Why “Williams Corner”?

Long before we started Williams Corner Wine, our friend Michael Williams ran a bookstore, the Williams Corner Bookstore, on Charlottesville’s Downtown Pedestrian Mall. Although changes in the new book market ultimately brought an end to the well-loved shop, Michael stills owns the building and maintains both an avid interest in wine and excellent storytelling abilities, two traits that make Michael an excellent dinner companion.

In 2007, Nicolas Mestre, Andrew Greene and Ted Burns jumped at Michael’s offer to create a shared wine cellar ‘beneath’ the Downtown Mall and the former Williams Corner Bookstore space. Using his carpentry skills, and some reclaimed bookshelves, Michael created an array of bins and racks to store our eclectic collection of obscure varietals, regions and formats. From this subterranean lair, the idea was hatched to create a wine importing company dedicated to bringing authentic, natural wines to Virginia.

When it came to name our new venture, we chose Williams Corner Wine both to represent our shared experience and also help preserve the memory of a beloved Charlottesville shop.