DRIPPING SPRINGS — A new business is coming to town with a mission: to be the favorite spot for good times and wine in the heart of Dripping Springs.
Former proprietors of Epicure, Jerry Gray and Julio Llop, have joined forces with Kristine Clark to seek out “exceptional wines from around the world” — including those from Europe, South America, New Zealand, South Africa, Australia and more — and share them in a setting, called Winehouse, that brings people together.
Epicure’s Dripping Springs location was closed in October 2023, but prior to that time, it was a chefand sommelier-owned and directed restaurant that served global comfort cuisine, artisanal wines, craft cocktails and fine-quality meats and cheeses locally and to the surrounding Hill Country communities.
“We had originally owned and operated Epicure in Dripping Springs and the goal there was to bring people the kinds of foods and wines we wanted to eat and drink. Over time, the restaurant business model became difficult …. between rising costs and things like that. We found ourselves increasingly devoting our time and efforts to the production of food and we were getting kind of away from our original mission, which was food and drink,” explained Gray. “So, we closed Epicure in 2023, in October of that year, and we decided to retool the business model and really bring a focus back to wine.”
Having an eight-year run in Dripping Springs and a clientele of wine drinkers, Gray said that they wanted to get back to that core piece of the business. He said that they have been building and seeing what that might look like from a consumer’s perspective in terms of the product and price points.
While they did have customers at Epicure who would drink more premium wines, Gray said that, as they look into this new venture, they also recognize that not everybody is going to spend significant amounts when they go out and drink wine.
“The idea was, eventually, we are going to be importing the wines for sale in the local market and offering them for sale … at a reasonable price point, getting rid of some of the middle people in the equation and enabling us to bring in some stuff that is priced so attractively that it becomes a better option than just the typical wine bar or wine club experience might be,” Gray explained. “We really want to create a kind of focal point for people to have a place to come, hang out and enjoy a glass of wine, if that's your thing, craft beer on tap, if that's your thing, non-alcoholic cocktail, if that's your thing.”
There will also be different wine clubs offered, including one which will allow people to choose how they want their wine locker stocked, which will help those who are going to spend a little bit more money on wine and they want to know that they can get access to rare, allocated, premium wines that they wouldn't ordinarily find in a wine bar, Gray said.
The idea behind Winehouse is to be the go-to merchant in Dripping Springs and a place where there is something for everybody, according to Clark, a trained chef who was brought on at Epicure and now, this next venture.
“We will have an owner presence at all times, a level of expertise, which is not going to be found in most grocery stores or liquor stores. Tastings, so you can experience and try before you buy, so to speak, during certain days and times,” she said. “Hopefully, [it will be] a setting that's comfortable enough where you want to shop and then, you also want to grab a bottle and hang out for a while … It’s kind of an environment where there's something for everybody, whether you’re well down your path of becoming a certified wine sommelier yourself or just a couple that wants to come out or some moms to relax and unwind.”
Though anybody can “find things to drink in any corner of the globe,” Gray explained that they didn’t want to feel like they were forced in a particular region or approach when it comes to wine.
“As we develop on the winery side, we will actually be importing wines from overseas that aren't available in this marketplace. The wines that are selected for the typicity and the characteristics of that region and allow us to keep our focus on small, family-owned wineries, craft producers of their product,” Gray explained, “People who've been doing this for generations, people whose instinct is to let the grape and the soil speak for themselves, without a great deal of human intervention and manipulation of the product.”
In addition to wines by the glass, or by the bottle, they are looking at doing weekly tastings on Friday and Saturday, as well as bringing in live music, wine dinners and other events as part of the multi-phased approach.
While wine is going to be the core focal point, Gray assured that they will still be serving elevated food items, some of which were served at Epicure and others that will be new on the menu.
Winehouse is located at 501 Old Fitzhugh Road, just north of Mercer Street in the central district of Dripping Springs in a neighborhood setting.
“We didn't have a name until we found a location. We're moving into what used to be the Sidecar Tasting Room and it's an old house,” Clark explained. “It's very quaint and homey and we kind of felt like Winehouse kind of covered all the things that we are ... If we want to do something else, it doesn't prohibit us, by name, from expanding.”
With all of the moving parts that are currently happening with permitting and construction, Gray said that they are hoping to be open sometime in February.
To keep up-to-date on Winehouse’s opening and more, visit bit.ly/4jCkNH5.
PHOTO COURTESY OF KRISTINE CLARK Pictured, wine glasses hang in preparation of Winehouse’s opening in Dripping Springs. Former proprietors of Epicure, Jerry Gray and Julio Llop, have joined forces with Kristine Clark to seek out “exceptional wines from around the world” and share them in a setting, called Winehouse, that brings people together.
