Who would have thought at the start of the year we would all be (for the most part) homebound for months? That we would be put under Stay At Home orders by the Governor of Alabama. That our loved ones and friends would be fighting for their lives against this horrible disease that has taken the world over. That our entire way of doing things would forever change.

We have been fortunate to both be able to continue working from home. I thank the Lord every day for our jobs and our health. We have been following the COVID-19 restrictions strictly. We support local restaurants by getting takeout at least once a week, focusing on restaurants owned by local people and small ventures. We have been cooking at home more, trying new recipes, and our yard has never looked better! (List of local restaurants you can support.)

We miss traveling, as that was a big part of our lives. We miss seeing friends and loved ones at social gatherings. We miss being able to go to the grocery store without having to wear a mask. I cannot help but believe that we all are going to be much more grateful for these everyday occurrences that we took for granted. I think all our perspectives have been shifted.

During this period of isolation, many of you have taken the time to reflect, do home improvement projects, start a new hobby, or do whatever you can to “seize the day” in a COVID-friendly way. A silver-lining for us has been the growth of The Dining Winos enterprise. For quite some time we have been dreaming of branching out with our wine business, as we both are very passionate about the wonderful flavors of life! This time has allowed us to work more on our brand and start new exciting projects that we are officially excited to announce here.

We have created a customized wine concierge business. Our current territory is Auburn and Opelika, Lake Martin, Dothan, Montgomery, Enterprise, Wetumpka, and Prattville. We offer a variety of services that would make any “wino” happy. Post COVID we will be able to curate private wine tastings for parties of events. Assist in facilitating in-home wine dinners. (Check our our menu of services here.)

We are very much in a grassroots phase, but we have been happy to see the feedback from our wine case orders. John Mark is having fun talking with people and finding out their wine likes and dislikes, and putting together custom cases based on those tastes. He can also put together custom beer orders, but we are not shy in saying that wine is our first love.

We also have piloted our first Wine Club Box offerings for the month of May. If we have success with them, and there is a demand, we will continue offering the Wine Club Boxes every month, changing the contents and themes monthly. It is fun for us and fun for wine lovers. Some even say it’s like Christmas when they pick up their box. (Unfortunately, we cannot deliver at this time in the State of Alabama per law.)

If you would like to place an order with us and join in on the fun please do so below.