CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Well-known North Carolina sommelier, Paula de Pano, opened a new wine shop in Chapel Hill called Rocks and Acid.
What You Need To Know
Rocks and Acid is Chapel Hill’s newest wine shop with hundreds of fine wines to choose from
Owner Paula de Pano is a sommelier who used to work at Ferrington Village
The shop also offers wine tastings and educational classes
De Pano has a long list of accomplishments, including studying wine at the Culinary Institute of America and becoming the beverage director at Ferrington Village, one of the fanciest restaurants in the area.
But her most recent accomplishment is Rocks and Acid.
“It's still crazy for me to see all of this in its entirety every day,” de Pano said. “[It’s] still really awesome to come to work. It's not really work. It's more of like my other home.”
De Pano explained that the name of the shop refers to specific parts of the wine making process that make the flavors distinct. She says good wines makes you pay for good stories, labor of love and importing them across the world. She makes sure the wines she sells at Rocks and Acid have character and personality.
“The entire ethos of the shop is that they're small production wines,” de Pano said. “They're all family owned, not corporations. There's no company or a board that's dictating a particular flavor profile or how a wine is supposed to be made. So they're very unique.”
Another reason de Pano wanted to open this shop was for the teaching aspect. She offers weekly wine tastings, teaches Wine 101 and other topics, and brings in guests for master classes.
“When you're tasting a glass of wine … I pour you a taste. You like it? Great,” de Pano said. “But what's your frame of reference? You haven't tasted another one. Having six different wines, you get to see the differences off them, and you get to understand how you like wines.”
De Pano just opened Rocks and Acid in December. Although, any new business brings a layer of anxiety, she says so far, all the hard work has been worth it.
You can find out more about Rocks and Acid’s event and class schedule on their website.