to drink in the culture of each region.
Brian Wheeler is an attorney in town who likes to visit at least once a month. “One thing I love, that I just discovered on the menu, is that they have a wine from Umbria, where I went on my honeymoon and that’s something you’re not going to find anywhere else, probably in all of southwestern Virginia,” Wheeler says.
“The atmosphere is lovely," Wheeler continuues. "It’s just a great place to actually talk to people and carry on a conversation. Having a town with 30-thousand college students, keg beer and loud music tends to be the gathering place of choice, but here it’s a place for professionals to hang out and it’s actually lovely for those kids who graduate and want to stay in the community when they grow (weary) of the bar scene around Tech.”
And that’s actually an important point for geography professor and sometime sommelier, John Boyer, who grew up outside Roanoke. It’s one of the reasons he created a place like the Wine Lab geared to a more post college crowd.
“In today’s world, you actually don’t need to move to a city to get to your job. We’re all just working remotely,” Boyer says.
And many other former limitations of small-town life may no longer apply.
His thinking is maybe the instant exodus most college students make from a small town like Blacksburg after they graduate, they may re-think whether they really need to leave.
“I believe the future of America is reinvigorated small size towns because what’s different now is we can get anything from anwhere all the time and the great thing with our small town is its super awesome, scenic, a great place to raise kids and it’s cheaper," Boyer says. "So, I think the future is what I’m trying to invent here is; live in a small town and bring the elements of a big city that you want to your small town.”
It's early in the game, but Boyer points to signs of the Wine Lab’s success. He says they’ve been full to capacity even on weeknights and they haven’t even begun advertising.
“We haven’t been pressed to do the advertising/marketing thing because it’s all been word of mouth that has just kept going. The snowball has been growing and there’s no point trying to push it any harder at this second.”
Boyer says he hopes the wine lab will be a catalyst for more venues here to realize there’s a viable market beyond the college bar scene in Blacksburg.
