The Tribune

By NATARIO McKEsNZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

A WINE boutique will now complement the gourmet Balduccino Fine Foods deli, its general manager, Anton Alexiou, telling Tribune Business yesterday that over $250,000 had been invested into the venture that would likely create six additional jobs.

Speaking with this newspaper, Mr Alexiou said the the wine boutique concept was a "long time coming".

He added: "My brother and I have been planning a wine boutique for quite some time, and when we opened the deli in 2009 we were planning it from that point.

"It kind of took us a little while to pull it together because we wanted it to be a little different from Bristol Cellars and Burns House. We have invested over $250,000 into the wine boutique. It's a big investment, but it's going to be a great little store and it complements the deli. We just opened a new seating area and patio in front of the deli that will service both businesses. We have a little something for everyone."

Mr Alexiou added: "We have been looking for different wines from all over the world, and also putting together a very unique boutique. We will also be offering a menu and a tasting lounge.

"We have got a global selection of bottles. We don't specialise in any one particular region. We have about 5,000 bottles. We will have the basics and top-shelf spirits, and all the high end cognacs as well as the whole Bacardi family and all the different high end vodkas.

"Even though we are primarily a wine establishment, we will have a selection of spirits - mostly to service the yachting community. We will be attacking micro brew over the course of the year to get a lot of different micro brews in there as well, and perhaps put some on tap so that when we get our table set up, we will be able to offer beer as well. We hope to capture a lot of the up-and-coming trend,s and offer wines that are not offered in a lot of the other stores. That's basically our business models."

Mr Alexiou said the wine boutique, which officially opens today, is the perfect complement to Balduccino's deli. Mr Alexiou said: "Now we are basically a gourmet market and deli on one side, and retail wine operation on another. Over the course of the year I hope to amend both licenses to where we can serve liquor in the deli as well as serve food in the liquor store."

"The deli has been doing very well. We have had a very successful run, and I think that even in a slow economy people still need to eat. Even when things are tough people are willing to splurge on themselves. That's worked in our favour and, hopefully, we will hold strong. The deli right now employs about 20 people, and the wine store will likely employ about six people. We have about three right now."