(828) 575-9525

Metro Wines

(828) 575-9525 • 169 Charlotte Street • Asheville, NC 28801

Owners John Kerr and Gina Trippi opened Metro Wines and celebrated their grand opening April 27, 2013. Located at 169 Charlotte Street in Asheville, Metro Wines is on the way to The Grove Park Inn, just down the street from Gan Shan Station, City Bakery and The Chop Shop.

And there is plenty of free, close and easy parking!

Metro Wines offers a wide selection of wines focusing on pairing just the right wine with any dish or event. We also offer Fentiman's Tonic water, Rose Lemonade and Saratoga Water, the only sparkling water bottled in the U.S., giving this extraordinary water a low carbon footprint. Here you will find grape specific shelves as well as categories ranging "from $10 and under" to the "bucket list" to "a bad hair day." John and Gina share the philosophy that wine is about friends, family and community. Both are always available to answer questions, offer suggestions, share stories and work with your caterer or event planner. 

There is always a tasting, as our sign says "Tasting NOW," at Metro Wines! Wednesday Nights are usually to benefit a local charity, "Almost Free Friday" introduces wines under $10 that are perfect to buy by the case for weekend gatherings. And there is always "a bottle of red, a bottle of white or perhaps a rose instead" open to taste. Please see our events calendar for all our weekly tastings and special events

Josh Deloach of Hook&Ladder Winery visited us at Metro Wines earlier this year. Standing next to a Hook&Ladder barrel proudly sitting in our shop!, Josh discussed winemaking, the vineyards, the Hook &Ladder philosophy, and his favorite wine. Set to music by Brad Earnhardt, President of the Asheville Classical Guitar Society, take a look at this video:

Gina Trippi

    An attorney by trade and member of The Florida Bar and The District of Columbia Bar, Gina has worked as an Felony Public Defender in Tampa, for the City Attorney in St. Petersburg, Legal Adviser and Hearings Officer for Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries and as a Litigation Attorney for the Comptroller of the Currency in Washington DC. 

    Relying on her skills in strategy and representing clients and issues, Gina has worked for political campaigns and to promote the mission national historic landmarks including Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio as well as many animal welfare organizations.

    Doing what she likes best, Gina wrote feature stories for Current Newspapers in Washington DC and currently writes a column about wine for The Laurel of Asheville. 

    A graduate of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, with a degree in Communications, Gina graduated Law Review from Loyola New Orleans College of Law and received a Masters of Law from Georgetown in Securities Regulation. Gina founded and funds The Brigadier General Carl. L Trippi Animal Law Scholarship at Loyola New Orleans College of Law, a scholarship named after her father to assist a student who promises to use their law degree to promote animal welfare through the courts.

    So why wine? Gina started to learn about and appreciate wine when she met John in Washington DC. The two started wine shipping business in Virginia, relocated to Asheville about two years later with their two greyhounds, Cate and Bandit, and Voila!

The Manager !!

 

Kendal Klein (EMERITUS)

My name is Kendal and I am originally from Baltimore and have lived in Asheville, NC since 2006.

I started drinking wine when I was in college and I started with the classic Sutter Home White Zinfandel wine and my “swirley” straw. I then upgraded to “boxed” chardonnay chased with a frozen push-pop. When I told my parents about my wine expertise they just laughed at me. When I came home for summer vacation they educated me on wine and taught me the differences between the grapes. Still, wine was and is a scary and intimidating thing and that is my goal here at Metro Wines, to make wine a fun and exciting experience!

In my short amount of time at Metro Wines, my knowledge and love for wine has exceeded my expectations. That is why I have worked hard with Gina, John, and Andy in making the Blind Tasting League and Asheville School of Wine successful and locally known. You can also find my blogs on the Metro Wines Wine Blog, Women Vintners, and in the Sophie Magazine with my own blog called "Breaking The Grape Ceiling." And be sure to check out both Blind Tasting and Asheville School of Wine websites at www.blindtastingleague.com and www.ashevilleschoolofwine.com

Contact Metro Wines for events at our shop including everything from small office meetings to weddings. With our network of vendors and adviors, we can do it all. And check our calendar on this site to see all of our public events. (828) 575-9525. 

Update: Although Kendal is now a successful speech therapist in Florida, she still pitches in on the holidays!

Andy Hale 

Andy Hale has recently joined the team and has been working hard with us to get our Asheville School of Wine and Blind Tasting League in action. Andy and his wife moved to Asheville two years ago from Charleston, South Carolina, where he had worked as a sommelier for Jasmine Porch and the Ocean Room, two very high-end restaurants at Kiawah Island. When he first moved to Asheville he worked for a local distributor before joining the team here at Metro Wines. 

Andy Hale is the face of the Blind Tasting League where he helps you discover the grape varietal, region, vintage, and even alcohol content of two white and red wines. He has a "fantastic" way of educating people about wine and making wine fun! Andy says "one of the benefits of tasting blind is that you're not burdened or encumbered by your expectations of what the wine is going to be. People bring a whole lot of what they expect a wine to be when they are trying something. Sometimes we'll open up a bottle of merlot at the shop and people look at you like 'pssh, I'm not drinking any merlot, trust me, I saw Sideways, I don't drink Merlot." 

