A Bottled Affair will bring a wine concept to Champa Street

By Laura Shunk Tue., Jun. 21 2011 at 2:08 PM

Categories: Open and Shut Cases

Randie Thompson has practiced law for thirteen years while simultaneously attending a number of work happy hours and networking events that left her wanting more. "I started getting frustrated with all the networking events where they'd shuffle us into bars or tiny, cramped rooms and we'd drink whatever wine the distributor was pushing en masse that week," she says. "I wanted to give people another option for events that made wine the focus."

And so this October, she'll leave her law career behind and open A Bottled Affair in a tiny Champa Street spot, giving Denver what she calls a "wine event venue."

"I started taking classes with the Wine Guild a couple of years ago, and I wanted to do something fun with it," explains the ex-attorney, who's about ready to take the level three test.

She secured a long, narrow space downtown and she's giving it a makeover, accenting exposed brick walls with a tin ceiling and crystal chandeliers. In it, she'll throw showers, hold corporate events and even small wedding receptions for groups of up to sixty people. And once a week, she'll hold classes that are, she says, "not as heady as the Wine Guild," but aimed at giving Denverites the opportunity to learn through tasting.

The address is also being outfitted with a small catering kitchen, where Thompson says she'll make small bites for parties and use it to accommodate any caterer or restaurant a group wants to bring in.

And though the new concept won't feature hours for people who want to just come in and have a drink, Thompson will do events for groups as small as ten.

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