What it is: Alison and Jason Racine moved back to Alison’s hometown of Vermilion from Brooklyn, NY, and quickly noticed that there was something missing. The community lacked a wine shop and they have the knowledge and passion to provide it.
The couple enjoys learning and exploring wine as much as drinking it, and that proved to be just the right combination to open SOS Wines at 651 Main St. in downtown Vermilion.
“We ask questions and we listen,” Jason Racine says via an email interview. “Wine is as much about knowledge as it is about enjoyment and mood. What kinds of wines do you generally like to drink? Are you drinking wine with someone? By itself or with a meal? How adventurous are you feeling?
“Our goal is to get to know the individual tastes of the customers who walk into the shop.”
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SOS Wine offers tasting and education classes several times a month at its Main Street Vermilion location. (Photo/SOS Wines)Keeping it simple: The Racines strive to keep everything organized and simple for the customer—from decor to shopping experience.
“When choosing a wine, for example, everything is organized by price rather than by region or varietal,” Alison Racine writes. “Shelves are standardized with wines at $20, $30, $40, $60 and $80-plus price points. We also do tasting and education classes several times a month and have brought in various winemakers to speak, such as John Michael of Two Vessels, originally from Euclid but now based in Paso Robles, Calif., and most recently, Kara Van Zyl, who just visited us from Riebeek Cellars to lead a class on South African wines. The classes stand out and are a lot of fun to attend and to learn about wine while meeting other people from the community.”
What’s in a name: The shop got its name from a standing family joke. Alison’s father was an Ohio politician and a regular at the local Bob Evans Restaurant and when he would sit down, he asked the waitresses for an “emergency coffee.” The waitress knew him and played along with it.
Learning about wine: SOS Wines holds classes and wine tastings on a regular basis, usually every two to three weeks. Information on upcoming events can be found on the
shop’s website.
Hours and contact info: SOS Wines Vermilion will be open from noon-6 p.m., Thursday, Friday and Saturday starting in April. Currently the shop is open noon to 5 p.m., Thursday through Saturday.
The shop can be found at its website, along with Facebook and Instagram @soswinesvermilion. For information, email
[email protected] or call 440-794-1466.