CLEVELAND, Ohio - Brandon Chrostowski has expanded his Edwins empire in big ways - a butcher shop, a learning and living center, and a bakery and diner coming soon - but also in small ways.
Like with bottles of affordable wine. Chrostowski is a detail person, big and small, and it made sense for his Shaker Square restaurant, Edwins, to offer its own wine. And, of course, it’s French.
While many of the restaurants or businesses that contract out for private labels use California juice, for Chrostowski, it had to be French.
He had connections with a European wine importer.
"I said 'Listen, we need to get our own label'." The price point was there."
It's a full-bodied Bordeaux, with 50% each of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Bordeaux blends are required to be composed of certain grapes, though the percentages can vary.
Edwins restaurant, of course, is Chrostowski's vision, a second chance for recently incarcerated individuals to learn the finer points of a restaurant, from front of house to cooking techniques, from wine to service and more.
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The wine came out at the beginning of the year, but this will be the first holiday season it will be available to the public.
The butcher shop, at 13024 Buckeye Road, sells the bottles for $12.99, and a six-bottle wooden case branded with Edwins name for $78.99.
"It's priced right," he said. "Very few people are spending $40 to $60 on Bordeaux bottles. It’s a more affordable Bordeaux. People are pleasantly surprised."
Chrostowski, who is a sommelier, tasted a dozen wines before arriving at the blend, which is billed as having notes of black currant and plum preceding an earthy, dry finish.
And it’s wine with a message. The label reads: “Today we will win. We’ll study our mistakes and become stronger. We will win, each day, we will win.”