Vino Fine Wine and Spirits, a wine shop specializing in approachable wine and wine education, has a new home at 8314 Oak St. The shop was formerly located at 1124 S. Carrollton Ave.

Vino Fine Wine and Spirits is owned by the husband-and-wife team, Milton and Allyson Hernandez. Their goal is to offer world-class wine at great value.

Milton has a service industry background in New York and New Orleans. He formerly worked for Brennan’s Restaurant as a part of its private events team before making his way to the bar program there. He got to know the restaurant’s wine-seller and was intrigued by the quality of the wine offered. 

“I liked that those wines didn’t cost too much,” he said. “We were doing the work of finding great wines at a great value without skimping on quality or misrepresenting them in any way. That knowledge wasn’t something that I wanted to waste.”

Hernandez saw an opportunity to provide New Orleans with a wine shop that offered good wine at an affordable price. 

He said, “I realized that New Orleans would benefit from a place where people could get high quality wine at a great price, and you don’t have to sacrifice quality just because you’re buying the wine in a shop rather than drinking it at a nice restaurant.”

Milton and Allyson opened their original wine shop in June 2020 amid the madness of the Covid 19 pandemic and a cyber-attack on New Orleans’ City Hall, which made getting necessary permits difficult. 

They moved to Oak St. when the Carrollton Ave. building in which their shop was located was sold.

Whether you’re new to wine or an expert, Vino Fine Wine and Spirits is sure to have something that will appeal to you. Hernandez explained that when a customer comes into the shop, he learns about their tastes and helps them decide what wine best suits them.

He said, “What makes us different is we don’t just guide a person to a specific wine. We base our suggestions on what people like. We talk to the customer about what they enjoy and we go from there. We have a small, curated selection so that was know that we are guaranteed to find a wine that everyone likes.”

The new location of Vino Fine Wine and Spirits sells wine by the glass, available in a three-ounce or six-ounce pours. Hernandez’s focus is wine education and helping customers discover what is right for them without overspending. 

“It’s a great way for people to discover what wine they like without having to commit to a bottle,” he explained. “We wanted to have a tasting room and be able to let people try different wines and figure out their tastes. It helps people learn more about wine and find the wine that’s perfect for them.” 

Along with wine, Hernandez’s shop serves spirits, which he said customers get especially excited about.

“People who love spirits love us because we have things that don’t necessarily make it to the mainstream and we offer other things that we are very passionate about,” he said.

For the Oak St. Poboy Festival taking place this Sunday, Hernandez is going back to his roots. The shop will be open and serving plastic pouches that can hold an entire bottle of wine. Customers will choose red, white, or rosé wine served with four cups. For those customers more in the mood for a cocktail, Vino Fine Wine and Spirits will have a choice of a papaya margarita or a coconut and passionfruit martini, a nod to Oak St. Poboy Fest sponsors Old Mecca Tequila and Tito’s Vodka.

Hernandez said he was happy that he could open the new location of Vino Fine Wine and Spirits so close to its old location; the neighborhood clientele is important to him.

He said, “This is our neighborhood and we want to put our best foot forward when it comes to our customers. We’re lucky that we were able to open in this area and maintain a shop in the neighborhood. As soon as this opportunity came up, we jumped at the chance to open here. The fact that we have people who love us and patronize us is unbelievable.”

In an effort to give back to the community, Hernandez, a Marine, collects toys for the yearly Toys for Tots drive. He explained that it’s his way of making a difference through his business. Even though the wine shop was closed for a few months, during the move, he has been able to continue his mission of collecting toys for children in need.

“We have the donation box here, for anyone who want to donate,” he said. “We want to give back to others; that’s a part of the celebration of being here.”

Vino Fine Wine and Spirits is open daily, 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.