Rachael Buehrer and Alex Head, husband and wife owners of The Vino Gallery in the Central West End, are planning to open a wine school. Tentatively called “The School,” the educational organization will serve as a resource for local beverage professionals as well as for wine aficionados looking to expand their knowledge of wine.
The physical space at the school will include: classrooms for courses and seminars geared toward industry professionals and evening classes for the general public; a bar open to all; and a lending library. The school will also offer experiential learning via sommelier-led travel. Buehrer and Head hope to eventually add a non-profit component to the school in order to offer sponsorship opportunities for beverage professionals needing financial support such as for travel or examinations to further their careers.
Buehrer explained that the impetus behind the new venture is to foster the professional development of those in the drinking industry in St. Louis and offer them continued support rather than seeing promising pros leave town for opportunities elsewhere. In addition, the couple is excited to turn curious wine drinkers into veritable oenophiles.
Having not signed the lease on a space yet, Buehrer and Head could not disclose the location for the school, although Buehrer noted that it was near the Central West End. Calling the creation of the school an “ASAP” project, she added that as soon as a lease is signed, construction on the space will begin. Stay tuned for details.
This article appears in April 2013.