How It All Began
Before Central Avenue was lined with wine bars, tasting rooms, and bottle shops, two women opened the very first one—in a downtown most people were afraid to visit.
What began as an idea sparked in Europe became A Taste for Wine, the bar that introduced St. Pete to wine by the glass in 1995.
“I would find myself in these bars in France and Holland that had wine by the glass,” Rochelle said. “And I was like, wow, that is really cool. We didn’t have anything like that in the States.”
When she returned home, she wanted to bring that experience to St. Petersburg. She teamed up with her friend Erin Shim, whose IT background and MBA balanced Rochelle’s hospitality instincts. “She had an MBA. I just drank well,” Rochelle laughed. “Your IT is going to come in handy, girl.”
Together, they built the business plan that would become A Taste for Wine, the first true wine bar in St. Pete.
Finding a Home on Central Avenue
Finding a location wasn’t simple. Landlords thought the concept was too risky. Prices were unrealistic. Prospective spaces fell through. But one afternoon, everything changed.
“We looked up and saw the wrought-iron balcony,” Rochelle said. “We went, huh. Let’s check it out.”
The address was 241 Central Ave, the upstairs space that now houses Sauvignon Wine Locker. In 1995, it was a worn-out office with fluorescent lighting and old carpet—but the balcony felt full of potential. Their soon-to-be landlord believed in them and gave them what Rochelle calls “a running start.” With that support, and no outside loans, the foundation was set.
Building a Wine Bar From Scratch
The space needed everything. They tore out walls themselves, hauled sinks out of an old dinner theater, bought mismatched furniture at auctions, and improvised wherever possible.
“I had a picture of Erin and I taking the first whack at the wall,” Rochelle said. “We were covered in dust and dirt.”
Permitting was just as chaotic. The city required a minimum number of seats that far exceeded what the space could reasonably hold. “We bought plastic chairs just to satisfy the city,” Rochelle said. “It was ridiculous. We were this big and they wanted how many people to squish in here?”
One city staff member eventually toured the space and went to bat for them. “That really helped,” Rochelle said. “Suddenly things opened up.”
What Downtown Looked Like in 1995
Opening a business downtown back then was a gamble.
“Downtown was scary,” Rochelle said. “People didn’t want to go. The benches were used by the homeless, the development was tied up, and no new businesses were opening.”
Central Avenue was dotted with gaps, boarded buildings, and only a handful of restaurants. But the businesses that were there welcomed the wine bar.
“They didn’t look at us as competition,” Rochelle said. “They looked at us as another reason for people to come into the area.”
Creating St. Pete’s First Wine Culture
A Taste for Wine brought an entirely new model to St. Petersburg—one focused on curiosity, accessibility, and warmth at a time when wine still felt intimidating.
Some of the innovations they introduced long before they became common:
- Half pours
- Clear, approachable tasting notes
- Boutique wineries producing 2,000 cases or less
- Small grower Champagne decades before it became trendy
- Microbrews “because Erin liked beer”
“People loved that we remembered them,” Rochelle said. “‘Hey, glad you’re back—I know you liked this white wine, here’s another I think you might like.’”
Much of what they introduced, small producers, micro-curated by-the-glass lists, and approachable education, now forms the backbone of the modern wine bars that fill St. Pete today.
A Balcony Full of Stories
The wrought-iron balcony wasn’t just the bar’s signature feature, it became a stage for moments that shaped the bar’s legacy.
Some stories, though, captured the spirit of the place. One night, a young man handed Rochelle an engagement ring and asked her to hide it until his girlfriend arrived. She ushered the woman outside with champagne as he waited on one knee.
“There are stories I could tell you that shouldn’t shared here,” Rochelle laughed. “People did some wild things on that balcony.”
“We could see it through the window when he proposed,” she said. “She said yes.”
There were mystery theater nights, washboard bands, powerful cheese tastings, and the early, unpredictable First Fridays that nearly paid the rent each month.
“It never felt like work,” Erin said. “We brought people together. Those are some of my best memories.”
Nearly 20 Years on Central Avenue
For nearly two decades, A Taste for Wine helped shape the foundation of what would become a thriving wine scene.
Erin eventually moved out of Florida around year twelve but remained central to the business—managing IT, paperwork, taxes, and printing—while Rochelle ran day-to-day operations. In the later years, Renee joined the team and became an important part of the bar’s rhythm.
When the founders sold the business, it eventually evolved into what is now Sauvignon Wine Locker, a modern wine bar operating in the same second-story footprint they once built from scratch.
“I’m proud of what they’ve done,” Rochelle said. “They took it to new heights. When I walked in the first time, I had chill bumps on my arms. It felt like home.”
A Legacy That Lives On
Today, Rochelle works part-time at Savoir on Central, contributing her decades of experience to one of St. Pete’s most respected wine education hubs. Her presence there quietly links the city’s wine past to its wine present, which is another example of how far the scene has come.
Erin lives out of state but carries the memories closely. “It feels like it was a wonderful chapter,” she said. “I’m proud of it. I don’t have anything bad to say about A Taste for Wine.”
What They Started
St. Petersburg now has 20 wine bars and counting—an astonishing number for a city its size. Rochelle and Erin don’t take credit for the boom, but their influence is undeniable.
“We were fortunate to be at the time we were,” Rochelle said. “St. Pete supported us. That’s what made it work.”
Looking back, the legacy of A Taste for Wine isn’t just about being first. It’s about two women who saw what St. Petersburg could become, and built something nearly twenty years ahead of its time.