Champagne Shop Offers Culture

Nancy Weber-Curth opened one of the only sparkling wine and champagne bars in the country on College Street in May. The shop, situated just a few minutes’ walk from campus, was designed as a place where upper-classmen, faculty and local townspeople can have a seat, relax and celebrate the day. The menu offers a wide variety of sparkling wines and champagnes from all over the world, including Argentina, Australia, Italy, South Africa and, of course, France. Weber-Curth offers “Citrón-Presé” — a classic French sparkling lemonade served with sugar — as an option for underage patrons or those who choose not to drink.

Weber-Curth fell in love with sparkling wine while studying abroad in a small French town, and, although she has always treasured the drink, she has found it extremely hard to find in the United States.

Although Weber-Curth experimented with other business pursuits, the idea of running a business in Vermont was something that particularly appealed to her, so she decided to pursue her passion for sparkling wine and bring the product to her home state.

“I believe that if you start your own business, it’s a really good idea to choose something that you really love,” she said.

After considerable research, she ventured to France to meet grape growers in the Champagne Valley. Rather than go to corporate champagne and wine giants for her selection, she decided to explore smaller vineyards whose farmers really focus on producing a quality drink.

After touring various wineries, sampling a broad array of selections and speaking with numerous producers about their products, Weber-Curth was able to pick out the highest quality sparkling wines.

She offers 15 different sparkling wines — ranging from $21 to $44 per bottle —  which includes details about each one’s origin and key notes. She features five wines each week, which are between $6 and $7 by the glass. Her champagnes are more expensive at $12 per glass and $60 per bottle. Weber-Curth does not plan on offering student discounts, as she claims that her prices are relatively affordable  — the few other bars in the country offer wines for upward of $80 per glass — and that the quality of the wines is more than commensurate with their cost.

Fluent in French, Weber-Curth feels that communicating with the producers in French really helped them express their passion for their wines, and having a connection with her growers is part of what she believes makes her shop unique. Weber-Curth, who is also fluent in Arabic and Russian, feels that foreign language skills are important and she wants to inject the atmosphere of the shop with a multicultural flair. During the summer months, Weber-Curth and one of her multi-lingual employees offered students at the summer language schools a place to go off campus without violating their pledge of not speaking English.
When summer ended, Weber-Curth realized that a lot of townspeople, students and faculty would appreciate a relaxing off-campus venue in which to practice their foreign-language skills.

Weber-Curth has plans to designate a few hours a week as language hours. She hopes to foster a community where people can feel comfortable practicing with acquaintances and strangers alike.

Weber-Curth, who is from Ferrisburgh, Vt., chose to open her business in Middlebury because she felt that the diverse community would find her bar appealing.

She thinks that her unique idea will boost Middlebury’s economy by generating business for the other shops in town. She offers a variety of cheeses and chocolates — which she purchases from local producers — as pairing material. She also purchases local furniture; her tabletops are made of soft maple from Addison County. Her emphasis on using local products reflects her commitment to sustainable agriculture and her desire to contribute to Middlebury’s economy.

She hopes that people will stop by to relax after an afternoon walk or an entertaining tasting experience before going out to dinner.

Emily Blistin, the manager at the nearby shop Clementine, has wined at the bar, and found it a great place to have a pleasant evening conversation with friends. She said that it was worthwhile to step out of her comfort zone and visit the shop.

“It’s a great atmosphere, [and] the scenery is beautiful,” said Blistin. “She sets out tables in the summertime, and the patio is lovely. I’ve met a couple friends there after work and we all just sat and had a great time. It is a limited selection and I didn’t know if I’d like it, but I just had a glass or two and it was wonderful.”

Weber-Curth rejects the notion that sparkling wine and champagne should be reserved for special occasions — she feels that being alive should be cause for celebration.

“People associate sparkling wines and champagnes with celebration [and] fun things,” said Weber-Curth.  “I thought, why can’t we do this every day?”