FEATURE STORY
In Vino Felicitas
Britt Davis turns old Elder School building into wine destination
BY LUCAS STROUGH | lstrough@kilgorenewsherald.com PHOTOS BY LUCAS STROUGH
K
ilgore is known for many things, from oil derricks to high-kicking Rangerettes and Shakespearean plays. Now Kilgore may become known in East Texas as a destination for lovers of fine wine. Britt Davis opened “Britt’s Wine & Dine” earlier this year at 400 N. Garcia St., the site of the former Elder School. Combining his longtime passion for wine with sweat and hard work, Davis has slowly transformed the school building into a unique getaway for Kilgore and East Texans. “In the first weekend of February, we did a soft launch and a soft opening. That worked out pretty well. We’re heading into month two physically down here. We’re moving along,” Davis said in March. Now, the tasting room is open and Britt’s has been voted “Best Restaurant” in the 2022 News Herald's Reader's Choice Awards. In an old cafeteria and multipurpose room, Davis and others installed handbuilt furnishings, transforming the look and feel of the space. “We built a wall in this room, we painted, cleaned up the floors,
10 Etcetera | Summer 2022
took out the drop ceiling and added lighting. We also brought in the bars. It was an open, stinking mess! It was horrible. We put in windows. It’s been a real transformation. It’s a good feeling,” he said. With an all-walnut bar and wine barrels repurposed into tables, the tasting room is unlike many other businesses in the area. The realization of his dream has been a long time in the making, Davis said. “I’ve been wanting to do this for a few years. Well, more than a few years. It’s really picked up speed in the last couple of years. I’ve got my own wines now. Essentially, we are a winery and this is more of our tasting bar.” Davis first developed a taste for wine and an appreciation for wine culture while studying at the University of California-Davis. He grew up near some of the most prized wine-producing regions in the United States. While in college, many of his fraternity brothers were winemakers, and some went on to work for successful wineries and vineyards. Following his studies, he got the chance to travel the world and
