Master Sommelier Looks To Open Wine Bar in Durham

As Downtown Durham continually sees new businesses popping up, like 5 new hotels, numerous restaurants, retail shops, and more, other businesses are joining the fray and leveraging Durham attention on the national stage. In fact, it's hard to keep up as the place changes and offers opportunities for everyone to see how Durham delivers on its new campaign encouraging people to experience #DurhamFreshDaily. One new business-person is trying to make it easier on everyone.

Enter Fred Dexheimer.

Dexheimer, the only Master Sommelier in the Carolinas, came to Durham as part of the team that opened The Black House at Straw Valley on 15-501 at I-40. He has since left that project and is now, along with a carefully chosen team, working to open Rx Wine Lab, a wine bar that will be located in Downtown Durham. Dexheimer, with energy to spare, is wasting no time in making it easier for folks to keep up with him, and to get to know his concept. The title of Master Sommelier is reserved for the most knowledgeable in the field - only 186 people have earned the title worldwide; currently there are only 118 in North America. "Durham is filled with high profile professionals, and adding someone with Fred's credentials to the local food scene just further makes the point that Durham is a dining destination that contends on the national stage," said Sam Poley, Director of Public Relations for the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Says Dexheimer, "I'm not just a guy who serves wine, and Rx Wine Lab is not just a wine bar." The business will incorporate some food service, but it's biggest differentiation is the focus on wine education - hence the name. "Labs are where people learn, and we want customers to learn and enjoy at the same time," Dexheimer added referring to the wine education he conducts.

Rx Wine Lab recently ran a very popular pop-up wine bar at Blue Coffee Cafe to test their concept as well as support owner Gwen Matthews' Kickstarter campaign to move her business over to Church St. at Main St. That went so well, according to Dexheimer that he and his team will repeat the effort this coming Saturday, December 6. They are also launching their own Kickstarter campaign to raise money for Rx Wine Lab in an effort to secure the funding necessary to build out a space in Downtown Durham. Details about the two events are below. Note that the Kickstarter event is only for those who RSVP; the pop-up wine bar is open to everyone.

Rx Wine Lab Kickstarter Wine Party!

• Thursday, Dec. 4th - 6pm - 9pm
• The Carrack Modern Art Gallery, 111 West Parrish Street, Durham
• Cost: Free
• RSVP: RxWineLab@Gmail.com

Rx Wine Lab POP-UP Wine Bar

• Saturday, Dec. 6th - 6pm - 12am
• Blue Coffee Café, 202 North Corcoran Street, Durham 
• Cost: $10 per glass, $12 per flight of 3 wines, $35 per bottle

Visit the Durham Event Calendar to learn about all the fun things to do here, and tag your social media posts with #DurhamFreshDaily when you share your experiences online.