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For the love of wine
By JANE BOKUN CARROLLWOOD -- Wine is Jack Hanes' passion. So much so that when the Grand Cru Wine Cellar opened in Carrollwood three years ago, he was the gourmet wine and food shop's first customer. "He was our first sale, and I can even tell you what he bought," said Susan Martelli, who is the owner, along with her husband Joe Martelli, of Grand Cru. "It was the Grant Burge Filsell Shiraz." "I became friends with the owners and eventually started hosting the wine tastings for them," Hanes said. Now, the 50-year-old is as much a fixture on Friday nights at the Main Street Plaza wine shop as a good cabernet. Hanes likes his work so much, in fact, that he does it for free. "I've been an oenophile since 1992, and I do the tastings because I love to meet people and, of course, for the love of the vintage," he said. Hanes started collecting and tasting good wines as a hobby a decade ago. A native Chicagoan, he formerly worked for hotels and also owned a travel agency before starting a criminal justice consulting firm in Tampa. "I read all about wine and started collecting magazines," he said. "Studying is just something I like." On most Friday nights Hanes, who lives in Country Place in Carrollwood, can be found looking up special wines in Wine Spectator magazine or picking out a reasonably priced vintage for customers. Although he is self-taught, his knowledge is impressive and his customers are always appreciative. "It's like Jack has a following each Friday," Martelli said. "The other night he was out sick and the customers wouldn't open a certain wine because he wasn't there to share it." For his part, Hanes takes the adulation in stride. "I like the people I see each week, too," he said.
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From the Times |
