Doing just vine
Get on the Dean's List and restaurant veteran Dean McSherry will stock your cellar
Diners old enough to have eaten at the original Sfuzzi might recognize the name Dean McSherry, the bold charmer who ran the '90s Uptown hot spot, among other places, before turning to consulting. He and his wife, Susan, also run a catering company that provides services for restaurateurs such as Stephan Pyles.
Now he's targeting another facet of the food and beverage industry: the beverage part, by jumping into the wine club arena. The Dean's List is a website from which he'll sell wine and have it delivered to your door.
Wine clubs have become more plentiful as restrictions to buy wine loosen; what you're buying is your faith in someone's taste.
"I did a lot of consulting for friends and family over the years, where people say, 'Here's $1,000. Would you go buy some wine for me?'" McSherry says. "People put a lot of trust in what I can do."
He's also hired Rudy Mikula, one of Dallas' more recognizable sommeliers. Mikula has worked at a number of places, including Max's Wine Dive, Dali Wine Bar and Nana.
"Rudy is our sommelier and head wine dude," McSherry says. "We're making it very approachable for everyday drinking wine — that $10- to $35-dollar range that people can consistently reorder and then we deliver it. We want it to be quirky and fun.
"But if you're a wine geek and want to dive down into how much rainfall this particular vintage received and what's the acidity level and brix, it's there for you. We'll also have some higher end cellar selections."
The website isn't done yet, but he calls it "an iTunes-genius-meets-YouTube-video" mash-up. He also hopes to do "some other fun things" and hints at a winery license.
"Maybe we'll see you out here stomping some grapes," he says. "But my primary focus will be to bring wine to consumers in the most efficient way, which is delivery to their doorstep."
They're building up their email list and doing charity events, such as the Savor Dallas preview of Trinity Groves on Thursday.
"For now, it's Rudy and me in some offices, in a huge warehouse on Midway Road," he says.
If you're interested in winning some free Savor Dallas tickets (and who isn't?), here's how.