New Wine Shop Coming to Hermosa

From a tasteful European Riesling to an Estate Pinot Noir bottled in Oregon, Hermosa Beach shoppers will come face-to-face with wines and beers from around the world when Uncorked opens Saturday.

The store's location at 302 Pier Ave. used to house Smokey Hollow Wine & Cheese, which was later replaced by . Then in July, the owners of Bottleworx approached local realtor Gerry Athas-Vazquez to sell their wine shop.

"They needed to move to the Pasadena area," Athas-Vazquez said. "I just happened to be talking about it to Kathleen [Knoll] and she said 'Gerry, let’s buy the shop!' And I said 'really?' … She said 'we could make it into something really cool.' "

And so they did.

Now Athas-Vazquez and business partner Knoll are preparing for the grand opening of Uncorked, which will include more than 170 hand-selected wines, 25 craft beers, and specialty foods.

Athas-Vazquez, who has lived in Hermosa Beach for 10 years but grew up in New York City, said that selections from a Long Island winery will be included in the store as well as one of her favorites—that rich Pinot Noir from Oregon—which she recommends pairing with dark chocolate for a wealth of flavor.

Meanwhile, Knoll recently traveled to vineyards in Chile and Italy, handpicking wines for the new boutique.

"I'm a red wine fan, personally," Athas-Vazquez said. "Kathleen likes Sauvignon Blancs... so we did a wide variety for everybody [at the shop.]"

She added that when Uncorked's doors open, visitors can choose among an assortment of cheeses and caviar to pair with their wine selections. Gift baskets are also available to purchase.