Raines opens fine wine, spirits shop

FLORA — Chef David Raines continues his investment here with his third business venture. 

His latest business, Raines Cellars: Fine Wines & Rare Spirits,  plays off his vast international experience as a Michelin-trained chef and certified sommelier. The shop will be located next to his famous Flora Butcher shop on Flora’s Main Street business district. 

Raines has been traveling back and forth from Kentucky bourbon distilleries selecting one-of-a-kind Raines Cellars barrel picks available exclusively at his Flora shop. In addition, his team has been a big presence at select wine auctions on the West Coast, which will result in one-of-a-kind premium wines for connoisseurs and collectors. 

Customers will have the opportunity to sample certain recommendations at the shop’s tasting bar. There will also be a special VIP service for customers interested in creating or replenishing a wine cellar.

Raines plans to bring his culinary experience to the shop by assisting customers with unique wine and spirit pairings, especially with products purchased at The Flora Butcher. 

“There are remarkable wines on the market that won’t break the bank,” he said. “We will be offering a wide variety of labels that will compliment a customer’s menu from first course to dessert. The best wine is not necessarily the most expensive.”

The opening of Chef Raines’s Flora Butcher in 2016 accelerated the renaissance of Flora’s business district and further enhanced the small towns growing reputation as Mississippi’s premier farm-to-table community. It was already the home of Salad Days Hydroponic Farm and Two Dog Farms, both located one block from Main Street. In 2018, Chef Raines opened his Wagyu Barbecue restaurant, Dave’s Triple B: Barbecue, Beer & Blues along the tracks on Main. 

Raines Cellars is slated to open later this spring, or early summer.