CUISINESCENE Raise a Glass
Columbia County’s Toast Wine and Beverage offers customers more Almost exactly four years ago, Allan Barrett and his three partners opened Toast Wine and Beverage, hoping to give Columbia County residents a little taste of something different. Customers won’t, for instance, find cigarettes or lottery tickets for sale at the counter. What they will find are soothing surroundings, easy-to-find merchandise and a staff ready and willing to help. “We wanted to create a comfortable, clean and friendly environment that’s organized. In most liquor stores, nothing’s in any particular order,” explained Barrett, who is general manager and managing partner of Toast. “The idea was to create a nice ambiance and make it a friendly place for women to shop. And we do have a lot of women who shop here.” One of the reasons women in front of the counter might be comfortable shopping at Toast is undoubtedly the look and layout of the store, which Barrett hopes reminds people of a certain upscale market. Another reason, however, is that there’s a woman behind the counter as well. Brittany Napier has been with Toast since the beginning, first as the wine buyer and now as the buyermanager of the store. A former server at a downtown restaurant, Napier said she learned about wine at her boss’ insistence and learned to love it. “Our manager was adamant about us knowing the wines,” she said. “I had to learn it and, once I started tasting it and learning, it was just an automatic interest. I never thought when I was mandated to learn the wine list that I would be here.” “And you never learn it all,” Barrett added. “That’s right,” Napier agreed. “The alcohol industry is ever-evolving. It’s always changing.” And whether it’s in the liquor, wine or beer section of the 7,000-square-foot store in the Publix shopping center, Napier and Barrett aim to stay on top of trends, whether it be flavored vodkas or
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low-calorie mixes and pre-mixed drinks. The wine department at Toast features a couple of trends that some might be surprised to see in a more upscale store — boxed wines and screw-top bottles. “Boxed wines are actually very good for storing,” Napier explained. “The air never gets to the wine so the customer doesn’t have to worry about it spoiling. There are four bottles’ worth of wine in a three-liter box and it can last for about four weeks. It’s perfect for a person who just likes a glass of wine here and there, and it’s great for trips and parties.” Storage is also the reason more and more winemakers are using screw tops, or stelvin enclosures, instead of corks — not only are they less expensive, they don’t succumb to spoilage once the bottle is sealed. The general public, Napier said, has been slower to accept the screw-top bottles than winemakers have. “Some people believe that screw caps take away from the romance, the elegance of pulling the cork out, but I think people need to look past that,” she said. The story of the wine isn’t in the top, it’s in the bottle. It’s about enjoying what’s in the bottle.” There’s plenty of enjoyment to be had at Toast, which devotes an entire room to wines. The room is divided into and clearly marked by varietals. “When we first opened we had everything by country and varietal and the more we learned, we found it’s easier for the customer to come in here and shop by varietal,” Napier said. “And everything’s in order by price progression from less expensive to more expensive in each section, so it’s easier to guide the customer.” In the back of the wine section is the cellar, which contains all of the store’s sparkling wine offerings, as well as the most expensive bottles. Almost half of the store’s sales may be wines, but both Napier and Barrett say that beer sales are catching up. The store is, of course, equipped with a
beer cave, but the growth comes from a different area. “Craft beer sales are on the rise and we have the biggest selection in town by far,” Barrett said, estimating the store has 500 kinds of beer in stock. “It’s changing, it’s growing. We’re introduced to new beers weekly.” Customers can mix and match any of the beers at Toast. Now that winter and the holidays are around the corner, that beer tends to be darker and heavier, just as the first shipments of holiday wines have more festive labels and the liquor gift boxes are on display. Toast is gearing up for the season, preparing for their biggest wine sales week during Thanksgiving and making sure that customers know employees can help with everything
from holiday party special orders to gadget gifts for the wine connoisseur to holiday wrapping. They do, however, want customers to know that they can expect this kind of service any time of the year. “Anybody can go to a grocery store and get wine, but you can’t get anybody to help you,” Barrett said. “If somebody comes in here, we’ll help them out with whatever they need. We offer full service.” Toast Wine and Beverage 417 Fury’s Ferry Road Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-10 p.m. 706-922-8627 toastbev.com
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