Friday, September 18, 2009

Wine Cellar to Uncork Its Last Bottle of Chianti

Some sad news to pass on courtesy of the Sizzle-n-Cuisine newsletter:
Coeur d'Alene will never be the same. It is with great sadness that we announce today that the ~Wine Cellar~ in downtown Coeur d'Alene is closing.

The inspiration, orchestration and vision of Jim Duncan, the Wine Cellar has been gathering a fan club that reaches all across the USA and in locations around the world. This late night cafe has been a local favorite for a cozy romantic restaurant and a vibrant place for locals to take visiting friends and family for more than 17 years. They are famous for their extraordinary wine selections, great food at reasonable prices and for always being a venue for local musicians to share the spotlight.

The wine, the music, the food will be shutting down Oct. 3rd due to a dispute of ownership and unforseen difficulties out of their control. The management plans to commemorate their last three weeks in celebration, with an open invitation to customers, suppliers and friends. The next three weeks are dedicated to celebrating memories and sharing stories from the many years that have made the Wine Cellar a cultural icon of Coeur d'Alene... and indeed and icon in the entire Northwest dining and entertainment scene.

There will be a rotation of the usual bands and musicians on stage, wine specials offered, and every evening a lively discussion about friends, parties and characters that have enriched their lives and made the cellar a success. Jim will be on hand on the weekends pouring wine and greeting guests. Join the staff at the Wine Cellar in saying goodbye to a dining experience that only they could have brought to us. We thank them. We love them. We will miss them so much.

The Wine Cellar is located at 313 Sherman Ave. ~ reservations (208) 664-WINE (9463).

Between this and the recent closing of the Sunshine Trader, the Cd'A restaurant scene is starting to get depressing. It's no fun to watch longtime local favorite eateries shut their doors for good.

6 comments:

Blue Moose Democrat said...

Such awful, awful news! :_( This is my parents' and grandparents' favorite place.

If it's becuase of an ownership dispute, is there any chance of reopening once the dispute is settled?

Anonymous said...

Only dined once at the Wine Cellar and was not impressed. Doesn't seem like a big loss to me.

Never went to the Sunshine Trader. It limited it's own business potential by it's location and obscure appearance. I drove by there for years not even knowing it was a restaurant. After I was made aware that it was a restaurant, it wasn't always clear whether it was open or even still in business. Not the best business plan, IMO.

Anonymous said...

To be missed along with the Fore'n'Aft Lounge, Chelsea's and, for sentimental reasons aside from cuisine, music or atmosphere, Henry's.

swivek said...

I loved the Wine Cellar, that sucks.

Anonymous said...

If only someone would bring up Indian genitalia, you could have a rousing discussion here too...
http://www.cdapress.com/articles/2009/09/20/news/news01.txt

cda jk said...

I am one of the musicians that had the fun and privilege of making music at the Wine Cellar. Jim hired me the first time in 1997 for a mid-week engagement. Since then, our band, "Cool Stream" has been able to share our music on week-end venues at the Cellar.

It feels like watching a loved one fade away from a disease, just thinking of not having The Wine Cellar in downtown CdA. We are all heartsick.

We hope that whatever the ownership problems are, that they can be sorted out and there will be a big re-opening party in the near future.

All our love and respect goes out the the wonderful people that have kept the Cellar going these last few years!

Jon Walton...Cool Stream