A taste of Italy at new Moody Street wine shop

WALTHAM — David Maione isn't just selling wine at his new Moody Street store, he's selling the culture and lifestyle of Italy.

The 37-year-old Waltham native and owner of La Campania restaurant on Main Street, opened the doors to Vino Italiano at 248 Moody St. on Tuesday, specializing in a selection of 250 Italian wines.

"When you taste these wines, they are artistic," Maione said. "Anything you can do in life you can find art in it. I think that's what attracts people to wine."

But selling wine is only half his intention.

Maione said he hopes to host wine tasting parties and teach two to three classes a month about Italian wine.

Inside the store, wine bottles are placed next to fact sheets, explaining the region and types of grapes used during fermentation. Maps of different Italian regions are placed on top of wine cabinets made from reclaimed wood from a barn in Maine, which Maione triple-stained himself to suggest a Tuscany look.

In the center of the room, tables and chairs provide a place for customers to read book about wine and for winemakers to give presentations on new blends.

Maione said his intention is to "create a library" for Italian wines so customers can sample new flavors and expand their knowledge simultaneously.

"It's a great place for people to learn about Italian wines," he said. "I wanted to make this store an educational experience. The great thing about wine and drinking wine is that escape to learn about another culture and also to learn about it with different people."

Maione has some innovative ways he plans to infuse technology into the business. He's soon installing a software program in which repeat customers are issued a special card, which would help them organize their own online wine cellar. Users could add notes about their preferred purchases and then order again through the store's Web site.

Opening a new business in a troubled economy wasn't a concern, Maione said. He already has a customer base from La Campania restaurant.

"The store really came out of what we do at the restaurant. Over time I noticed no one was purchasing California and French wines, mostly Italian," he said. "Eventually I said, 'I might as well make this a part of what we do.' "

Maione said he will staff the store with a rotating group of 10 La Campania employees that have been with the restaurant for a decade.

Maione, who lives with his wife, Laura, and four sons in Waltham, said his parents immigrated from Italy in the 1960s.

After a stint as a business consultant for Arthur Andersen, he and his family opened La Campania in 1997.