By Elaine Rose, Published March 9th 2012, updated June 20th 2019

EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP — The sign on the front door of Passion Vines reads, “You are now entering the most passionate wine experience in the world.”

That might be a slight exaggeration, but shopping at Passion Vines definitely involves more than running in, picking up a bottle and running out. All but the most savvy connoisseurs will probably need help distinguishing between the many bottles on the shelves, and the staffers are all educated to help them choose.

A tasting table in the center of the store lets customers sample a featured wine each week, and the store sells gourmet cheeses from DiBruno Brothers in Philadelphia to go with them.

“Our brand is that we carry it all, but we specialize in craft (drinks), and that goes for wine, spirits and beer,” said owner Michael Bray, 33, of Somers Point.

Bray himself didn’t start out as a wine lover.

After working several years in amusements and golf, Bray said, he wanted to go into business for himself. So he bought the former Point Pub Liquors in the Somers Point Plaza on Route 9 in 2004.

“It wasn’t the product at the start, it was the business opportunity,” Bray said. “But it evolved into the love of wine and the people.”

In 2008, Bray said, he changed the name to Passion Vines, and the store became a place where people could both taste and buy more exotic vintages. The Egg Harbor Township store opened in 2009.

Bray said he became educated about the thousands of varieties of wine, and wants to pass that knowledge on to his clientele. The Somers Point store hosts monthly sessions of Wine 101 and Scotch 101, in which students learn about the beverages and get six samples for about $20.

The Somers Point location also has a bar, where patrons can buy drinks by the glass or pay for a group of several samples.

There are sommeliers — yes, there is a special certification for that — and a Scotch expert on staff, Bray said. Employees regularly teach each other about the products and bring in experts from the industry.

Bray said he travels around the world to meet with wine producers, and specializes in products from small vineyards and craft breweries. But if a customer wants a national commercial brand, that’s available, too.

The trend in wines is toward the products of the smaller vineyards, said Meridith May, publisher and executive editor of The Tasting Panel, an Encino, Calif.-based magazine for wine and spirits retailers, restaurants and food-and-beverage directors. Many stores now have their own sommeliers.

“They’re so educated, they want to make sure their wine list, or what they have on the shelves, is esoteric and covers the world’s trends,” May said.

The buzzword in the industry is “terroir,” or a sense of the location, climate and soil the wine comes from, May said. But some retailers are ignoring some of the larger, more established vineyards, and that can be a mistake.

“While small, esoteric production wine may be very cool and no one (else) has them, they might be ignoring some of the bigger names” that have the vineyards and technology to produce great wines, May said.

Bray said he carries it all, and most customers come in with an open mind and ask the staff for suggestions.

“If you’re having it for your 50th anniversary celebration, it’s a lot different from having wine with pizza that night,” he said.

And although the Egg Harbor Township store has been open for only two years, expansion plans are in the works, Bray said.

The retail area will nearly triple, from 2,400 square feet to about 7,000, and there will be less storage space, Bray said. The front will remain the wine room, chilled to a proper 60 degrees, and the rear will be a slightly warmer warehouse area for beer and spirits.

“There will be two different shopping experiences” in the same shop, Bray said.

Passion Vines

Locations: Somers Point Plaza, 265 New Road, Somers Point (Phone: 609-601-8463) 3013 Ocean Heights Ave., Egg Harbor Township (Phone: 609-653-8463)

Owner: Michael Bray, 33, of Somers Point

Started: 2004

Employees: 20

Contact Elaine Rose:

609-272-7217

ERose@pressofac.com