Try Unique and Hard-to-Find Wines in Dallas With Café Duro’s Newly Launched Club

Between the newly opened Favor & Fig, Trova, and the expansion of Leela’s, it’s a great time to be a wine lover in Dallas. This spring, however, it just got even better. Launched out of Café Duro (part of Duro Hospitality’s little European-inspired enclave along Lower Greenville), the company’s new Duro Wine Shop offers hard-to-find vino by the glass, a membership-based wine club, tastings, and other events for novices and aficionado alike.

The Duro Wine Club offers three tiers of monthly memberships for those interested in exploring vino. The first is “Duro Explorer” ($145 per month), which features four must-try wines ranging from staff favorites to new releases. This one is great for new wine drinkers as each bottle includes tasting notes and information on the grapes, regions, and producers involved. “Duro Collector” ($275) is the middle level and includes small production and highly sought-after wines. And if you already know a ton about wine, “Trust Us” ($499) offers rare, small-production, and vintage bottles.

On a recent visit to the shop, we spoke with Duro Hospitality’s Director of Wine and Beverage Nicole Nowlin as she gave us a great sampling of the different wines that the shop offers.

What is your goal for the Duro wine program and what do you hope customers get out of the experience?

We want to offer the neighborhood an opportunity to try wines that are unique, of great value, and often hard to find in Texas. We like drinking curiously – and we enjoy sharing that with our guests. We really try to focus on showcasing wines that we would like to drink, so it’s a bit of a passion project for all of us.

Which are your favorite wines to introduce people to? 

I love introducing people to the range and value available in Spain and Portugal right now. They are such a mosaic of styles. They are also great for people just getting into Old World wines.

What bottles at the Duro Wine Shop might surprise experienced collectors?

I find experienced wine drinkers are often surprised by the quality of the wines coming out of Greece and Portugal. We have some amazing Carcavelos from the ’90s that are inexpensive and really well made.

Why do you think your wine club membership is good for those who are interested in learning more about wine?

I think we’ve done a lot of legwork for new wine drinkers to find styles that are fun, high quality, and represent some of the most interesting winemakers in various regions at a good price. All of our producers have either shaped a region or are changing the dialog in a positive way. 

When will your next wine-tasting event be and how can people sign up?

We will be having a wine-tasting event at Café Duro at 6 pm on May 11, 2023, with two amazing South African Winemakers, Sebastian Beaumont, and Arlene Mains. This is a free event. We also will be hosting a wine dinner at our sister property, El Carlos Elegante on May 17 with Chateau Le Puy. It’s their first time coming to Texas, so we are super excited about that. Follow us on social media at @durohospitality for more information on wine dinners and tasting events.