Season One Top Chef villain Stephen Asprinio--the guy with the overly gelled hair and overly inflated ego--will open a wine shop in downtown LA this summer called Tastevin. Slashfood explains the concept:
A wine boutique aimed at 20-somethings who are increasingly developing a taste for wines, but are put off from seeking out high-quality ones by the old fashioned, pretentious way wine is usually presented. Corks, dusty bottles and wooden crates are not selling points to the under-30 crowd. Stephen is doing away with all the stuffy formality of wine buying and keeping his venture sexy and ultra-modern, with Philippe Starke furniture and beautiful displays of the bottles, appealing to his age group by improving the presentation and accessibility of one of his favorite things: wine.Ooooh...all those cumbersome corks and dusty bottles. As The Grinder points out, catering to an under-30 crowd is kind of limiting for a wine shop, but even more so with his other project, a Palm Beach restaurant where everyone will be under 30, including the staff. That's down right discriminating. But we digress...
Tastevin will feature one of those cool "wine on tap" systems where you'll put a card in and taste as many of the 40-50 wines as you want. Like tapas, it's easy to ring up a high bill (we've been to a similar one in San Luis Obispo), which should keep Stephen well stocked in those fine, tailored suits.
· The next step for Stephen Asprinio [Slashfood]
· From "Top Chef" Hopeful to Wine-Store Mogul? [The Grinder]
