Today we’d like to introduce you to Paula de Pano.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I moved to the US in 2008 to pursue a career in food. It wasn’t after a year in my culinary arts degree that I switched my focus to wine. My path as a wine professional began at Fearrington House in Pittsboro as the assistant sommelier to Max Kast, MS, and obtained further certifications with the Court of Master Sommeliers and Wines and Spirits Educational Trust in the four years that I was there. I moved to New York City in 2014 to join the sommelier team of Eleven Madison Park. It was during this time that I was exposed to an elevated culture in wine, both in breadth and depth of scope. I came back to Fearrington House to helm the beverage and service program in 2016 when Max decided to move on from the position. After five years of contributing to the world-class wine list at Fearrington, I decided to branch out of my own to fill the need for quality wine shops in the Chapel Hill-Durham-Pittsboro area when I opened up Rocks + Acid in December of 2022.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I’ve come to realize that while I would prefer to look at things through a glass-half-full lens, there will always be curveballs thrown my way, and to simply expect that. I decided to open up Rocks + Acid with the hope of launching it in the Spring of 2022, but numerous construction and permitting obstacles made that impossible. The shop’s opening date kept on getting moved from one season to the next, and it became truly disheartening. I remember speaking to one of my closest friends who also opened up her own business in Durham, and while I couldn’t really hear what she was trying to tell me through the dismay that I felt, she said that once I open my doors, it’ll all be worth it. It was. I walk through the shop’s doors every day feeling like it’s not a job but an extension of myself, and I barely remember the months leading up to the shop opening!
We’ve been impressed with Rocks + Acid Wine Shop, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Rocks + Acid is a neighborhood wine shop that offers over 400 SKUs and 20 wines by the glass. We offer our clientele and guests a selection that they can feel good about supporting. All of our wines are owned by small families – most consider themselves farmers rather than winemakers – not by a corporation that dictates a particular wine style for each vintage. The size of their vineyards also makes it impossible for them to produce large quantities, so the wines on our shelves aren’t what you would expect to see in big box stores or regular retailers. It is also very easy to pull a bottle from our shelves and know that the wine is either made organically, biodynamically, naturally, or sustainably. Women winemakers and owners are also frequently highlighted in our selections.
The shop also offers a gourmet selection of cheeses, charcuterie, conservas, and caviar that can consumed on-premises along with our rotating list of wines by the glass. Our outdoor seating area was recently launched and has been a hit with our neighborhood. What sets us apart is that we’re not just a local wine shop; our event calendar is stacked with weekly tastings, wine classes, importer and winemaker master classes, and food and wine pairing series that are frequently sold out.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
You cannot be everyone’s glass of wine.
Pricing:
- Retail Prices of our wines are between 25-35. I always try to explain to our clientele what makes every bottle worth the cost, and in the end, they realize that they are actually getting more bang for their buck.
- Food items are between $8-20
- Wines by the glass are between $10-18
- Classes and events vary depending on topic, from $35 to $125
Contact Info:
- Website: www.rocksandacidwineshop.com
- Instagram: rocksandacidwineshop
- Facebook: rocksandacidwineshop
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/rocks-and-acid-wine-shop-chapel-hill
Image Credits
Daniel Turbert Photography