Andy has also been working hard to get Asheville School of Wine off the ground and will be starting his first series in June with his Wine Sales and Service Class for Restaurant Professionals. His other class in the works is Wine 101 which will start in July! You can learn more about his classes and sign up on the school's website at www.ashevilleschoolofwine.com.

Photo Courtesy by www.mountainx.com

UPDATE: Andy Hale, like Anita Riley, has gone EMERITUS on us to Nashville. He finally gave in to the call to write country music! Dang. We will miss him. But, we expect he will join us for PopUP classes and events when he returns to town to visit family and we hope he will continue to share his thoughts on our Asheville School of Wine Blog. Meanwhile, things are changing. The First Wednesday of every month will now be devoted to The Asheville Wine Focus Group. Please join us. Details: here.

Another Update: Andy is back from Nashville. His dream of singing country music just did not work out. So he has returned to the world of wine @MetroWines! The good times and Asheville School of Wine Classes are back!

Anita Riley (EMERITUS)

I love to pair wines and beers with food for that perfect combination. When a customer asks me what they should get with little or no knowledge of wines or beer, I immediately ask them what they want it to taste like or what they are having with it. I love being a part of creating a perfect meal that allows good friends, good food, and good times to take center stage. That's what it's all about. Setting a stage for laughter and connections to happen naturally.

I am a native to WNC and a student of Brewing, Distillation, and Fermentation.  As a Certified Beer Server through Cicerone, USA, I bring a knowledge of beers and beer styles in addition to wine and spirits to the shop.  I'm also writing "Brewing Up A Storm", a blog about women in the beer industry, and I am having a blast doing it! Beginning in January of 2016 I'll joined the team at Mystery Brewing in Hillsborough, NC as a full time Cellarman. If you have no idea what a cellarman does, you aren't alone! Here's a fun interview with a cellarman to give you an idea.

The saga continues. I have written a book and I am now at a brewery in Raleigh!

While my presence at the shop will be limited to guest appearances, the blog continues!  

Photo credit: Derek DiLuzio 

Lou Collichio "Beer Guy"

Lou came to Metro Wines with twenty eight years of experience in the spirits industry. He started his career in New Jersey first managing a small wine shop and then working for a chain of discount beer, wine, and liquor stores as a beer buyer and assistant store manager. After moving to Asheville in 2006, Lou worked for both Greenlife Grocery, and Whole Foods as a beer and wine buyer. His passion for all things craft beer started at the dawn of the American craft beer movement and has continued unabated to this day.

But it's not just beer. Lou has a Certificate for passing the Introductory Sommelier Examination in the Court of Master Sommeliers Program.  He has a lapel pin!! But that does not mean that Lou has gone High Hat on us. He still offers Craazy Lou's Dollar Beers!

Lou says he is a "recovering musician." We haven't heard his music yet but what we do know is that Lou has stories! He plans to share some of his greatest hits with us and you on "Brewing UP a Storm" our beer blog. Did you know that Lou was in a 7th grade play with James Gandolfini and Lou stole the show? Stay tuned!

Hayley Gauthier Emeritus!

 While now pursuing her own business ideas, Halyley still helps us put on a good show with events.

 

Kristen Calloway

 

Kristen Calloway is the Weddings & Events Coordinator @MetroWines in Asheville. Wines, Kristen says,

are becoming more and more important to the wedding and creating lasting memories. Kristen works with couples

to pair the best wines for the best price with the menu, select wines that almost everyone can love,

and the perfect sparkling for that special toast!

 

Kristen is also the co-owner of Doll Box Beauty where she offers her services as a make-up artist. Kristen's work

in make up began in department store management. In 2005, her customer service skills, commitment to getting the job done a

nd creativity convinced the Cosmetic Department Manager to recruit her to oversee and work a brand counter. 

Kristen says she instantly fell in love with the world of make up and has been making women beautiful ever since that day!

 

In 2008, Kristen worked her first wedding party. She realized that makeup has the power to make a woman feel her best,

to make her feel great, to give her the best day of her life! Those who have worked with Kristen say she listens, really listens,

and works closely with you to bring your vision to life. "Kristen puts her heart into it."

 

Kristen's goal @MetroWines is to be as big a part of the wedding or event as the customer needs,

to do whatever she can to help the customer tamp down the stress and enjoy to occasion from selecting

just the right wines and beers in just the right amounts to just the right make up to make you feel confident and beautiful.

 

Call Kristen at (828) 575-9525 @MetroWines for wine, beer and sparkling.

And contact her for make up at (https://www.dollboxproductions.com)

 

Brett Watson, Wine Buyer

 

 

"Meet Brett Watson.  You may have seen him and his non-conventional hair sauntering around
the shop talking too much about Corsica, Greece and the glory of dry rosé food pairing qualities. 
That said we decided to keep him and more importantly introduce him as our new shop wine buyer! 
He hails from too much time in the revered Los Angeles restaurant scene at iconic Bestia and Bavel.  Even thought directly from the West Coast, don’t be fooled as he is a midwestern-bred, Wisconsinite through and through.  If you see him in the shop, say howdy and don’t let him sell you too much Sicilian volcano Nerello Mascalese and don’t laugh at his poorly crafted wine jokes."