Great Falls Enjoys New Wine Shop Mason du Vin opens at Village Center.
Wine enthusiasts have something to smile about as Mason Du Vin celebrated its grand opening on Saturday, Oct. 4. Inside and outside, customers were holding glasses filled with the new shop’s various wines. Owner Vital Hiek greeted customers and recommended bottles as they perused the nearly 800 options Hiek and his staff had hand selected.
"We hope to bring a nice, warm, and cozy place where people can come together and relax," said Hiek of his wine shop. "They can find wines that they can’t find typically in bigger stores … here there are very high-quality and low-production wines."
Customers seemed to enjoy the complimentary wine tasting which is something that makes the new shop stand out. Instead of having weekly wine tastings like many wine shops have, Mason Du Vin has complimentary wine tastings all day, every day. At all times, up to 16 different wines will be available for sampling from temperature-controlled machines that dispenses an assortment of brands. One machine is already in place and a second one will be added soon. The free samples, along with the variety of wines and the addition of a new business in the community had customers buzzing.
"We believe in supporting our local businessmen," said Ron Faucher, who was impressed with the selection of French wines. "They’re carrying a lot of products that you just can’t find any other place. I’m familiar with some of the prices and they’re very competitive."
Hiek brought together a staff of experts to help ensure his promise of offering only the best to his customers. Among his staff are a former White House wine consultant, a winemaker, and the former manager of the high-end City Tavern Club in Georgetown. Each wine is tasted and must be approved by all of the testers to be considered for sale in the shop located in the Great Falls Village Center.
"What we want is a fine wine store in Great Falls that focuses on hand-selected, limited-production and boutique wines," said manager Anson Anderson. "We’ve had a tremendous response. People have been coming in and they are impressed with the selection."
In the near future the store will feature a wine kiosk where customers can get information on the wines before they purchase that Hiek hopes will add to the store’s uniqueness. Even without the kiosk in place, the store was full of wine lovers who had come from all over the area to enjoy some wine.
"We love the Village and we love wine," said customer Kolyma Huot on the reason for coming to the grand opening. "Let’s do something we really enjoy!"