Friday, November 9, 2007

Entrepreneur pours energy into Scottsdale wine bistro

The Business Journal of Phoenix - by Lynn Ducey Phoenix Business Journal

Mike Fine, former co-owner of Sports-man's Fine Wines and Spirits, is putting his experience and entrepreneurial skills into a food and wine venture soon to open in Old Town Scottsdale.

Fine is readying space at Fifth Avenue and Marshall Way for Fine's Cellar, a wine-oriented restaurant and bistro with plenty of outdoor space aimed at a casual crowd.

Fine's restaurant is expected to open in December.

"My background is wine and wine education. I think that's why we were so successful at Sportsman's," Fine said. "I am going to take what I have and bring it to this location."

Rod Keeling, president of the Arizona Wine Growers Association and owner of Keeling Schaefer Wineries in Willcox, credits Fine for being at the forefront of wine's popularity in the state.

"He was really the first one to have a custom premium wine shop," Keeling said of Fine. "Everyone since then has basically ridden on his coattails, so it's going to be really interesting to see what he does with this venture."

Fine sold his share of Sportsman's in late 2006 to his business partner, Robert Lee. Earlier this year, Lee sold the business to Bashas' Supermarkets.

Over the course of a day, it will transform from a coffee and pastry bar at 7 a.m.; to a noontime bistro serving gourmet wraps, salads and soups; to an evening spot for dinner and wine.

Fine said his evening concept focuses on an event-driven, wine-oriented menu where the wine helps determine the entrées.

A central point of the restaurant will be a walk-in wine cellar where guests can look at the offerings and choose a bottle with their meals. The menu will change every three months to focus on the foods and wines of different regions of the world.

In addition to seminars and wine tastings, there will be a "Wine 101" program that teaches people the basics of wine.
"Wine is at its all-time high, and wine is becoming very popular with the 25- to 40-year-old groups," Keeling said. "The classic restaurant is not where the wine growth is right now. It's places that are a little hipper, a little more trendy, with a little younger orientation."

According to the Wine Market Council, a nonprofit trade organization, domestic wine consumption totaled more than 250 million cases in 2006 -- an all-time high that also marked the 13th straight year of consumption increases. And with a national per-capita consumption of about 2.88 gallons of wine last year, analysts expect consumption and appreciation to grow.

Keeling said restaurants adopting a casual bistro atmosphere are playing a big role in increasing awareness about wine -- and, specifically, about Arizona wines.

Fine's establishment will be housed in what some call an iconic location, one of the most photographed spots in Old Town Scottsdale.

"We are reintroducing high-end retail activity back into the Fifth Avenue district, which is what made it famous back in the 1950s and 1960s," said Jon Chase, reinvestment services director with the city of Scottsdale.

Fine said he chose Old Town Scottsdale for his venture because adult crowds already flock to the area for restaurants and nightlife.

"The city has so many different types of owners and concepts. We've got so much happening, this is just a great addition to all the activity," said Rachel Pearson, spokeswoman for the Scottsdale Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Fine said he is specifically focusing on the restaurant's outdoor component.

"We're doing shade sails. It's going to be heated, and we are putting in a very sophisticated misting system. In downtown Scottsdale, outdoor seating is king. This is going to be a very unique place," he said.

Next month will mark a key point in Fine's career as an entrepreneur.

"Sportsman's was so successful, there was no reason to change it. But this is a business that I've wanted to do for a very long time," he said.