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Justin Wages and his cousin Andre Grundy almost opened a brewery. Then they tried to create a beer. They were nearing the finish line but couldn’t find a distributor, said Wages, an entrepreneur who launched a lifestyle brand in 2015.
“It was a little discouraging,” Wages told The Post and Courier. When Wages, Grundy and business partner David Kinloch shifted to sparkling wine, a nod to their shared love of Champagne, they were at first alarmed by the barriers to entry in the wine industry, especially for minority owners. Charleston's holiday drink menus are all over town.
Here are some picks for festive sipping. First, they needed to find a vineyard to produce their sparkling wine. Farms in France didn’t return their calls, and California’s sparkling wine didn’t stand up to the bottles coming out of the Champagne region of France, Wages said.
The breakthrough came when they tried a wine produced in Italy using the Glera, or Prosecco, grape that’s native to the region. Wages was surprised when the wine’s taste mirrored that of Champagne. The bubby beverage was effervescent, intense and fragrant, Wages said, with hints of almond and apple.
He and his partners were sold. They formed a partnership and imported the wine to sell in South Carolina. They named their new company Don Luchi Prosecco, whose flagship product has routinely sold out of Charleston bottle shops since launching in July.
Our go-to Mount Pleasant drinks destination is hidden in plain sight. Here’s why we like it. Don Luchi Prosecco is sold at retail stores like Bottles and Micky Finn’s across the state.
It’s also on the menu at Charleston restaurants and wine bars like Legami, Lenoir, Graft and Sorelle. Don Luchi debuted with just one beverage, but the trio has more in the works, including a new product in the sparkling wine category they plan to debut next spring. Wages hopes to expand distribution to other states — and they haven’t given up on beer, either.
For now, they’re focusing their efforts on selling wine and educating consumers, while learning more about grapes, varietals and regions themselves. “We want to teach, not just sell,” Wages said. Don Luchi Prosecco is sold at retail stores like Bottles and Micky Finn’s across the state.
It’s also on the menu at Charleston restaurants and wine bars like Legami, Lenoir, Graft and Sorelle. For more information, visit officialdonluchi.com James Island restaurant showcases the best of neighborhood dining, one burger and oyster at a time.
